Power Struggle
by SigmaFang
Summary: Three roommates' lives are changed forever when they get a firsthand introduction to the World of Darkness and all its horrors within. As the new Prince of the Camarilla begins to pave his way through Los Angeles, vampires young and old have to deal with the power crazed gambit to secure order. Collab with pishathenagaraja. (M for every reason imaginable-drugs, sex, violence, etc.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** "SigmaFang, what have you been doing for so long? Where's the Emerald Knight's Tale? What happened?" This happened. This is what I've been doing. This old gem needed even more love, and after a while of temptation, it became completely irresistible. I do hope you like it, sorry for all of those who've been waiting for more Fairy Tail! That story will get picked up once the inspiration hits me.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any material from Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

* * *

The clatter of silver knives and forks clashing into porcelain plates rang out in the dim dining room, echoing off the thick glass windows, which were ornately designed with intricate metal frames. Wine glasses resting upon the dark oak table were heard occasionally, as well as dishes being slid to and fro. The quiet sound of candles burning in the three overhead chandeliers cut through the tension that mugged the room of sound.

"Chrysanthemum. The table salt, if you will." The refined voice of a woman asked, with an English accent.

A woman with dark hair and darker eyes picked up the nearby salt shaker and passed it to a woman who looked quite similar. Arguably, their noses were slightly different, and perhaps their jawline. But those two, as well as the two other women in the room, wore nearly identical dresses, elegant gowns that were neutral colors, made up of silk, satin and lace.

A man sitting at one end of the table cleared his throat, "Well…ahem…" He scooted forward in his seat. His gray eyes were contrasted with his dark hair, as well as the smile on his face. "Sebastian, tell us about your day." This man, as well as the five other gentlemen in the room, wore fine looking attire for the time period, neutral colors of gray, brown or black.

"Buchanan, what on God's good earth would hearing about his day do for us now?" The eldest man at the table said. His graying dark hair was thinning a bit, his piercing blue eyes darted around the room. Crow's feet resided beside each of his deep set and skeptical eyes, as well as a series of other fine wrinkles riddled upon his face. He lifted a hand in the air as he spoke, a gold band on the left ring finger, "I ought to request a fee for such a ludicrous remark."

"Apologies, Father." Buchanan said with a snide smile, his eyes glancing at the youngest man in the room.

This was clear due to his size. While everyone's head passed the apex of the back of the chair, this young man was lucky if his head cleared it by an inch. His face looked young as well, contrary to the mature outfit he wore, which seemed just as professional as everyone else in the room. His eyes darted from person to person as they spoke, wide and fearful. As well as his wide eyes, his pale hair stuck out drastically in the room full of brunettes.

"If we gave an ounce of care about Sebastian, then we'd have to lower our standards to that of a valley." A woman with a deeper voice said, glasses resting on her large nose.

The room was lit up with light chuckling, some of the tension was finally relieved.

Buchanan offered a shrug, "Well, I theorized the day of the illegitimate would sound quite entertaining." He gave a grin, "Especially from his own mouth."

The room laughed again, even the boy gave a small chuckle, who was clearly being picked on.

"When does his carriage come around?" A young man with dark hair and blue eyes asked, looking at his father.

"Nine o'clock this evening, I was told." He said, taking a sip from his wine.

"He'll get to live with his swine, hmm?" Buchanan gave a small smile.

"Yes, it appears so." The father mused, watching the grandfather clock in the corner tick away as he sliced into his meal.

"I don't understand how you manage to speak so cruelly to your own mother." A woman chimed in, her curly brunette hair fell down her shoulders. Her eyes glared into those of her brother's.

"You'd like a lesson, Elizabeth? She's a whore." He motioned a hand at Sebastian, "He's half-blood to us, Elizabeth, half of us. All his father has to his name is a stone in the dirt with seven letters engraved upon it. That's it."

The entire table laughed, besides Sebastian. His pale eyes glanced outside at a courtyard, watching a slow rain drizzle to the ground. He had learned to tune them out when they started talking about his father. He had for years, while he had been living at his step-father's house.

He clearly recalled the day his mother told him the house was on fire and he needed to get into his aunt's carriage to escape. When 'bad people' had lit the wooden house on fire, they were both lucky his mother's sister was nearby, and was willing to bring them somewhere safe. They left their 'homeland', which Sebastian now knew was France. In that carriage ride, he dozed off, only to wake up without his mother. He hadn't seen her since that ride, and his aunt, only speaking French, was unable to explain to him what had happened to her, or where they were even going. The following day, they made it to a ship that brought them to England. He was completely clueless, blindly trusting his aunt with his life. He was then brought to a mansion near the coast, where he was raised from his stepfather. The man who his mother was married to. That was day, when he was four, he learned he was illegitimate.

That bitter, freezing and jaded day was when he met his father, as well as his four step-sisters and six step-brothers. Also residing in the mansion was a musician, a tutor and a handful of maids and servants. The musician taught him formalities, manners, music and dance, while the tutor expanded upon these formalities, as well as arithmetic and English. The maids and servants ensured he was always cared for, the unit acting as a mother to him since his father never seemed to acknowledge his presence in the first place.

As Elizabeth took his plate and pushed his chair in, she gave him a warm smile and grabbed the door for him, "Here you are, Sebastian."

Sebastian smiled back and took a step past the door before he heard a quick and cold sound, turning to see his father standing before her, a red hand mark on her cheek.

"Holding the door open for him? A lady? Holding the door open for a gentleman? I won't have it. Not in my household." He snapped, his wiry voice sending chills across the room as everyone went dead silent. "Sebastian. You should have known better than to allow this."

"Yes, Father." Sebastian stood straight up, the color fleeting his face as he realized his real mistake. Addressing the man as his father.

It was instinctual for children to address male figures in their lives as their father, especially when exposed to them for years. _Especially_ when just about every other person in the household addresses them as 'Father'. It was something Mr. Greenfield couldn't tolerate.

"What did you say?" His father's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, _sir_." He held his chin up high and spoke louder, his naturally soft voice unfortunately digging him even deeper.

"You choose now to mutter to me? You must learn how to speak up!" Sebastian's eyes closed as he saw his stepfather move his hand back, bracing to be hit. It wasn't even the contact that hurt the most, it was the ring colliding with his temple that hurt the most. "Insolent brat." He muttered gruffly as he pushed Sebastian aside firmly on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry Sebastian…" His sister apologized swiftly, "He didn't hurt you too much, did he?"

He bit his lip with frustration. His sister, Elizabeth was her name. She was the only one to ever say anything kind to him. Even the servants treated him like dirt. Elizabeth treated him with unconditional kindness, no matter what. He hardly ever spoke to her, not even to thank her, in fear that someone would hear. Turning on his heels, something he watched Buchanan do incessantly in every argument, he faced the young woman, his pale face was red with anger. "Damn you!" He spat, "Bane of my life, that's all you are! Get out of my presence!"

Her jaw dropped, she nodded swiftly and scurried off with the trays of food she had.

Sebastian felt a thin hand land on his shoulder, looking up to see his brother, towering over him, that cocky and charismatic grin plastered on his face, "Nicely done, Sebastian. Maybe you do have some of our blood in your veins."

He looked away, ignoring the tears that filled his eyes. Pushing his brother's hand away, he went to his quarters. He was given the smallest room, naturally, only a few garments, a few books and a bag. Those were the items his father granted him, anything else he had to purchase, with his own nonexistent money. Stuffing his belongings into his bag, then slinging that over his shoulder, he looked at the clock. Quarter to nine. It would take fifteen minutes to make it to the front entrance.

Turning away without looking back at all, he left his room, the corridors which were ingrained in his mind by now, and the twisted family that treated him worse than cattle. " _Be thankful we feed you, Sebastian, you make it sound as if we're abusing you."_ He remembered Annabelle, one of his sisters snickering at him as he complained about his father's punishment of only one meal a day for a week, after he received bad marks.

" _We're setting you on the path for success, boy, be grateful."_ His brother, Benjamin had told him after he bruised his shoulder from trying to fire a rifle at such a young age.

" _Sebastian, your name will be everywhere one day. You'll be the next King over England. No, over Europe!"_ One ray of sunshine poked through the fogged clouds. Elizabeth's words resonated with him. They made his heart beat a bit faster, his lungs take in a bit more air. These were the words he forced himself to remember every time he felt blind anger or sadness.

He reached the double doors that faced the view of the sea, it was especially rough looking, even on the horizon, due to the stormy weather. The carriage was already dripping, he knew it would be a miserable ride. Without any farewells, he approached the carriage and got inside, his aunt looked as if she hadn't aged a day.

" _Bonjour, homme jeune!_ " Her warm voice rang out as he got inside. Her loud voice carried over the rain battering down on the canvas roof of the carriage, her big green eyes wide with happiness.

He nodded timidly, noting the greasy look to her dirty blonde hair, as well as the tattered look to her clothes. When was the last time this woman had bathed? "Bonjour." He spoke softly with quite an unfortunate accent.

" _Qu'est-il arrivé au jeune homme qui parlait on français si parfait?_ " She said, a smile still on her face. Her voice, like a nightingale, garbled on and on, despite the rain. They were in two entirely different moods, that much he could tell.

"I'm afraid I cannot understand you…" He admitted quietly.

She gave a sigh, " _C'est dommage…_ " She cracked the whips, the horses whinnied and trotted off.

His nearly colorless blue eyes landed on the mansion one last time. The dark clouds behind them, the rough seas before them, was living with his mother really going to be much better? She cheated on his father, something he knew well about now as an eight year old. She couldn't quite handle the long distance relationship, it seemed, and settled upon a lowly French peasant across the house her husband had purchased for her in France. His father was said to have seduced her by telling her God wanted them to produce children.

His mother felt her life was aged and pointless by then, after producing ten children and being left behind in France. She felt so cared about when another man saw her beautiful. He saw her as a person, not a profit, something she had never once experienced. She left her last name, Greenfield, and took the last name of the man who claimed God supported their love. Jean LaCroix took her hand in marriage when she lied to him about her 'dead' husband, and bore her a child, before Buchanan, the snoop he was, soon found out about the affair. Buchanan's father then had an assassin sent, and Jean was murdered one night. The entire display was set up as an accident, having his body trampled on by his own cattle was an effective way of ensuring this. Sebastian never knew his father, and had no clue what he looked like in the slightest. He was told by his mother that he resembled him, with the light hair and youthful face, though he could hardly even recall if those were her real words, or if those were words spoken to him in a dream.

He only had one desire when he returned home, one vivid memory. His father's tombstone, underneath a willow tree by the pond, behind their house. He wasn't sure if they were going back to that house, even, of if they had relocated to the other side of France entirely. He wanted to find that tombstone no matter what, and add to the pathetic epitaph, that merely spelled his last name, the only last name Sebastian decided to ever accept.

* * *

LaCroix's eyes snapped open at the sound of a firetruck driving through the streets of L.A., blasting its siren. He sat up a bit, thankful it was still nighttime. His shoulders decompressed a bit as his mind flashed back to such an ancient time. Such troubling dreams haven't haunted him since he was a young soldier in the fleet. As a Kindred, he hardly ever thought back on his life as a human. A feeling he despised settled in his chest, the feeling of fear consuming his logic. What was the meaning of these dreams? Why now?

Shaking his head and deciding it was best left ignored, he shifted his attention to the paperwork before himself. The resumes from two of his subordinates, both seemingly loyal members to the Camarilla for years. With that, he was reminded of what had put him in the stressed-induced slumber in the first place. Hardly had he ever fallen asleep on the job, but this information succeeded in stumping him.

Gathering as much information as the Camarilla Nosferatu would gather, his flipped through pages about these subordinates of his. Particularly, a relatively outlandish Ventrue of his who was constantly off-putting, but never directly so. It was the look after completing a mission, the tone of his voice that was clearly evident, but not nearly worthy of calling out. And he had no reason to call him out either. Every job he was ever sent on was executed with extreme caution, following every instruction flawlessly. Then his eyes grazed to the resume of his associate. The two usually worked in pairs. He thought, perhaps, the reason this Venture was so obedient in the first place was due to his associate's control. LaCroix was never one to keep figures around who doubted him in the slightest, he felt there was absolutely no room in his Camarilla for those who were dubious of his power.

He turned his attention back to the streets of L.A., watching the tiny figures of humans walking the streets. The homeless people, the prostitutes, the apartment owners who scurried across the dark pavement in fear of getting attacked by a local gang. It was all new to him, just months ago it had practically been handed to him. They were all his, they were all under his control, and they had no clue. Blissfully living their lives without knowing exactly whose domain they functioned under. That was exactly as he needed it to be, he couldn't risk the threat of his true power being revealed to them, especially not by one of his own Ventrue. He stood up and rubbed his eyes, looking over to the Sheriff, "I'm heading to my quarters a bit earlier than usual this evening."

The Sheriff gave a short nod, following the Prince out of his office. LaCroix's ears tuned into the sound the lights produced as they lit up the dim hallways, the only sound disrupting the silence of the tower, beside their footsteps. Peace and quiet, that was all he needed. Until tomorrow, at least.

* * *

"Give her a call. See what she says." Her voice was as rich as gold, deep and smooth with a mischievous smirk spread upon her small lips. Her eyes looked even more impish, large wide-set bright purple orbs glittered like amethysts. She was peeking down from the top bunk of a bunk-bed, her hands gripped around the mattress.

"I could never!" A quiet and gentle voice said, it was on the deeper side, but nowhere near intimidating. The speaker looked up from his laptop screen, his dark and cynical eyes meeting those of the girl in the bed above him, "She'd hang up."

"She would with that attitude." She said dryly.

He swallowed hard and adjusted his collar. He was dressed in a nice light green checkered dress shirt, tucked into a black pair of dress pants, with black dress shoes. One of his hands slid through his medium-length black hair, he knew he needed to cut it soon, he could just never find the time between all the tests, "We've only spoken…once? Twice, maybe?"

"Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror? You're quite handsome, she'd have to be quite ditzy to deny you. And I know the sorts that are in your class, they're almost as smart as I am."

"Tess, there's an essay due tomorrow I really should be working on…"

"And…?" She asked, "Is that essay going to guarantee your future?" She asked, "This woman could be your future, for all you know. Your future wife. The mother to your children."

"You're completely lost in fantasy." He muttered as he started typing.

"Is she not attractive enough?"

"You're just not going to give this up, are you?" He sighed.

"Are you gay?"

His cheeks turned bright red, "What sort of accusation is that!?"

"You've never once asked me out yet."

"Well…" His eyes darted around, "Neither has Slade."

She chuckled, "He hasn't yet, has he? You two are lovers, aren't you? You've been hiding it the entire time…"

He looked absolutely mortified, "Slade! Tess is harassing me, please distract her!"

Tess laughed loudly, "Yes, call to your lover in your time of need…"

"There's not an insane asylum in the world that could hold her, Dragomir." Slade muttered, tending to the soup he was making in the kitchen. He looked about the same age as the other two, early-twenties, college kids. He sported short brunette hair, matching his brown eyes. He wore a light-blue button-up shirt, with a mosaic tie, as if a large assortment of random colors were splattered all over it. On his lower body were black jeans and dress shoes.

"Is dinner almost ready?" Tess sat up, nearly bumping her head on the ceiling. Her hair was long and dark, falling down her back, framed with bangs on her forehead. Even from her position where she was sitting, one could see her figure was flawless, a generous chest and thin waist with wide hips. She was in a tee shirt and shorts, an outfit that looked like she had took the day off and stayed home.

"Yeah, it's just about done." Slade said.

She hopped off from the bed, "You need to talk to your lover before he tries to ask out a woman." She said as she walked into the kitchen.

Dragomir closed his laptop and stood up. His figure was surprising for how he acted, his tan skin and muscular form gave away that he at least visited the gym regularly, "Please…" He said quietly, "Ignore her…she's bee teasing me about this…email a peer had sent…"

"Oh yeah?" Slade asked as he set three bowls of soup down for each of them, "So who's the lucky lady?"

Dragomir's cheeks flamed as Tess smiled and crossed her legs, "What was her name?" She asked, "Oh, it was simply adorable."

"Lily." He said quickly, only to end the conversation quickly. "She just needs tutoring and she figured it would be cheaper to ask another student."

"Mmm hmm." Tess said as she stood up and poured herself a glass of wine, "I'm sure she's going to offer some sort of payment. And if she can't afford a tutor….."

"It's repulsive that you're even suggesting that." Dragomir muttered.

"This is L.A." She smiled as she sat down next to him, "The land of infinite dreams and opportunities." She said, "And fucking people when you need a quicker way to get there."

"I think I lost my appetite." Dragomir muttered.

"Me too." Slade sighed, "Thanks Tess…"

Tess giggled and took another sip of her drink, "You boys are so innocent and naïve…"

"I'd like it to stay that way…" Dragomir muttered, "Safer that way."

"I don't run into any danger." Tess said.

"Said the mouse who stole cheese from a mousetrap."

"I have street-smarts, I know who won't hurt me and who to avoid."

"Just be careful, alright?"

She leaned in, "I will, just for you."

His cheeks flushed, "Whatever it takes…"

"The dinner was absolutely lovely." She stood up and put her dish in the sink, "But I have a date to attend."

"A date?" Dragomir asked. "With who?"

"A lovely fellow by the name of Julius." She said, "I've been spending a few evenings with him, he's an art graduate. His paintings are absolutely gorgeous." She said as she walked into the bedroom and pulled her shirt off, nothing underneath. Luckily she was facing away from the men at the table, but it was still enough to turn Dragomir's face bright red from just looking over his shoulder.

"Remind me why we let her live with us?" Dragomir asked quietly.

"I mean, she went to high school with us…" Slade said, his face just as red, "I…would feel bad…just telling her to beat it…but…she can be pretty annoying…"

He sighed as he stirred his spoon through the soup broth, "Perhaps this Julius fellow will settle her down…"

"I sure hope so…maybe she'll start to live with him too…that'll get her out of our hair."

"Either that, or she'll invite him here…"

"God no, we can't afford that."

"Let's hope she keeps her wits about herself in the eyes of love…" He sighed, "We all know how much damage love goggles can cause…"

* * *

 **A/N:** How was that? I know, a lot of new characters, there are going to be more in the future as well. I've played through this game so many times that I have multiple representatives from each clan in this story. Let us know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's chapter two! Lots of new characters, but what's a new character without in-game characters to ground them? Double upload too! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

The sound the door made was just a hair too loud. Just loud enough for her to know she was there.

"Halcyon?"

Yes, and there was the accompanying call. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

The lights in the living room flicked on as her sister stood in the doorway. Tall, lean, elegant and fragile looking. As she walked closer, Halcyon looked up to meet her bright yellow gaze. Her buzzed hair, platinum blonde, was freshly cut, her large pointed ears shone with as many piercings as they could fit. Her brow was scattered with a few piercings as well, her nose additionally was pierced with a golden stud. Her skin was just as dark as Halcyon remembered, if not looking a bit darker. "What are you doing here?" Her pointed eyes narrowed in distaste, her black lips curled in an unpleasant frown.

"I…" Her voice died out, before she found it again, "Therese told me to visit."

"Therese, hmm?" She asked, her canines shone in the reflection of the lights, "What about Jeanette?"

"Jeanette isn't home, sister." She said as she reached out and gripped her sister's arm, glancing over her outfit. She wore a black lacy bralette, golden piercings could be seen beneath it. She also donned black leggings, with bright yellow designer high-heels. "Please, I've missed you…"

"Have you?" She said quietly, her deep voice softened a bit as she wrapped an arm around Halcyon, "I do hope she hasn't…" She blinked a few times in thought, "Hurt you."

"Of course not." Halcyon looked up at her face, and the new piercing on her lip, "Jeanette loves me."

"Therese, I mean."

"Therese is the witch woman."

"Yes…I know…" She sighed as she gently broke the hug and started walking into the kitchen, "Come, I've made dinner."

"Dinner?" Halcyon asked as she followed her sister in. She stopped as she looked at a full length mirror on the wall. Her skin was tan, not nearly as dark as her sister's, but not pale either. Her hair was black, a short bob that got shorter towards the back of her head, and longer towards her face. Her face was prettier than her sister's, her eyes were less harsh, her lips a bit smaller, her ears were round and her nose wasn't as pointed. Her figure wasn't nearly as slim either, she filled her tight short green dress perfectly. The dress fell to her mid-thigh, a bright green color that she lived for. It was the same color as her eyes, her nails and her lipstick, the only color she found pretty. "But why, sister?" She turned and walked into the kitchen, "You don't need such sustenance."

Her sister's sharp yellow eyes landed on Halcyon, "You will be quiet about our kind."

She bowed her head, "I will keep quiet about our kind."

"Harmonia does not know about either of us. It will remain that way."

"The life of a ghoul certainly isn't one of pain or misery…"

She sighed softly as she handed Halcyon a plate of salmon, "You enjoy it?"

"Jeanette fills me with happiness."

"I suppose I have no reason to fret then…" She said as she sat across from Halcyon and watched her engulf her food.

"Iphigenia?" A figure walked down the staircase. Her skin was pale as snow, her face was significantly softer, round and innocent. Her hair was long and dark, her eyes were as bright blue as the sky. She was wrapped in a white bathrobe, rubbing her sleepy eyes, "It's so late…what are you doing awake?"

"Apologies, dear." Iphigenia said, "Were you hungry?"

"No, I'm alright." She sat next to Halcyon, "I haven't seen you in such a long time, where have you been?"

Iphigenia glared at Halcyon.

Halcyon hugged the girl in the robe, "Harmonia….I've missed you so dearly….."

Harmonia hugged her back, figuring she didn't want to talk about it, "As long as you're safe…."

"Very safe." Halcyon said.

Iphigenia gave a dry sigh, "You should both make your way to bed."

"What of you?" Halcyon asked.

"I have to go to work."

"Work? Where?"

She felt her throat go dry temporarily, "The library."

"Library?" Harmonia asked, "I've been wondering where you've been. The night shift?"

She nodded.

"What are people doing at the library so late at night?"

"You'd be surprised the amount of college students who spend their time studying at all hours."

Harmonia giggled a bit, her voice was far more higher pitched and softer than her sisters'.

"I suppose we'll extract ourselves from your hair." Halcyon stood up, "Good evening, parasite-twin." She hugged Iphigenia.

Iphigenia's eye twitched as she hugged Halcyon back, before she grabbed a small bag and slung it over her shoulder, leaving as she watched Halcyon and Harmonia head upstairs together. She needed to go to 'work'. She needed to clear her mind.

It was a different place there. Her sisters didn't exist. It was about the safety of humans all over, as well as the supernatural. It was significantly more stressful, so much so that it eased the stressors she felt of her sisters. Of Halcyon.

She gently knocked on the door, it creaked open, "Iphigenia." A deep voice asked.

"Hello, dear." Iphigenia said as the door opened wider before closing. The atmosphere was immediately cleansed, she felt completely at ease, "How have you been?"

"Alright." The woman holding the door looked young, with tan skin and a youthful face. Her plump lips were doused with burgundy matte lipstick, her eyes were the matching shade of dark red. Her hair was a shade of very dark red, tumbling down her back. She wore a short maroon dress with long sleeves and lacy patterns, her black boots went up a bit past her thighs. She reached up and adjusted her dark red witch's hat, a nervous tic of hers, especially when talking to elders.

Iphigenia nodded and started towards the library, where she found a familiar figure, "Mister Madison, it is nice to see you again. I had hoped you would make your way home safely from all those errands you've tackled."

The man in the room slammed a book he was holding shut with a single hand. His face was young and soft looking, not resembling most Kindred's at all, and his frame was very thin and wire-like, similar to that of a skeleton. Perhaps the layers he wore tried to compensate for that. He had short, bright blond hair, and chilled blue eyes, covered by small black-rimmed glasses. From head to toe he wore black. He wore a suit and slacks, and boots on his feet, as well as a trench coat over that. He set his book down and folded his gloved hands, "Iphigenia." He said, his voice very clear and businesslike, "You've made yourself rather scare here recently. I do hope that everything's been alright."

"Merely digging my nose into places it doesn't belong." She said with a smirk, "Nothing that puts the Chantry at risk."

She sat in the red sofa across from him. The entire room was darkly lit, a few small white candles up against the walls, which were covered to antique white and purple wallpaper. The floors were covered with deep red rugs, the walls covered with books, as were any tabletops.

"Of course not." Mister Madison said, "You always behave yourself. You make an admirable Tremere."

"Thank you, sir. I do my best." She said, "I was almost certain I'd receive a lecture on my strength by now…I can't say I've been particularly focused on increasing my skills…"

"Ah, but you're still young, I remember when I thought something similar." He stifled a chuckle, "I was always worried about catching up with the others…of course…this was before we came to America…I'm just lucky that our Regent held such faith in me, or I shan't be sitting in front of you right now."

"Oh?" She leaned in as her eyes narrowed and her grin grew, "Why am I getting the impression you're more devious than I am?"

"Devious?" He chuckled, "No…that word doesn't quite suit me. I'd rather not think at least. Why? Have you done something devious recently?"

She crossed her legs and sat back, "I suppose hiring a spy isn't nearly as devious as spying myself. Kept my hands a bit cleaner."

"A…spy…did Strauss authorize this?"

"This was something to slake personal curiosity and nothing more. I am clean and honest about my work, I would not hire someone I cannot trust. It was for safety precautions, that's all." She smirked, "Nothing overly devious."

"Safety precautions?" He mimicked.

"It's my sister." She wafted a hand,

"Ah, I had forgotten, you act as a sort of mother bear to your two sisters. I've always admired that." He smiled.

"Thank you, sir. Was there anything you needed from me?"

"Hmm…I've been catching up on my studies, in all honesty, Strauss may provide you with a…clearer path, for now…"

She nodded and stood up, "Very well. I do hope to catch up with you again, Mister Madison."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

"Hey, there's the guy." The doors of the penthouse swung open, "Damn, when you told us about a new estate, I had no clue it'd be the biggest fucking building in L.A."

"Mister Lorcan." LaCroix sat up from his paperwork, his icy gaze was merciless, "What do I owe the pleasure?" He looked at his answering machine, checking for calls, not even the hint of a smile on his lips.

The man that walked through the door paused, a puzzled look on his face. He looked like a rather stereotypical California agent. Tanned skin, a black pompadour, icy blue eyes, and a big smile. He was wearing black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing many tattoos on his arms. His dark blue skinny tie was loosened, the first few buttons of his shirt undone as well, even more tattoos on his chest. He wore dark green pants and black dress shoes that looked extensively polished, crossing his arms, "Did I come at a bad time or something?"

"No, I was simply checking for messages from my secretary about your arrival."

"Oh, yeah, kinda unannounced, sorry." He said, "Hey, but look, there's this girl."

He raised a brow.

"Freaking genius. Her mind's a computer. And she's got a heart like ice. Cold, calculating, clever, and powerful. More stubborn than a brick wall."

"And you've come to me to fantasize about one of your clients because…?"

"I want to Embrace her."

"I see…" He sat back, "She would become your childe?"

He nodded, "She would be _perfect_ for the Camarilla. She's in college now, going into politics. How great is that, huh?"

"Yes, it is faithfully restoring that she is attending a political class set up by weak-minded kine."

"Look, sir, you would love her. She listens to anything. And she's curious, she'll dig into things that no one would think of looking into."

"While I do appreciate the consideration you've put into this, the timing is beyond inopportune. We haven't been in Los Angeles for long. You expect us to start turning kine?"

"She would be good for it, sir. _Great_ for it. She would be such a help, tell us about the place, know the right move to make."

"I'll put your proposal into consideration, Mister Lorcan. What was her name?"

"Tess. Tess Perry. I could bring her here soon, for like, sort of an interview, maybe?"

"Perhaps." He said, before the phone rang and he swatted Mr. Lorcan away, "Sebastian LaCroix."

Mr. Lorcan turned around and went into the elevator, leaning against the wall as the classical music played. He grabbed his phone from his back pocket and dialed a number before picking up, "Hey, Tess."

"Julius, it's three in the morning…" Her voice sounded raspier and exhausted.

"Is it? Shit, had no clue." He chuckled, "Hard to tell in a maze of cubicles."

"Cubicles, hmm?" Her voice was also soft, she was probably trying to let her roommates sleep.

"Yeah, talked to the boss about you."

"Hmm?"

"Remember how I said I wanted to get you into the business?"

"Oh…yes…I thought that was…merely a joke…"

"Of course not. I mean, I do a hell of a lot of painting, but my real income comes from politics. The boss wants to talk to you, an interview."

"Pay…?"

"Jeez, and I thought I was direct." He snickered, "Depends on how good you get in with the boss."

"Doesn't sound very fair…"

"Nah, nah, you have to _try_ to get on his bad side. He'll love you, Tess."

"Mmm…"

"Are you sick?" He asked as he heard the moan of her voice.

"It's _three in the morning_ , Julius…."

"Not a morning person, eh?"

"Goodnight, Julius…"

"Need me to stop by for a wakeup call?"

"No…I don't think my roommates would appreciate that…"

"Roommates, huh?" His eyes grew, "They nice?"

She gave a tired chuckle, "As nice as they come…a little too dumb…"

"Oh yeah? They going to school too?"

"Mmm hmm…art school and anatomy…"

"Art school…?" He asked, "What are their names?"

"Slade and Dragomir…"

"Oh…they're _dudes_ …" His eyes widened.

"Mmm hmm…what, did you have orgies on your mind, Lorcan?"

He snickered, "You said it, not me."

"They're very nice to me, I'm in good hands. I would never want to annoy them beyond the daily treatment I give them…"

"Jeez, don't you have it good." He muttered as he crossed his legs, "You bailed on our date last night, it was cause of them, wasn't it?"

"It was because the taxi driver thought driving through a mall was a great idea…"

He laughed, "You're alright?'

"Yes, I had my seatbelt on like a good girl. The driver was not so fortunate."

"Ah, good for that asshole. Ruining our date."

"Mmm hmm…"

"Alright, I'll guess I'll let you sleep." He said.

"You sound as reluctant as a teenage boy about to lose his virginity…"

"Well, I just thought I could talk to you for more than five minutes."

"Oh please…so clingy…" He heard her roll over, "We aren't even dating…"

"Did you want that to change?"

"Goodnight, Julius…I'll see you later, alright?"

"Yeah. Night Tess." He waited for her to hang up, then he sighed and slipped his phone in his pocket as the doors opened.

* * *

Dragomir sighed as he flipped a few pancakes onto a plate, "Is she awake yet?"

"Pfft, this is Tess we're talking about." Slade said as he put his tie on.

He sighed, "Should we leave a note next to her breakfast then? I heard her talking on the phone last night, but I didn't think it would leave her so…" He trailed off.

"Completely useless? Yeah, that's pretty much Tess in a nutshell." He muttered as he sat at the table.

Dragomir chuckled quietly, guiltily, almost, "I feel like she's just…under a lot of stress…"

"Yeah, stress…let's just…call it that…"

"She was talking about us…to her friend…"

"Hmm?"

"She…mentioned us over the phone last night. Called us…'dumb', was the word she used specifically…" His cheeks turned a bit redder, "I shouldn't have been eavesdropping…but I've always been a light sleeper…"

"…are you serious?"

He nodded as he took a sip of his black coffee.

Tess rolled out of bed, literally, hitting the ground with a thud as she moaned.

"She's alive, at least…" Dragomir said quietly.

"Oh, little sleeping beauty woke up, did she?" Slade looked back, "Must be a world record. Usually by the time she budges an inch it's at least past noon."

She sat up, a blanket over her entire figure, before she fell over again and started snoring.

"Ah. Well." Dragomir stood up, "I should probably get ready…"

"Me too." He said, "I guess Tess will be absent from most of her classes…again…"

"As per usual…"

Tess tried to get up again, this time she managed to stumble over to the table and take a seat.

"Up late last night talking to your boyfriend?" Dragomir asked.

"He isn't my boyfriend…" She grumbled as she stabbed at the table with her fork, trying to hit her pancakes.

Dragomir handed her his coffee, "Here, I'm not finishing this…"

She snatched it and finished it all, then put it down and sighed, "Ugh…what classes do I have today…?"

"I'm not sure." Dragomir said, "I have nothing today."

"What are you doing?' She asked with a tired smile.

"Me?" He asked, "Studying."

"How fun." She looked at Slade, "You?"

"Me?" Slade asked, "After school I'll be…working somewhere…"

"I had no clue you worked."

"Neither did I." Dragomir admitted.

"Well, it's new." Slade said, "I was…looking into some kind of…jump start to my career, cause we'll be graduating soon, so…I'm trying to sell my art."

"Are you?" Tess asked, "What sort of art?"

"Just paintings right now…luckily there's a place that's interested."

"Oh, where?"

"…it's just down the street, actually…"

She narrowed her eyes in thought, "What, the strip club?" She laughed.

"Pfft, no, of course not…"

"Then where?"

He muttered it under his breath. Neither of them could hear it.

Tess leaned in, "What was that, dear?"

"…Vesuvius…"

"…what the hell does the strip club have you _painting?_ "

"Screw you, Tess!" Slade held a fist up, "It's more than just a strip-club. The stuff I paint there will be decent! Just you wait and see! At least I'm making more money than a worthless bum like you!" He snapped. Slade's voice was actually very subdued, almost chilled, when he was quiet and at peace, but it sure was another thing when he got mad, it snapped like a whip.

Her smirk was unfading, "I'll have to visit and see."

Dragomir swallowed hard, "I…I have to go get ready…" He walked off.

"You've scared him away." Tess watched him walk off.

"I bet." Slade said, "That sounds like what you're typically good for, driving people away."

"Is that so?" She smiled, "I can think of countless people who are only attracted to me. Like magnets. He's one of them." She pointed to the bathroom where Dragomir had left to.

"Pfft, good one, pigs also fly I guess."

She giggled, "I suppose you haven't seen the look yourself. There's a reason he cancelled his plans with Lily. He's got his heart set on me."

"You are so full of it." He frowned, "The entire world isn't looking at you, Tess."

"I don't think I could survive if they were." She said as she twirled her mug, "He's a germaphobe. He can't cook. He doesn't wear shirts without ties." She said as she crossed his legs, "He shares his drinks with me, me only. He makes me breakfast if I ask, makes me dinner, makes me dessert. And ever since I told him to stop wearing ties, he hasn't worn once since."

He rolled his eyes and headed for the door, getting his backpack ready, "Whatever, I don't have time to deal with a self-centered brat of a pampered princess. You'll get what's coming to you."

"Mmm hmm. Have fun at the strip club, Slade."

He gave her a look and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Any thoughts? Let me know with a review! Apologies if my character descriptions are more oriented towards the OCs, I won't focus as much on describing characters that are in the game, or places that are visited constantly. Hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Here's chapter three! Time to introduce even more perspectives (as if I haven't given you enough). Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

A man reached back over his navy blue dress shirt and rubbed at one of his shoulders, closing his eyes tightly as he did so.

"Don't tell me you're _sore."_

"They had a fucking grenade, Lark, we were lucky we didn't die."

"What a baby."

"Like you're one to talk. You were the one that cried for three days straight after being Embraced."

"Oh please, I doubt your Embrace was much better. Probably figured out smoking pot did nothing anymore and you went around and bashed some heads in."

"I still like to think that's a lot more heroic than crying about it."

"You're lucky they didn't throw you in a Sabbat warehouse right then and there."

He leaned in, his messy blonde hair and gruff looking face sneering, "You're lucky I didn't leave you in the dust."

She sat back and crossed her arms. She was on the bigger side, with long and dark strawberry blonde hair, pink eyes and a thick bottom lip, "Yeah. Maybe I am."

"Damn right you are." He slammed a burly arm on the table, "Where the fuck would you be now, without me?" He asked, his gray eyes boring into hers.

"Oh, I don't know." She shrugged, playing with one of the strings from her denim jacket, "Maybe off in college. Maybe I'd have a job."

"You wouldn't like that."

"Not at all." Her lips curved into a smile, "Saved my life, you big dumbass."

"Damn right. Now the Prince is still on my ass about it."

"Oh, I didn't know you swung that way." She said, crossing her legs, which were in dark green distressed jeans and combat boots.

He rolled his eyes, "Fucking bitch." He said, "Now Nines is taking care of it for me, but I still feel like a dick."

"Well, you'd be a dick if you Embraced your little sister and she sat around doing absolutely shit. You'd also be a dick if she turned into a Cammy."

"I guess…" He muttered, "I overheard Jack talking about you the other day, did I tell you that?"

She cocked a brow, "What the hell does he have to say about me?"

"Said you were hot and he wants to fuck you."

"What?" Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she stood up, "Where's that hairy shit?"

He burst out laughing, his gravelly voice rang out in the rather dingy bar they were in, with grungy rock music playing in the background, "I'm kidding, Lark!"

She glared at him, her black eyeliner and mascara smudged around her eyes. She plopped down in her seat again, "Fucking asshole."

"He said he hasn't seen a chick as tough as you in years."

"Good." She said defiantly.

"And then he said he wanted to slap your ass."

"That's another joke." Her eyes narrowed.

"Wow, you're learning."

"Fuck you."

He laughed again.

"I'm gonna go hang out with Anastasia then, if you're gonna be a bitch." She got up out of her booth.

"Tell her I said hi. Haven't really got the chance to talk to her in a while."

"Yeah, I will." There was a glint in her eye as she went upstairs to where more people were gathered. It was a bit cleaner up here, by a hair. There were chairs and tables scattered around, not much else, besides windows, showing the dark lit up streets of L.A. "Anastasia." Everyone turned to Lark, she brought her voice down as she stood next to the only other woman in the room, "My brother said he wants to fuck you in the asshole. Wanted me to tell you that."

Anastasia smiled as she looked at her, her mischievous amber eyes seemed to shine. She certainly wasn't dressed as casually as the others in the bar, that was for sure. She wore a black gown that clung to her generous figure, and a pair of high heels on her feet. She had neck length black hair with a streak in the front of it dyed white, as well as a black rose ornament to the left side. She raised a black-nailed hand to her mouth, "Alright, tell him I'll be down there in a few seconds…I'm still recovering from all that Sabbat bullshit…" She said in a deep voice.

Lark blinked a few times, "Wait…really?"

She shrugged, "If he's gotta go, he's gotta go."

"Ugh, TMI, look, it was a joke…" She said, "He was being a prick so I thought I'd get you to go yell at him…I dunno, I guess it's fucking impossible to get you to get pissed at people…"

She laughed and laughed for a while, having the laugh of a teenage boy, "I know you were kidding, dude, I just wanted to see your reaction if I played it cool."

"You're no better than he is!" She snapped as she threw her hands in the air, "What's with you people playing jokes on me all the time?"

"Cause you're gullible. You take it." A man in the corner said with a beard and dark blue vest, "S'all it takes."

"I do not _take it_." She huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah? Hate to break it, Lark, there's no secret safe behind the dart board." A man with dark skin and a tight green shirt said, who was leaning against a banister.

"…there isn't?"

The entire second floor laughed.

"Fine, fine, whatever." Lark swatted a hand, "You guys are assholes."

"Go talk to Damsel, she won't screw with you." The man in the green shirt wafted her off, "Too much, at least."

Lark pointed a finger at him, "I'll get you back for this, Skelter."

"Still pissed about the damn dartboard?" He snickered, "Lark, there isn't a soul here who's dumber than you. Good luck."

"Tch." She rolled her eyes and went back downstairs, standing next to a short girl with neck-length bright red hair and a green beret. "Hey."

"They were like that to me too, at first." She said, "Don't worry, kid."

"It's been _two years."_

"Yeah? They're guys, they'll play the same joke over and over again for years before they finally shape up and decide it's old. Give it a decade."

"Ugh…" She hit her head against the wall.

"At least you can take it."

She turned and looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"I tried to run away a few times." She smirked, "I came here after Anastasia, so…you know, you get a new toy, you play with that one instead of the old one. The amount of fucking redhead jokes…"

Lark snickered, "I guess that's why they don't call me a ginger, huh?"

"Yeah, they already used them all up on me."

"Jeez, and they called me dumb." She muttered, "Fucking pricks can't even think of new jokes."

Damsel laughed.

"I forgot to ask Nines if he needed me to do anything…"

"Nah, not after the shit you dealt with last night."

"Honestly, that was more of Killian's doing than mine…" She looked over at her brother, who was sitting in the booth by himself, texting someone, "His Potence is insanely strong…"

"Yeah, but he's shit at everything else. You're going about it the right way, putting equal practice in with each discipline."

"You think so?"

"Hell yeah."

"Alright…" She crossed her arms, "Was there anything you needed me to do?"

"Cut off someone's dick and send it in a little package to the Prince?"

"I think he'd like that too much."

Damsel snickered, "Then can you stay here while I get something from my apartment?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." She nodded and walked off.

Lark sighed as she leaned against the doorframe. Jack came downstairs a second later, "Whoa, Damsel. Growth spurt, huh?"

"Shut the fuck up." She narrowed her eyes.

"Still as bitchy as ever." He snickered. "Guess hoping for you to grow out of your attitude was too much to ask."

"Fuck off."

He snickered and pat her shoulder, "You're a good egg, Lark."

"Thanks." She muttered.

"Maybe just look into a lie detector."

"Shut the hell up!"

* * *

The flashing lights, the loud music, the intricate architectural design, Slade was almost overwhelmed. He saw the ad for someone into graphic design and art to come do some designing for Vesuvius, figuring it was going to be a dingy strip-club that was losing customers due to its appearance, but the amount of people who were there made him wonder where he was going to have the space to even plan to make something.

He swallowed hard, trying his best not to lose what little he had of his dignity. Of course, since he didn't finish classes until it got late, he had to show up when business was _actually_ booming. _Damn it, maybe Tess was right, and I shouldn't be here._ He looked around for a bit, eventually he elbowed one of the dancers, "Hey…uh…can you point to your boss real quick?"

The girl eyed him over, "The boss…?" She asked slowly, "You mean VV?"

"Uh…sure…I…I'm the artist…I answered the ad."

She giggled, "I have no clue who you are." She said as she motioned her hand, "By the VIP room." She said before walking off.

He cocked an eyebrow, wandering around the club like a lost sheep until he eventually headed to the doorway of the VIP room, seeing another dancer nearby. He figured he may as well try asking one more time before he would just give the entire endeavor up, "Hey…uh…you don't…happen to know where your boss is, do you?"

" _My_ boss?" She asked, brushing a lock of bright red hair out of the way, "Well, he owns the Jewelry store in Hollywood just down the street." She said, before her red lips curved into a smile, "But I really think it's me you're looking for." Her voice had to be the most alluring sound Slade had ever heard.

"…you…?"

"Velvet." She held out a delicate hand out with nails the color of blood, "You must be the artist. I do hope the place doesn't appear to be too…unsalvageable. This place has been around for quite some time, and I'm sure you know just how much time changes. The old art we had lying around simply wasn't appealing anymore, it was more suited for a museum." She smiled, her silver eyes sparkling.

"Yeah…t-that's right…" He shook her hand, "I'm S-Slade…"

She stifled a giggle as she gently shook his hand, "Did you want to come up to my room so we can discuss matters more…privately?"

He swallowed hard, "S-Sure…"

She turned around and walked up a flight of stairs, looking over her shoulder to make sure he was following. Her smirk grew as she saw his eyes look over her body, and she didn't blame him either. She was wearing all black and red lacy lingerie, a red choker and heels that were at least six inches high.

They entered her room, the walls were completely dark and barren, however, beside a couch, there was a pool of 'lava', and a small pool of water as well, but the way it moved, he wondered if it really was lava or not.

She sat on her couch and patted a spot for him beside her, "I'm assuming you've had the chance to look over the place?"

He swallowed hard, again, as he sat next to her. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he had never been this nervous before in his life. He was usually a man to easily speak what was on his mind. This mood, whatever it was, he didn't particularly enjoy, "A little…at least…I hate to get straight down to business, but…what…what exactly did you want me to make for you guys?"

"By no means did I plan for you to make any paintings of my dancers. We've already had plenty of photographers come in and charge hundreds for tacky wall mounts. We do have some artwork around, as you can see, some architectural design, but it needs more." She said as she motioned to the pool of water and lava, "Vesuvius was a volcano that killed thousands, I understand how dangerous it was. But it's just as nice to look danger in the face sometimes and notice just how beautiful it is, don't you think?" She smiled at him.

"So…so you want…sort of…volcano…paintings…I'm…I'm pretty good at backgrounds…"

"Mmm hmm…." She nodded, "That would be simply wonderful. Volcanos, lava, water, anything that you feel would be suitable. Oh, and I'm more than willing to pay for all expenses of whatever materials are required." She said, "So long as you create something truly magical."

He nodded back, part of him thankful that they were finally discussing business, "Okay, sounds good. I'll do my best."

"And that's all I could ever ask for." She smiled, "What was your name?"

"Slade."

"Slade?" Her eyes grew in rapt fascination, "Oh, I quite like that name…you don't hear it too often anymore, do you?"

He blushed, "No…not really…it's not too common, I guess…"

She sat back and rested her arms on the back of the sofa, "It's so nice to have someone so polite to work with…I'm sure you can imagine the types that I usually run business with. That's why I simply _adore_ working with younger people…they're so new and fresh, their minds completely clear of any hindrances." She looked over at him, "I've worked with those who exceed the average age of my dancers and only find myself immersed in more stress than imaginable. I can't say I understand those who wonder how pure the world would be without the fresh lives of your generation at all."

He chuckled, "I'm glad you think that way." He said, "Sometimes I've come across the same conclusion myself."

"Are you going to college?"

"Yeah, I'm just about done with it." He said, "That's why I'm…doing things like this…to get my art out there…it's Hollywood after all, sort of like the artists' refuge, artists of all calibers."

"Oh, I like that." She giggled, "Usually they say Hollywood is the _dumps_ of art…seeing as places like Flynn's pop up on every other street…" She smiled again, "But I like your view better. Optimism has always been something I've…tried to get a hold of."

"Like you said, I'm young. Better at least try to give optimism a try."

"Of course. If only the pursuit was as rewarding as the prize." She said before she sat up, "Did you need my help for anything? Any…questions?"

"Uh…no…I think we've both been pretty straightforward. Volcanoes right?"

"That would be marvelous. Any sort of explosions, lava…anything of the sort…" She stood up, "Did you need cash for supplies?"

"Hmm…" He followed her lead and stood up as well, "I'll have to see how much they cost first. I'll get to it tomorrow."

"Of course, do take your time. We open at seven, close at seven." She said, "I'll be here tomorrow if you need _anything_." She said sweetly.

He nodded, "Thanks Velvet."

* * *

Tess closed the door and pulled her hair out of the bun it was tucked into, turning around to see Dragomir sitting at the kitchen table, reading a textbook, "Is Slade home?"

"No, not yet." He looked up, "Did you want me to make you something?"

"Yes, please." She sat down across from him.

He placed a bookmark in the pages and closed his textbook, standing up and opening the fridge as he took out some ingredients, "Classes okay today?"

"Mmm hmm. As always. How was studying alone?"

"Efficient, as always."

"Lonely?"

"No."

"Do you get lonely? Here alone for hours on end?"

"No."

She watched him as he cooked, looking mystified, "You have a sister, right?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Isn't she adoptive or something?"

"She's a stepsister."

"Ah. She's nice?"

He nodded.

"You love her?"

"Of course."

"I've never met her…"

"No, she lives in New Hampshire."

"New Hampshire?"

"It's where our mother lives…"

"Oh…so you moved out here for…?"

"The school." He said, "And because Slade offered to live with me after he heard about everything."

"You and Slade have been close since grade school, haven't you?"

"We were neighbors." He said as he chuckled, "I always helped him with homework and he always helped me make friends…"

She giggled, "And then I entered the mix during high school…"

"Mmm hmm."

"It's…amazing to be able to keep a friend for so long…"

"Mmm hmm. He's…he's family to me."

"What happened to your parents?"

Finally, he seemed irritated. It wasn't a gradual irritation either, it was complete whiplash, "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Just curious."

"I don't see why it matters."

"I was adopted."

He took a slight sigh, "I figured."

"Mmm hmm. My mother died when I was born, my father panicked and put me up for adoption. My adoptive father…" She chuckled, "He was a curiosity. At least seventy, he adopted me when I was twelve. He was incredibly sweet, didn't make it long before he fell ill and died silently overnight."

"I'm sorry, Tess."

"It's alright. He was just another character in my life…just the next step higher on the ladder…"

"Mmm hmm…"

"I've seen a picture of your mother before, but I've never seen your father."

"I don't have any photos of him."

"Photo shy?"

"Sure." He quipped.

She sat back, "I take it you weren't very close."

"No." He said lowly.

"Was he…?" She trailed off.

"Tess, clearly if I wanted to talk about it, I would. You're trying to persuade a man who's going into neuroscience and psychology, it isn't going to work."

She giggled, "I'm just curious, that's all."

He sighed, "What does it matter to you, I don't get it."

"Did he look like you?"

He scowled, "Yes. Just like me."

"Really?"

He turned around and put a salad in front of her quite forcefully, "Yes."

She picked up her fork and smiled, "Thank you."

"You're toxic." He sneered as he walked into the bedroom.

She smiled over her shoulder as she watched him walk off. After she finished her meal, she washed the dish off and went into the bedroom, which they also used as a living room, since none of them could afford couches. The apartment only had three rooms anyway.

He was sitting on his bed, typing away on his computer. "Was it any good?"

"The salad? It was lovely." She sat on the foot of his bed, "Are we going to pretend that conversation didn't happen?"

"That sounds like a marvelous plan."

"Dragomir…" She leaned in and closed his laptop, "Did you see Lily today?"

"No." His brow twitched, "I had the day off, remember?"

"I know. That's why I was asking." She smirked.

"I didn't see her today. I stayed here and studied."

She sat back and played with his shoestrings, "What's your goal in life?"

He paused as he opened his computer again, "To discover…something."

She looked back up at his face in confusion.

"To discover something about the way the brain works…maybe to save lives, maybe to explain why there are disorders, explain why the brain is so complicated…"

"So…do you plan to be the next Sigmund Freud?"

He chuckled softly, "I guess."

"I could be your lab rat."

"No thanks, I've…pretty much found every conclusion about you as possible."

"Oh? I'm interested to hear."

He sighed, "You're…incredibly complex…you were adopted, so you value yourself at…at nothing. After you peaked past the age of innocence, you ascended to hopelessness…and turned your…boring life into a game. You've been treating your life as a game, seeing as you hardly value your existence….you have no goals, no motives, other than seeing how interesting you can make your life, since there's seemingly no reason behind it. When you hit puberty, that apathetic sense of finding entertainment in your pain turned into a more sexualized game, where you occasionally strive for ecstasy rather than simply carrying on your life and meeting whoever you can out of amusement. The fact that you're a genius doesn't help either, you're not above using your overpowering intellect to belittle people and do what you feel is right, despite the fact that you have virtually no value over yourself."

She blinked at him a few times, looking completely shocked, before she lunged forward and kissed him with fervor.

His eyes widened as he gripped the mattress and tried to push away from her, but as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, he gently put a hand on the small of her back and kissed her back.

She caught her breath and sat up after at least a minute, "How do you know so much about me?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, "I've been taking a lot of classes, Tess."

"I…" She kissed him again before she finished, "I want to go out with you."

He looked weary as he shook his head, "You're…you're just going to use me…"

"I would never."

"I know how you treat yourself and others, I'm not-"

"Shh." She put a finger on his lips, "There was something different about you from day one. Please, let's give this a try."

"I…"

"Please."

"…yes, yes, alright."

She smiled before she kissed him again, rubbing his shoulders, "Are you going to touch me or just ogle at me?"

"I…I think ogling works…works best right now."

She giggled and kissed him again, "It's a good thing Slade isn't home, hmm?"

"We're not having sex, Tess."

"Aw…is that so?"

"I have a paper to write."

"What about after the paper?"

"I just think we should wait, alright?"

"Okay." She gave a soft smile, "I can do that."

* * *

 **A/N:** How was that? Any thoughts? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here's chapter four! (Whoop! Double upload!) Hope you like it! Even _more_ character introductions! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"I must say, whenever you enter my office, you look so pallid, I wonder if you've been Embraced. Is there something I should be aware of, Miss Rivers?" LaCroix leaned in on his desk and raised an eyebrow with concern.

"No, sir."

"Are you ill?" He asked, looking even more perplexed.

"No, sir. If I might interject, I believe it's the color of my overcoat."

"Ah, yes…" His eyes grazed over her, "Far more suitable." He sat back, "Anyhow, I digress. You have the files?"

"Yes, sir." A delicate hand covered by a leather glove handed over a manila folder.

He opened the folder and peered inside with a smile, "And how are they? The Nosferatu? It's been quite some time since I've last spoken with them."

"Quite alright, from what I've seen, sir."

"Excellent." He closed the folder and looked up at her, about to speak before she took a step forward.

She reached into her coat and pulled out a pendant, "Additionally, I've found this."

His scrutinizing gaze homed into the object in her hands, a look on his face similar to a dog that was waiting for their master to throw a tennis ball.

It was a pendant dangling on a thick silver chain, a small metallic dragon hung on the end.

The Prince's gaze rose back up to hers, "I see no significance behind it."

"Look closer." She turned the pendant so he could see the chain, "Rust. Blood. He was wearing this the night of his Embrace, since it's on the left side of the chain. Seeing as most Kindred are right handed, they are far more likely to Embrace from their right, being the subject's left side of the neck."

"That is a considerable amount of blood for an Embrace…" He sat back and wafted it away with a hand, not wanting it any closer, "Give it to the Sheriff, I'll have the Nosferatu look into it closer."

"Very well, sir." She handed the pendent to the huge guard to the left of LaCroix.

The Prince slid a hand through his pristinely cut blonde hair, a small smile appeared on his youthful face, "I must say, Miss Rivers, every mission I send you on, you manage to go above and beyond. In all my lifetime, I don't think I've had a more stalwart ghoul. Fourteen years, you've been serving me faithfully, it's impressive, to say the least."

"Thank you, sir." She said without a smile, her monotone voice not even close to reaching a tone of happiness.

"An excellent idea, on my part, to take you under my wing, so to speak." He opened a desk drawer and handed her an envelope, as well as a pack of blood, "Your payment."

"Thank you, sir." She said, tucking them both into her pocket, "Your next assignment?"

"Of course. Mister Lorcan granted me the honor of another one of his…impromptu conferences. There is a kine he has his mind set on Embracing, though considering how crass and over inflated his mind can be when it comes to the lives of kine, I'm more than inclined to believe it is nothing more than a farce. Therefore, he's scheduled another _conference_. An interview, he referred to it as." He wafted a hand in the air to convey just how outlandish he felt the idea was, "But I have no interest in involving myself in the lives of kine. I plan on involving the Nosferatu in this interview, however, due to their appearance, I fear a Masquerade Violation is more than imminent. So, I've settled on a rather befitting solution for all parties involved."

"Yes?" A simple response she resorted to quite frequently. It was quick, obedient, and was the only answer her boss ever wanted to hear.

" _You_ will run the interview. The Nosferatu will act as silent participants, gathering notes and other such details from her, which will then be brought to me. Understood?"

"Yes sir. When would you like me to conduct this interview?"

He raised a brow in frustration, "As soon as Mister Lorcan decides to do so. He will send an email, if he does decide to go through with it."

"I see. Where is it to be held?"

"Your quarters will be fitting."

"And the Nosferatu?"

"What about them?"

"How will they get there?"

"I will allow them entry before the interview. Give them an abundance of time to settle themselves."

"I see." Her eyes landed on the floor as she thought.

"Is there something on your mind?"

Her eyes landed on his. She wondered if he really could read minds. She had heard rumors that those of his clan could, if they were skilled enough. It seemed like something he especially would practice, how efficient it would really be to read the minds of coworkers. After all, he never had anyone backstab him, which she almost saw as surprising, considering how many people she knew despised him. She decided it had to be all rumors, mind reading. If he could, then he wouldn't have her gather information on his own employees, he wouldn't need the Nosferatu at all. Then again, perhaps it was something that only worked on kine. Something he rarely had to use, since he hardly saw kine in the first place. Would he really teach himself to do it just to get into her mind? Her thoughts didn't mean that much to him, did they?

"Miss Rivers?" His voice cut through her thoughts.

"Yes." She blinked, "The odor."

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"The odor of the Nosferatu…they live in the warrens, or underground. They would give my quarters…a certain odor, wouldn't they?"

"You do make a fair point." He said, "I'll be sure to handle it, Miss Rivers."

"Very well." She bowed, "Do contact me as soon as more information is gathered."

"Of course." He said as she stood tall and swept her curly brunette hair over her shoulders. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It was something she had never seen before. She had never seen him fall speechless before.

"Is…there anything you need, sir?"

He blinked as he looked over her again, before he adjusted his tie, "For another time. I've asked enough of you tonight."

Her curiosity only grew, "Is it blood that you need?"

He held up a hand and shook his head, "No, of course not. For another time." He repeated.

"Yes…very well…" She said slowly, suspiciously eyeing him over for any other nervous movements, but nothing. "Good evening, Mister LaCroix."

"Good evening, Miss Rivers."

* * *

Mister Madison walked through the winding halls of the Tremere Chantry, in a matter of moments, he was led through the elegant double brown doors to his Regent. "Mister Strauss." He bowed before him, "It is a pleasure to see you. What are my duties for today?"

Strauss gave an amused chuckle, as he adjusted his red-rimmed glasses, "You may rise, Mister Madison. Such formalities are not needed on a nightly basis."

Mister Madison rose, smiling, "If my Regent were anyone else, then perhaps."

Strauss chuckled again, eventually he held a rose red glove to his forehead, "Unfortunately, I may have to turn the Chantry over to you, for a few meager hours. It seems Prince LaCroix wants to alert us Primogen about a new…emissary he wishes to Embrace for the Camarilla."

Mister Madison didn't know what he found funnier. Strauss had the knack for dressing up how he really felt about political matters, but after working with him closely for so many decades, he could usually see right through it. He knew that Strauss didn't like LaCroix at all and he could bet a large amount of money that Strauss believed that this meeting was nothing more than an ambitious waste of time on Lacroix's part.

He chuckled, "Of course, sir, it will be in safe hands. I haven't disappointed you yet."

Strauss nodded, "I will leave the Chantry in your capable hands, then. I shall be back in a few hours." He mused, right as he left, he let slip, "Hopefully."

Mister Madison laughed, putting a hand on his chest after watching his master leave. He valued his relationship with Strauss more than anyone else. A trusted master and associate, one of his favorite days with Strauss was when he started calling him 'Mister Madison' instead of 'neonate' or apprentice like he called all the other Tremere who worked with him. Most likely it was in celebration of his promotion to Magister, so long ago.

Almost immediately there was a knock on the door, "Mister Madison?" He could recognize Iphigenia's voice from a mile away.

He barely took a seat in Strauss's chair, getting a head start on the newspaper, when he looked up, "Yes?"

She slid inside, "Strauss is out?"

"For the moment." He folded the paper and set it aside, "Have you heard about the murder in Long Beach?"

She blinked a few times, "I can't say that I have. Nor am I surprised." She closed the door quietly and sat on the couch, crossing her arms and legs, "It's a typical occurrence in this area, isn't it? Homicide. I pay it no mind anymore, it's clearly inevitable."

"I would also ignore them…if it were not for…" He paused, the crackling fireplace filling in the silence for a half-second, "For _how_ …they were done, rather. It seems the victims were ripped apart…torn-up…by means of an animal…I think it's a little more than just an overly creative kine…"

"Mmm…torn apart? Sabbat? Gangrel? Nosferatu?"

"All three are possible." He pondered, "I suppose LaCroix will rally up patrols once the news makes its way to his door." He ran a gloved hand through his short hair, "I suppose you came in to speak about something more than just the poor dead soul in Long Beach."

"Yes, I came to speak about another dead soul on the second floor of the Asylum. Or…I suppose _souls_ would be more appropriate, though it's hardly her sister I'm concerned about."

"The Asylum?" He smiled.

"The Voerman sisters have been…running my life, so to speak." She said, "I like to think I'm very patient, but I have no tolerance at all for those who attempt to take control over me."

"The Voerman sisters?" His smile faded, no doubt he was concerned for his apprentice, "What on Earth are they doing?"

She crossed her arms, "Jeanette has my sister under her spell. You see, Halcyon's never been one for…critical thinking. Her mind starts to run, her heart starts to flutter, and she pounces. And I'm sure you can imagine how Malkavian madness adds to this mentality. I would have no problem with her predicament if Therese didn't intervene. Therese doesn't like Halcyon at all, and isn't above hiring personnel to 'take care of her' if she disobeys. Are you…following?" She asked with concern, "I understand I'm…giving quite a bit of information…"

He slowly folded his hands, "So your sister, Halcyon, has been entangled with Jeanette, and you're worried that Therese might off her one night."

She nodded, "It doesn't help that Therese is Camarilla and Jeanette is Anarch. Jeanette's been spreading ideas into Halcyon's mind…false ideas, of course…and Halcyon has been taking it in like a sponge." She rested her arm against the arm of the couch, leaning her head against her hand, "It isn't even the fear of Halcyon's death that frightens me, it's the fear of Therese's."

"…Therese's death?"

She nodded, "Halcyon and I, as well as my other sister…we were adopted, so to speak." She watched the fire crackle on, "Halcyon's…mindset forced the supervisors there to monitor her closely…and when she acted against their orders, they would… _punish_ her. Having much less patience than the two of her sisters, she would fight back…and kill. She killed a considerable amount of staff members before I was forced to take my sisters and run to prevent them from putting her in a mental institution." She gaze fell back on Mr. Madison's, "I'm afraid if Therese continues to use such violent means of keeping Halcyon away, Halcyon could potentially cause damage that would fall back on my name. I would love to speak to Jeanette about this myself, but I'm afraid I'd tear her pretty little eyes out myself.'

He chuckled, "So in short, you have not the patience for that woman?"

"No. I'm in need of someone more…intellectual yet patient to speak with her and tell her to break the bond with my sister." She smirked at last, "I think you can see where I'm going with this."

"Me?" He asked, "That woman won't listen to me. She's an Anarch."

"Jeanette will listen to anyone who plays her games. Or at least pretends to."

He swallowed hard, "This…this sounds _very_ …far away from my comfort zone. But I do not want any ill to fall you and your family."

"I understand you hesitance…I…I'm more than willing to pay for any….sacrifice of sanity."

"Now, now, that's alright. As a Magister, part of my position entails that I must look after the Chantry and all who reside in it." He said, "I would be happy to take you up on your request."

Her face looked almost sorrowful, "Well, I certainly couldn't ask this upon you for no pay…" Her eyes darted around, "I understand the concept seems irrelevant….but…would dinner in my apartment suffice?" She cracked a smile, "I do have blood we could indulge upon."

He swatted a hand, "It's not a bother, Iphigenia. You've been a reliable Tremere apprentice for these past few years. I would do anything to help."

She grinned and chuckled, "Thank you so much, Mister Madison…" She stood up and hugged him tightly, pulling him out of his chair and patting his back in a brotherly fashion, "I'll continue on the path of Thaumaturgy for as long as I can for you."

"Alright, alright, dear…handle me with care." He closed his eyes and he attempted to keep up with her hugging.

She broke away and chuckled boisterously, "What, afraid I'll snap you in half?" She ruffled his hair, "I'm off to study for…once in my life, it seems."

He smiled, "I'll attend to your matter as soon as the Regent returns."

"Of course. Thank you Mister Madison."

* * *

"This is why I don't cook." Dragomir looked into a pot of spaghetti that was clearly burned.

Tess walked over and peered into the pot, "…it…it isn't too far gone…" She said, an edge of hope in her voice.

"Yes it is, Tess."

"Just…put some alfredo sauce in it." She said as she patted his shoulder and sat at the table.

"Alfredo sauce…?" He asked quietly, "How do I make that?" He whispered.

"Doesn't it come in a jar?"

"If so, then we do not have it."

"Then throw in some of my Worcestershire Sauce in."

He made quite the face, "You're…definitely the only person that likes that."

"Well, then throw it out. It's too late to be cooking anyway."

"But Slade will be home soon…"

"I know." She smiled and stood up, kissing his cheek, "Always keeping on top of everything."

He flinched from her kiss, then chuckled nervously, "Mmm hmm…"

The front door was heard closing as Slade walked in.

Tess pulled herself away from Dragomir, "There he is. How was it? Get a lap dance for free?"

"Pfft. Eat it, Tess. I'm not painting naked woman or anything that degrading at all." Slade growled, "I'm working on some volcano paintings, so there."

"Volcanos, huh?" Tess sat down as Dragomir tossed out the burned spaghetti and cleaned out the pot, "You realize just how sexual that is, right?" She grinned as she leaned in, "Think of what a volcano does, Slade. Think of why it's the symbol of a strip club."

"Shut up!" He roared, then he looked around, seeing nothing at the dinner table and smelling smoke, "Aw…god, did Tess try to cook again?"

Dragomir winced, "I'm sorry…" He whimpered, "I was trying to study and cook at the same time…I swear I didn't mean anything…" He looked over at Slade, he looked like he was about to cry.

"Aw, it's okay buddy." He said, "I'll make us dinner."

"Thank you." Dragomir squeezed Slade.

Tess giggled, "I find that adorable." She said as Dragomir sat down across from her, "If I was responsible for this, you'd take my head off."

"That's because watching you try to cook is physically painful for all those who are unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity." Slade said, working on another pasta batch.

"Ouch." Tess said as she put her feet up onto Dragomir's lap, "Someone didn't get their free lap dance."

Dragomir looked down at her feet, "Um…"

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked.

"No, no, not at all."

She rolled her left ankle, "This one's a little sore…someone tried to mug me on my way home…could you give it a little rub?"

"Uh…."

"Please?"

He sighed and started rubbing her ankle.

She sighed and leaned on the table, "Much better…."

"Please…please don't make those sounds…"

"Why?" She asked as she looked up at him with a devilish smirk, "Afraid I'll make a volcano spring up in your pants?"

"Tess!"

Slade looked back, a little perplexed by their display, "Uh…"

Dragomir's cheeks turned even redder, "Tess…" He hissed.

"What?" She smiled as she reached over and pinched his cheek, "He'll figure out eventually."

"Figure out what?" He asked, then he blinked a few times, "God…oh god…forget I said anything…"

Tess laughed, Dragomir just stared at the table with a lost sense of fear, "Why don't you tell us more about your job then?"

"It's nothing complicated. I'm just painting volcanoes for the Vesuvius, that's all."

Dragomir stood up, dropping Tess's leg to the ground.

"Ow." Tess looked up, "What are you off to in such a rush?"

"I have to start another paper."

"Another one?" Her eyes widened, "About?"

"I…decided to do extra research about a famous phrenologist…he was said to have a place in Hollywood that hasn't been visited since his death…I wanted to go there and see if I could find any of his notebooks. They say it's haunted by the souls from his asylum…" He chuckled quietly, "I guess it's a good rumor to use to keep trespassers out."

Slade shrugged as he stirred the pot, "I guess it's not too far from here then. But…are you sure this is safe?"

"The worst thing that could happen is I get turned around by cops or some sort of security guard."

"What if there _are_ ghosts in there?" Tess asked.

"Then…" He shrugged, "I'll die."

"Wow. How thoughtful."

"I have to go email my professor if he'll accept the extra points…" He muttered as he walked off.

Tess leaned onto the table, "I told you, didn't I?"

"Pfft, told me what? Don't pretend that this little 'relationship' of yours isn't one-hundred percent completely comprised of bullshit." Slade fumed.

"So harsh. What makes you think that it is?"

"Have you met yourself recently?"

She laughed, "No, I haven't. I would love to. He's the closest I'm going to get, so far he knows me better than anyone I've ever met."

"That…that isn't hard Tess. You're making it sound like that's hard."

"It is."

"No it's not. Are you kidding me? I've met like, five women like you in my lifetime. Hell, and I'm only twenty…so, who knows how many _more_ I'll have to meet." He rolled his eyes.

She rolled her eyes, "And that's exactly where you start going wrong."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You, just like every other man on the planet…you all just…" She shook her head, "Ugh, forget it. He sees who I am. He doesn't just treat me the way I act. He understands."

"No, Tess, heaven forbid we treat you by your actions. What was I thinking?"

"I don't understand what it is about us that you don't like."

"I don't trust it. At all. He's a virgin, and you're…god…I don't want to think about that. What number guy is he for you? Number ten? Twenty-five? See why this whole thing smells like bullshit to me?"

"I'm not stupid enough to hurt him."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, eventually setting a few plates of spaghetti, he looked behind his shoulder, "I guess he's not coming back."

"No, he seemed pretty set on that paper." She said before her phone buzzed and she picked it up, "….it's seven thirty, I'm eating dinner. What do you want?"

He set a plate in front of her and one for himself, starting to get a head start on eating it. Every so often, he looked up to listen in on her phone call.

"…I guess tomorrow's alright. What should I wear? You said he's a bit fussy…" Her eyes nervously darted around, "Alright, alright, I'll see what I can pull off. Yes, I'll be a good girl." She smirked as the other line continued before she added, "Are you sure I'll fit in? Your crowd sounds so…different." A pause, "Alright, if you insist. Can I at least get a range of the pay? An estimate? I know you said it depends…" She trailed off and her eyes widened, "Yes, yes, I'll be there tomorrow." She giggled, "Of course. Take care, dear. Goodnight." She hung up and twirled her fork around her spaghetti, "It isn't nice to eavesdrop."

"Then don't live in an apartment with two other people." Slade said after a swallow, "Who the hell was that anyway? Your _boyfriend?_ Gonna try and keep him and Dragomir on two tight leashes at once and see which one of them tickles your fancy better?"

"Julius isn't my boyfriend." She rolled her eyes, "He's going to be my employer soon. Apparently he's involved in politics."

"Oh, so the political world is doomed now…" He said nonchalantly.

"Tch. Please, I'll be a pawn to them at first, until I get a grip on things. That's always how it works. They'll start trusting me with things as I get older." She said, "And the pay is…" She shook her head, "The lowest pay I could receive is out of this world."

"Well, at least there's that…"

"At the very least, I won't be living here long. I'll have enough money to pay for a separate apartment for Dragomir and myself if you'd like."

"…then I'd be all alone…"

"Seems to be what you'd like, considering how unwanted I am."

"I don't want to live here by myself." He said, then he added, almost inaudible, "I feel like we're all family…"

She smirked, "I'll see how I'm feeling." She said a she put her dish in the sink and went into the bedroom.

* * *

 **A/N:** Two very powerful figureheads finally given more than a mention or a few quick lines of dialogue. Not to mention I forgot Julius was another character in the game until now. I'll do my best to make them easy to distinguish between when the time comes. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a review! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Here's chapter five! {triple update!?} Hope you like it! -Hint: If you were wondering what's going on underneath California, here's your answer.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the boss man himself. What do you need?" The posts of the wooden chair squeaked loudly, they were clearly well beyond their time.

"Gary." A sharp voice was heard as a creature turned the corner. She, or presumably she, was short and stocky, her face was a complete monstrosity. Her ears were twisted and pointed, her nose was short and fat, her eyes were tiny and twisted. And her teeth, the chipped remains of what looked like a set of teeth were set in every which direction, almost complimenting her gray and splotchy complexion, "You cat's brought in a few mice."

"Oh yeah? Which cat?" The man in the chair sat up. He was in a tuxedo, a white shirt with a black vest and bow tie. However his face was just as ugly as his cohorts, if not worse. His voice wasn't any better a nasally growl, almost, "Gimme a sec, boss, I got business to attend to, it'll just be a minute." He rested the phone down on the table, "It's Edgar, isn't it?"

"And he's brought good news." The female creatures crooked grin grew, "Three Sabbat."

"He brought them down here!?" His eyes widened.

"No, you idiot, he killed them."

"Oh, thank the lord. Where is the little brat?"

"Little brat?" Edgar's grungy voice screeched as he hobbled in the room, "That isn't the thanks I expected for beating those Sabbat crackpots. Ugh, and they call _us_ ugly…" He muttered. He was bald, and his ears were overly pointed, his fangs overly developed. He wore white pants, black boots, and a black jacket or two in an _attempt_ to blend in.

Gary snickered, "I was simply going to thank you. Go ask Banes for your reward."

"Ooh, I hope it's something shiny."

The woman in the doorway snickered.

Gary was about to walk off when she put a hand on his chest and stopped him, pointing to the phone.

"Do I have to?" He asked.

"Unless you want to lose your position?"

"Do you think I care, Cressida?"

"No, and that's the problem." She pushed him towards the phone, "Take care of it."

"Christ, so pushy." He grumbled as he grabbed the phone, "Hell's messengers."

"Very funny." A familiar snide voice with an English accent chided, "I do hope everything is alright under there."

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I never get calls right from the source. Didn't think you'd want to risk the chance of my spit cutting through the line and giving you some sort of disease."

"Lorcan has come in contact with me about a kine he wishes to Embrace."

"Great, good to see he's reproducing. Did you call just to piss me off?"

The Prince ignored him to the best of his ability while Cressida and Edgar did her best to listen in to half the conversation and figure out what it was about. Gary nodded and hooked the Prince through a speaker as he carried on, "Well, he seems quite serious about the entire endeavor. So, he's decided to hold an interview with her before her Embrace. If she passes, she will be able to work in the Camarilla under his wing."

"Sure his wings are big enough for that?"

"I was wondering if you would be able to gather a small assembly of Nosferatu to assist Miss Rivers in an interview."

"Miss Rivers?" He asked, "That's your pretty little ghoul, isn't it? Your little toy? You're willing to risk her life for some little interview?"

"It's a kine." He insisted, "Besides, you will be there. I have no reason to fear her safety."

"Why can't you do it?"

"I have my hands full."

"I'd make a joke about what your hands are full with, but your ghoul's going be running the interview."

"I do hope you remove this venom from your system before the interview. I cannot have you being seen, or even hinted at."

"I know how Obfuscate works, I've been using it for a little while now."

"In that case, you and the team you decide to bring along with you will need to bathe before you enter Miss River's room."

"You're shitting me."

"If you need the extra time for such preparations, then do provide yourself with it. The interview is planned for eight o'clock tomorrow."

"Why so early?" He complained.

"This is the interview of a kine. She's going to need the time to return home and sleep afterwards."

"Since when did we start catering towards kine so much?" He leaned back in his chair with a squeak.

"Ever since the Camarilla has been around, we've put consideration into the lives of kine."

He grumbled something under his breath, "Yeah, sure, whatever. Eight tomorrow, we'll be there. Your office?"

"Miss Rivers' office. I do think I made that-"

Gary hung up, "You two have plans tomorrow?"

"I suppose we do now." Edgar said.

"Why not." Cressida shrugged.

"Good." He stood up, "Guess I'll put Imalia in charge of the warrens."

Cressida shuddered, "You're better off putting anyone else in charge."

He snickered, "You think so?"

"She'll take out her secret stash of TNT and it'll be the end of us." Edgar said, "I think she's still a little sour about her…condition. I tried to tell her to buck up, but she threw a rock at my head. I think it made me look better."

Cressida laughed, "I thought something was different!"

"I'll put Mitnick in charge." He said, "Get some rest soon, we have to show up early and bathe for whatever reason. Guess his prissy little ghoul doesn't want our boot prints in her carpets."

"Ugh…and take notes…" Edgar said, "I think I finally remember the _one_ thing uglier than me…my handwriting…"

"You better make it legible cause I'm gonna be the one deciphering them." Cressida rasped.

"I'd tell you to bring one of the computers, but I think that'd be a little noisy." Gary crossed his arms, "You two are going to have to behave or she'll figure out there are other people in the room. Not to mention, she's going to be a Toreador. She sees us and she'll freak out."

"We don't argue that much…" Cressida grumbled.

"Let's keep it that way, toots." He said, "I'm going to go make sure Imalia doesn't break another computer."

"You're a fucking moron for even Embracing her in the first place."

"It was irresistible, I don't want to hear it." He called as he left.

Cressida shook her head as she looked up at Edgar, "If you ever end up in charge of the place, don't Embrace the hottest celebrity you know." She started walking off, "Don't become a huge pervert either, I'm sure that'll help."

Edgar cackled, "No promises."

* * *

The door handle felt like ice in her hand as she grabbed onto it and paused, "This place is far more expensive than I am…"

"Yeah, and what's your price tag?" Julius jeered as he crossed his arms.

Tess rolled her eyes as he continued, "It's his intern, you'll be fine. She's sweet as candy. You'll have to _try_ to piss her off."

"If you insist." She opened the door and walked into the room. The layout was spacious, with a few modern pieces of furniture, which seemed to contrast with the rest of the building. All of the furniture was either a shade of white, black, gray or blue.

Sitting in an armchair before him with a white cup of tea was a lady that seemed to have a figure that was just as nice as hers, though was dressed far more modestly. Besides the slits around the overcoat that exposed her upper thighs and hips, the dark blue long sleeve coat went up to her neck, and down past her knees. She had dark boots on as well, with wedges that were at least half a foot. Her face almost looked lifeless, her eyes were wide and as deep blue as seas, just as vacant looking as well.

"Greetings." She spoke in a smooth and refined voice, "I am Miss Rivers. You must be Miss Perry."

"That's right." Tess walked in, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Miss Rivers said, "Please, take a seat." She motioned to the chair in front of her, "Would you like some tea?"

"That's alright." Tess sat across from her as Julius stood against the door.

"Mister Lorcan, your company isn't needed, though I do thank you for bringing her here."

"Are you telling me or asking me to leave?"

She took a sip of her tea and watched as he left after a pause, "Apologies."

"That's alright…he can be a bit arrogant, I understand." Tess sat back.

"Do you have experience in internship?"

"I do not."

"Have you ever had experience in the political field outside of school?"

"I've given speeches before. Nothing official, just small announcements at the park or school speeches." Tess said, "I haven't had much time to delve into anything much deeper."

"Your honesty is appreciated." She said, about to ask another question before she saw Tess sit up.

"Are you going to take notes?"

"They aren't needed." She said simply.

"Does that mean I have the job already?"

"No."

"Oh, I see…" She sat back, "Very well, continue. Forgive my curiosity."

"Of course. If I may ask your age."

"Twenty."

"Do you have a resume?"

"Yes I do." She reached into her small purse and pulled it out from a folder.

Miss Rivers glazed her eyes over it before she looked back up, "You were valedictorian."

"Yes I was."

She nodded, "Very impressive." She folded the resume in half, "I do hope you don't mind if I keep a hold of this."

"Not at all."

She took another sip of tea, "Birth certificate?"

Tess took that out as well and handed it to her.

Her eyes looked over that paper as well, "You were adopted."

"Yes I was."

"As was I." She mused quietly as she set both folded pieces of paper on the glass table.

"The place just a few blocks from here?"

She nodded.

"I'm assuming you found someone?"

She nodded again, "My adoptive father, yes."

"I had an adoptive father as well." She smiled, "I wonder if it's something in common with geniuses."

She chuckled softly, "What do you hope to accomplish working here?"

"Oh, I was dreading that question. I'm not entirely sure." She confessed, "I've always found people to be such a fascinating subject. Picking them apart, learning about every little secret. I have no clue why, exactly, it's just a fascination of mine. I like to think I have a knack for arguments, questioning the unquestionable."

"I see. I saw you were involved in Mock Trial."

"I was." She chuckled, "The prosecuting attorney four years in a row."

"What, would you say, are some weaknesses of yours?"

She paused, "Apathy."

"Do continue."

"I have no remorse for the emotions of others. Well, I suppose that's a bit overdramatic…if someone I'm very close to experiences a problem, then I am also moved…but…I struggle to feel for those who I'm not very close to. I can be a bit…ruthless to those who I feel are on the wrong side of the line."

"I see." She said as she took another sip of tea, "Were there any questions you had for me?"

"I would be working here, every day?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"What position, exactly?" Tess felt like the question was ridiculous, but Julius quite literally told her it was a political career, and she was hardly given anything else.

"That all depends on the outcome of this interview."

"You're acting as if there's far more to go."

"There is. Though, none of which you will be involved for."

Tess raised a brow as Miss Rivers stood up, "I do thank you for your time, Miss Perry. It didn't take up too much time, did it?"

"It hardly took five minutes…" She slowly stood up, "Was there anything else you needed…?"

"If there was any additional information you would like to give me, then I will gladly take it."

She took out the entire folder, "There you are."

Miss Rivers took the folder, "Thank you very much. You are dismissed. You will receive an email about the job sometime this week."

"Thank you Miss Rivers."

She nodded, "Good evening, Miss Perry."

"Good evening."

* * *

Cadmus walked through the dimly lit streets of Santa Monica, a small amount of rain pelting his body with each step he took. His face remained stoic as it always had, in fact, some say it was stuck like that for years.

He was a happier sort before, or at the very least he opened up to people, but that was before he became part of the Kindred circle. And a rebellious vampire he was, mostly because he was Embraced as more or less of a vampire hunter. Not a professional one, like the religious Society of Leopold, but more of one blindly being fed off of the instinct of revenge for what they had done to his life. He wanted to meet the vampire who stole his life away from him, and make them suffer, whoever they were. He wanted to tear them apart with his own two hands.

His dark glare occasionally reflected off some of the puddles as he walked by. He had very dark brown eyes, wild black spiky hair, black jeans and boots, and a black leather jacket, with yet another black trench coat over it, although the second coat was hardly fastened and it did little more than flap in the wind most of the time. His boots crunched against the wet, rainy soil as he opened the door to the nearby blood bank.

A paging system went off almost regularly as he walked through the poorly lit basement of the hospital. He kept walking until he saw the screen window where the blood bank employee Vandal waited for him.

"You next up for the needle? Hmm?" He looked on with his creepy blue eyes, "Your donation could save a life, you know. Oh, but isn't it a little too late for altruism? I don't think you're here to _give_ blood at all. I don't buy it, Jack. I bet you're here to take blood. Am I right?"

Cadmus rolled his eyes, holding a hand out as a possessive glow went around Vandal, "You will give me ten packs of your freshest blood, then forget I was here."

Vandal blinked a few times, hypnotized, "Ten packs of blood…" He puttered around in the back, getting the supplies.

Cadmus stuffed all the blood bags in his jacket on his way out, sucking one completely dry before he made his exit. Vandal told him that speech _every_ time he visited, which was once or twice a week, he was more than tired of it at this point. Not to mention that dominating the fool cost him quite a bit of blood, but it was more than worth it, for him.

He sighed and leaned against a wall, looking up at the starry sky, and the full moon. The haunting darkness of the night brought a pang to his chest. All it did was remind him of her. His heart ached for her (or at least if he still had a _functioning_ heart).

He probably looked silly will all the blood bags under his jacket, but it was all he accepted. He absolutely hated feeding. And he never did it, unless he had to kill the other person in combat anyway. He just hated dragging someone off the street, away from their lives, and to drink from them. Cadmus held onto his humanity more than most vampires did, and he was disgusted at how most of his peers viewed humans. And since Cadmus's clan in particular had a specific, _appetite_ , it was usually never worth the risk to drink blood too impure to him.

His 'partner in crime' (at least that's how some other Kindred referred to it) was opposite to him in more ways in one. Feeding for one thing. Miranda took great joy in seducing half the population a night just to get her meal in. And Cadmus knew for a fact that blood sometimes wasn't the _only_ thing she was drinking those nights. He wasn't sure whether the fact that she was bisexual would either hurt or help the situation there. He gave a hopeless shrug, maybe she was a Toreador after all. It was the only conclusion he could come up with as to why she was so, flirtatious (that's the most polite way anyone could probably frame it).

She was opposite to him in many more ways than that. In fact, the only thing they shared in common was their ranking in the Camarilla. They both did their work skillfully and admirably, and were two of Prince LaCroix's best soldiers. Only he knew that LaCroix trusted Miranda _hundreds_ of times more than he trusted him. She always worked professionally, with a smile on her face, even if the topic was murdering legions of humble humans. While he did not exactly cast a great first impression to the Camarilla.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he were Ventrue, he would have been put down many times over. He had seen a few Kindred executions, and they sure weren't pretty, not with LaCroix's Sheriff running the show, at least. So he would have to keep his own vendetta against vampires to himself for a while, if anything he's learned from these old creatures of the damned, it's that they waited, hundreds, if not, thousands of years to make their move. He would have to do the same. He knew the Sabbat vampire who killed his wife was out there someone, he would just have to patiently wait to make a move.

* * *

As she closed the door behind herself, Miss Rivers looked over her shoulder to see the Prince on the phone. She did was she usually did when this was the case and sat on the couch to the left, watching the fire burning in the fireplace. It was calming to her, but not nearly as calming as water. Fire had a different sort of effect. When she was young, she hated it. Despised it even, she was terrified of it, after all. It was hot and burned and made loud sounds. But after he explained it all, after he explained the weaknesses of Kindred, the fear of fire, it became her friend. Best friend, maybe. And she certainly wasn't one to make many friends.

"Miss Rivers." LaCroix hung up the phone, "My most sincere apologies." He stood up and sat across from her, "How was the interview?"

"It went very well, I think."

"You think?" He smirked.

"It boils down to the opinion of the Nosferatu, after all."

"Mmm, I see. I'll put your voice into account as well."

"I think she would blend in wonderfully, given enough time to settle in."

He nodded, "The Nosferatu didn't cause any…difficulties?"

"None at all, sir."

"Not even before the interview?"

"Well…" She paused, "They might have clogged the drains. But please, do not blame them for this."

He shuddered and held his forehead, "That is…absolutely revolting…"

She couldn't help but giggle at his response, "It's alright, it wasn't that much…"

He gave another smirk and chuckled as he rose to his feet, "I'm so glad to see that you think so. I'm going to have to pay the custodial staff generously…"

"You could deduct pay from my account, I wouldn't mind."

"Of course not." He shook his head, "I'll have them pay for any extra fees."

She was about to argue, but decided against it. He continued before she could add anything else, "I did get the chance to skim over one of the finished reports, but the others are a work in progress."

"Did they tear her apart?"

"Well, it was a particularly unbiased write-up…so…it must not have been Gary's record."

"Yes…I should warn you, Gary may very well tear her apart for her appearance."

"As he has with you?"

She nodded.

"Well, I know well by now to disregard such notes." He paused his pacing as he stood in front of the fireplace again.

"Were you ever going to bring up the…topic on mind the other night?"

"I suppose I've piqued your interest beyond repair, hmm?"

She nodded slightly.

He slowly sat down in front of her, not taking his gaze away from hers, "See, I've run into quite the conundrum. Since you're so…indispensable, I simply can't go thrusting you into the crux of these ordeals without risking your life." He looked up at her, "Can you see where I'm going with this?"

She paused, "No, sir, I'm afraid I'm not following."

"If you were to be Embraced, it would allow a larger range of tasks for you to ascertain."

Her eyes widened, the one of the first emotions that appeared on her beautiful but morose face, "Embraced?"

"I understand the encumbrance of this request, therefore I'm offering you a week to make this decision."

She bobbed her head, "Yes, sir."

"Very well." He sighed, clearly relieved to get that off his chest, before he looked over at her.

She was chewing on her thumbnail, but immediately stopped as she saw his glare, "Apologies…"

"At least it isn't nearly as…unfortunate as your previous habit…"

"Am I needed for anything else?" She asked softly.

"No, you are dismissed." He said, "I do hope you come back in a better mood."

She swallowed hard, "Good evening, Mister LaCroix."

"Good evening, Miss Rivers."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, it seems Cadmus from my Haganai fic has now wormed his way into this one. That fic, as with my Fairy Tail fic, will continue once I'm hit with the proper inspiration. Oh how fun it is to be Gary. _So_ fun. Please let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Here's chapter six! Bear with the characterization of one of the in-game characters here, it's a bit of a challenge, put lightly…Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Her purple eyes watched the deep red liquid fill the glass, before she looked up at who was pouring it, "Any for yourself?"

"Nah, I just had dinner with an associate an hour ago." He set the bottle of wine aside and sat across from her, his eyes flickering to the candle in the center of the table, almost a hint of nervousness there.

Tess hardly noticed as she took a sip of her tea, "Isn't it a little strange to just…watch someone eat their dinner?"

"I'm not watching you or anything, I'm here to talk."

"Mmm hmm…" She looked down to the lobster on her plate, "And the expensive cuisine?"

"You heard how well this job pays."

"If I wasn't mistaken, I'd assume you're trying to tell me something." She leaned in.

He did his best to keep his gaze away from her chest, which was easily visible in her blazar, "Maybe I am."

"Oh?" She drank more wine and sat back, crossing her legs, "What is that?"

"What do you think?"

She poked her lobster with a fork, "Did I, perhaps, get a new job?"

"Mmm hmm."

She smiled as she took a bite, then her eyes widened, "This…is the best lobster I've ever tasted…"

"Good. You deserve it."

She giggled, "So…so….what position am I?"

"Well…" He sighed, seeming to struggle with explaining her job to her, "For the first few months, you're going to be spending a lot of time with me. I have to fill you in on everything, teach you the ropes."

"And will I get paid for this?"

"It's…highly unlikely. But I could…find a way to get you some money, if you really need it so badly…"

"I apologize if I seem stingy…" She said, her face for once showed an ounce of vulnerability, "I haven't always been…blessed with good fortune."

His eyes looked over her outfit, "And that outfit…?"

"Dragomir bought it for me." She said, "He's been…saving his money for more college…"

"He the art school kid?"

She shook her head, "He's going into neuroscience….he's a genius…" She took another sip of tea, "But still dumb."

He laughed, "How does that work?"

"Well, we've been dating for a few days now, and he hasn't touched me once yet."

"I had no clue you were dating."

"Jealous?" She smirked.

He crossed his arms and sat back.

She laughed, "Aw, poor thing…" She said as she pushed her plate forward and finished her wine, "Hardly anything has changed between us…" She sighed, "It's like we aren't even dating."

"You deserve someone better than that." He scoffed.

"Someone like you?" She snickered.

"You said it, not me."

She stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine, pouring herself another glass, "Maybe we won't last. Or maybe I'll just wait until I can uncover his secret kinky side."

She felt his hands rubbing her hips from behind, his voice in her ear, "That could take ages, Tess."

She smirked, "Yes, you're right." She took a sip of her drink, "Your point?"

"Well…" He walked two fingers up her spine, "Since he's been…neglecting you…why don't I take care of you for the night…?"

"How tempting…" She leaned into him a bit.

He kissed the crook of her neck, "I think it will be much more beneficial to work together if we're… _close_."

"I concur." She tilted her head to the side to give him more room.

He licked her neck, absolutely swarmed in temptation, but he pulled himself away and kissed right behind her ear, rubbing her waist, "Why don't I take you upstairs and…we get to know each other?"

"I would quite like that…" She purred and downed her glass of wine as he kept an arm around her shoulders and led her upstairs.

* * *

"Mister Vanderbilt, Miss Frost." Lacroix sat up from the paperwork he was reading through, "Any success?"

Cadmus took a bowing positon on one knee, as he always did. While Miranda folded her hands and smiled. A dedicated Ventrue for some, for LaCroix, she always seemed to be an oddity. She had long raven-colored hair down her back, big black eyes, sparkling like galaxies, and black nails on her fingers and toes. Her outfit consisted of a purple kimono which left _very_ little to the imagination in terms of both her chest and bottom. A simple rope both tied her robe together and held an ancient black and blue katana in its sheath. On her feet were nothing more than simple stockings, that revealed her heel and toes, ones that she argued benefitted her 'combat.'

This was only the beginnings of the issues LaCroix had with these two misfits. Cadmus, while he had a rough history in the past and was almost put down by the Camarilla on multiple occasions, at least dressed _somewhat_ like a Ventrue. Miranda on the other hand threw all of that out the window. LaCroix could remember more than once the times when grown men would fall out of their chairs from ogling at her for too long whenever they attended Camarilla business. It usually brought him at least a _little_ embarrassment. And her socks. Just socks? She went around barefoot like that? It made him sick. He never wanted to think about how unsanitary the floors and streets of Los Angeles were, but Miranda seemed to remind him of this every time she stepped into his office.

And yet she obeyed ordered. Always. With a smile on her face. It wasn't that Cadmus didn't obey orders. It was that, other than the last ten years of service, Cadmus was untrustworthy, a 'loose cannon' his associates would sometimes say. How he wished to just, extract all the positive things about Cadmus and Miranda and fuse them into one, obedient, nicely dressed Ventrue. He would then discard the scraps in the nearest wastebasket.

"Very successful, I believe." Miranda smiled, her quiet and mature voice seemed much sunnier when she spoke with her leader, "The kine who were threatening the Masquerade have been dealt with. They won't be trouble anymore."

"Excellent." He smiled before he reached in his desk and pulled out two envelopes, "Your payment."

Miranda's smile grew as she took the envelopes, handing one to Cadmus.

Cadmus grasped it in his hand before stuffing it in his coat, "Thanks." He said, "What's our next assignment?" He asked. His voice was very raspy and gruff. The Prince figured he was some sort of metal musician, that or a heavy smoker in his human life.

"You're acquainted with Mister Lorcan, correct? The Toreador Primogen?" LaCroix asked.

They both nodded attentively.

"Well, it appears he has taking a liking towards a certain kine. So much so that he's brought her to my attention, and, hopefully by now, Embraced her. I would like you to meet her, a simple exchange of pleasantries should suffice. Enough for her to know who you are and who you work for. If she asks questions, then do answer, so long as she doesn't ask for information that seems beyond that of what a fledgling should know."

"Certainly." Miranda smiled, "Is that all?"

"Well…" He mused as he skimmed through paperwork, "Do either of you have any skill in deciphering handwriting?" He held up a sheet of paper, "It appears one of Gary's Nosferatu wrote a report and didn't bother printing it out or at least faxing it to me…"

Miranda stepped up to his desk and gently took the sheet from him, "Ooh." She squinted, "This is…interesting…handwriting…would you…rather me read it to you here…or should I transcribe it on another sheet of paper entirely?"

"A transcription will suffice." He said, "Otherwise, there was another mission more suiting Mister Vanderbilt's taste, I'm sure."

Cadmus looked up from his train of thought rather quickly, "Yes, sir?"

"Miss Voerman has contacted me just the other day. Which…is unusual to say the least, considering how independent she is. According to her, there have been multiple times in which she has seen a Nosferatu spying on her. I insisted it was nothing more than our Nosferatu snooping about for information wherever they can find it, but she seems quite set on the idea that they're watching her. If this is the case, I would like you both to locate this Nosferatu and bring them to me. But, please know very well that this may not be the case. It may simply be her paranoia."

"Right." Cadmus said, "I'll get to the bottom of it."

"Very well. Do not be afraid to contact me if something goes awry. I understand the minds involved in what I'm asking of you can be rather…unpredictable."

"Got it." He nodded.

"Very well. You are dismissed."

* * *

The gravel skidded around the wheels of the taxi as it came to a stop. The door popped open as Dragomir stepped out, handing the driver a handful of cash, "Thank you so much, sir."

"You sure this is the place?" The driver asked, his eyes fearful.

He nodded, "Yes, this is right."

"Did you…want me to wait here for you?"

"No, no, that's alright, I'll walk from here until I come across another taxi."

"Alright…" He muttered as he took the money and drove off.

Dragomir turned back to the place, his eyes scoring over the building in awe. There were six lamps lined up leading to the door, all lit, making him wonder if someone actually did live inside. However, the windows were covered by curtains, covered by wooden planks, making it impossible to tell if there were people inside. The mansion had at least six or seven stories and a dozen turrets, tapering off towards the top. Taking the shakiest breath he ever had, he walked up the pathway and stepped foot onto the porch, knocking on the door firmly. Was he scared? He couldn't be, there was no reason to be. He got out his phone quickly as he felt it buzz in his pocket, seeing it was a call from Tess. _Now? At nine o'clock? I thought she was spending the night with Julius…_ He picked up, "Tess?"

He heard a muffled sound, like the phone's speaker was being rubbed against some sort of fabric. _Oh…she must have accidentally speed dialed me…_ He chuckled, about to hang up before he heard voices on the line. It was her voice, "…harder, Julius…faster…" And then he heard moans from her. He listened in for about a solid minute before he dropped the phone, letting the quiet sounds fill the air as rage bubbled up in his chest.

The door swung open abruptly, a creature stood there with what appeared to be human-like clothes, and some elaborate sort of facemask. He could hear its breathing through the mask as well, as the creature stood there, its hand on the doorknob.

Dragomir felt the strangest feeling of boiling rage and horrified terror, "…what the hell are you…?"

It coughed a few times, making some sort of gurgling sound before it grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him inside, slamming the door shut.

Dragomir screamed as he was pulled inside, listening to the entire foyer shake as the door slammed shut. He shuddered, Tess was completely erased from his mind, now the only thing he could think about was survival. He heard his heart pounding as the creature pinned him up against the wall, breathing heavily into their mask. His eyes darted down and looked at the black tattered gloves the creature was wearing, the horrible smell they had. He swallowed hard, "I didn't mean to trespass, please, let me-"

It brought a finger to his lips. He shuddered and felt tears gather in his eyes as the creature let go of him and looked him over. It gurgled something completely inaudible at him, before it turned around and screamed bloody murder.

A door swung open and a figure walked in, who seemed quite shocked with the entire situation. The man, (who was not wearing any sort of facemask, thankfully), walked a bit closer, speaking in a deep voice that almost seemed surprising for how thin and frail he appeared to be, "What have we here…?" He mused as the creature in the mask skittered back like a dog awaiting a prize, "Another…test subject…I presume?"

Dragomir recognized his face. He thought he'd faint, he was so shocked. It was Alastair Grout, the very man he was writing a paper on…the very man who was pronounced dead in nineteen fifty four. Regardless, he fell to his knees, "Oh please no…please, please no, I'm so sorry for trespassing, I'll never do it again!"

Dr. Grout seemed surprised to see Dragomir fall to his knees. But his surprise soon faded away to boredom again. He looked at the creature in the mask, "If you could…dispose of him appropriately."

The creature nodded its head and grabbed Dragomir's arm with considerable strength, tugging him off down a hallway.

Dragomir was too terrified to fight back, skittering along after him, "I'm so sorry, Dr. Grout! Please forgive me! _Please!_ Your studies serve as the foundation of my own!" He called before his voice was cut short due to a sudden turn towards another hallway.

Dr. Grout narrowed his eyes and thought considerably, turning around and heading down a separate corridor as he thought aloud, "And so it seems my name has not yet become embedded in the lost pages of time…" He listened to the screams, unsure of who's they were at this point, "I do wonder what it is about his words that settle so emphatically in my mind…perhaps this one is worthy of an additional dosage of enquiry…"

* * *

Her handwriting was the most crooked obscenity in the world, yet there was quite an elegance to it. It still outranked the handwriting of most men, that's for sure. Most of her apartment was absolutely covered in chalkboards, in fact, one could hardly see the walls. And the sad part was most of those chalkboards were already filled in, with equation after equation, equaling, something. It was unclear if any of these mathematic formulas made any sense at all, but that sure didn't stop the writer behind them.

She gave a deep chuckle, it eventually developed into a laugh that would sooner fit a haunted ghost than any sort of sane person. Her bright green eyes scanned her make believe work with a certain ecstasy. Despite how disheveled she looked, her hair looked beautiful, it was a platinum blonde, reaching her voluptuous hips, which would sashay back and forth wherever she walked. Perhaps she prided her straight, shining blonde hair, so as crazy as the rest of her beautiful face looked, she at least kept her hair neat.

On her feet were a pair of black high heels, and on her legs were a pair of black jeans. The shirt she wore was black with a skull on it, blood pouring out from the eyes and mouth of it, with red letters reading, 'EXPLOIT ME'. It seemed to be low cut both ways, most of her stomach could be seen, as her cleavage as well.

She raised a black-nailed hand to her black lips, laughing loudly at, whatever she discovered. Her equations all seemed to be nonsense, though perhaps they could fool some people at least. She sauntered around her apartment for a little bit, seemingly content with her work, for now. (If it could even be called work). There were lipstick smears all over the wall, of varying different colors. Whenever she ran out of chalk, she would simply paint her walls with lipstick to do her calculations instead (except for the black shade. She had fallen in love with it, and that color would always be applied to her lips).

There was a knock on the door. She gave a feral hiss, like a cat, and then the knocking eventually stopped. So was the same fate to anyone who dare try to bother the occupant of Skyline Apartments, apartment four. Said individual was crazed enough for ten mental institutions.

* * *

 **A/N:** What, thought I forgot about Malkavians? Nope. What'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Here's chapter seven! A shorter chapter, but one that features two very prominent club owners. ;) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"Oh, it's…it's breathtaking…" Slade heard his employer's voice over his shoulder, "Simply breathtaking…it has all the qualities of a photograph…but all the love of a painting…all the hard work, the raw creativity…"

"You like it?" Slade asked, looking at the scenic painting of the volcano that he made, "I'll make a few more if you want. At different angles?"

"Oh, that would be splendid." She smiled, "You're just sweet as candy, aren't you?" She smiled as she combed her fingers through his hair.

He blushed, "Ha, ha…" He laughed nervously, "Yeah…to the right people…I guess…"

"Did you need any more money?" She asked gently, "Or any other sort of payment?"

"I should be fine…for right now. Did you, have a place in mind for the finished painting?"

"Mmm hmm…"

"Uh…so…so where would…where would that be?"

She turned with a smirk and led him into the main room, "I know it's a rather large surface." She pointed to the wall, "But I think the empty ones need the most attention, don't you?"

"Wow…I bet I could paint a lot more of those." He said, "If…if that's okay…"

"Oh, that would be lovely. You have all night, take your time. If you ever need a rest, I'll be in the VIP room…if someone gives you a hard time, tell them VV's alright with it."

"VV?" He asked, "That's you?"

"That's me." She smiled, "Velvet Velour. You can call me VV if you'd like."

"Oh…" He said, "Now I feel stupid. When I first came in here I asked one of the other girls working here who the boss was. They said VV was. I had no idea what that meant."

She chuckled, "I apologize for any confusion. I suppose I could have been more upfront in my advertisement, though it was a close friend of mine who posted it anyway."

"It's fine." He nodded. He let her go back to her business and he went into his little private room to keep painting.

Unfortunately, he was stumped. He stared at that blank canvas for hours, possibly. He sighed, he really didn't have it that bad. He truthfully hated this place when he first arrived, all of these strippers reminded him of Tess. But Velvet had been so nice to him, so he really should be painting to show his gratitude. But he felt so exhausted, even though he had done just as much schoolwork today as any other day.

As the night hours crawled by, he sighed again and headed up to the VIP room, "I'm sorry VV. I didn't get to paint anything…I don't know why…I feel like crap…"

She set down a wine glass of some red drink, it even had a little umbrella in it. She sat up, "Is it a fever?" She asked, concern lacing her flawless features.

"No…it's nothing…illness related really…it's stupid…honestly…"

"Nonsense." She sat up and made room for him, "Is there anything you would want to talk to me about? I understand just how frustrating artist's block can be, sometimes the only remedy is communication."

Normally, Slade would never really confide his problems to anyone. Dragomir, yes, but he didn't trust anyone else with anything. For some reason, there was something about her invitation, something that made him struggle considerably with not spilling all his problems on her. "Uh…" He sat down, "Well…it's about my two friends…roommates…the three of us live together…"

"What a wonderful idea. That must be much easier on your wallet." She smirked.

"Now my two roommates are both dating…and…I don't know how I feel about that…"

"Oh…how heartbreaking…" She said slowly, "There must be something about them you don't approve of…otherwise, I'm sure you'd be very happy for them."

"I mean…usually…one or both of them are in the apartment…but now it's just…me by myself…it's kinda lonely…actually…"

She only looked more devastated, "How could they leave you in the dust? I thought they were your friends."

"They are, they are…I'm sure it's just nothing…I mean…at least Dragomir is. He's the one I'm worried about. Tess…Tess isn't…well…she doesn't strike me…as…as faithful…"

"You're worried she'll break his heart?"

"Yeah…" He sighed. Why was he telling her all this? What more, why did Tess and Dragomir dating bother him so much? Maybe Dragomir would actually change Tess into more of a, clean-cut woman. He could dream, at least, "I basically have zero faith in their relationship…"

"Have you tried speaking to your friend about this? Dragomir?"

"Eh…sort of…but like I said, I haven't really seen them much since they started dating. I…I _really_ hope they're having good first dates."

"Perhaps this is just something out of your control. Perhaps they both need to learn from this experience. I know how painful it sounds, but maybe standing by is the only answer."

He nodded, "Makes sense. Man, I really wish there was something I could do…"

"Oh, it's alright, sweetheart." She gently hugged him, "If they're the same age as you, I'm sure they're old enough to take care of themselves. They'll manage."

He blushed a deep red, the blush eventually carried down to his neck and chest, "I sure hope so…"

She couldn't help but giggle as she saw his blush, "Are you sure you're not running a fever, _hmm?_ "

"No. I feel fine." He said, "I…I should go…get some rest…got a lot of classes tomorrow…"

"Of course." She gently moved her arm away, "Did you need a ride home?"

"It's fine, I could call a cab…hell, this place isn't really that far from our apartment."

"Alright. Please do take care, Slade. If you ever need to talk, you know where to go. Alternatively…" She stood up and pulled a little slip of paper from the bottom of her lingerie and gently took his hand, putting the slip of paper in his hand. The entire time, she kept eye contact with him, a smirk tugging her lips.

He swallowed hard, "Right…" He squeaked, "Thanks VV."

* * *

Pressing two fingers into one of his temples, the Prince closed his eyes as he looked over his empty desk. It was rare to see the pristinely polished surface, but almost made him more concerned, making him wonder if there was something he was missing.

The doors opened as a figure walked in. He looked up from his desk, "I see knocking is beneath you…"

"What am I…?" Tess's eyes were wide. Her skin was even paler than before, her eyes glimmered even brighter.

"I had expected as much…" He mused, "It's quite late, where is Mister Lorcan?"

"I didn't want to wake him up…" She said, "I know you're the boss…and…it's rude of me to visit without notice…but…"

"I will make an exception." He said, "The fault lies on Mister Lorcan for not…elaborating what exactly you were going to have to go through in order to work here."

"I'm…just so confused…" Her face was completely terrified.

"You have joined the Kindred race. Vampires, is the word kine refer to."

"…vampires…I'm a vampire?"

He nodded, "A Toreador, twelfth generation."

"I…I don't…"

He stood up, motioning to one of the red velvet couches in his office, "Please, sit."

She nodded and sat down quickly, folding her hands in her lap as she looked up at him. _He can't possibly be a vampire…can he? Julius too…? I thought vampires were monsters…myths and lies to keep kids out of the streets…not…attractive men in suits who look and act just like humans…_

"We'll start very generally." He prefaced, "There are two, well…I suppose three…" He mused, an annoyed look on his face, "Three different sects of us. The Camarilla, the Anarchs, and the Sabbat. I am Sebastian LaCroix, Prince of the Camarilla here in Los Angeles."

"What…what exactly is the Camarilla?"

"It is the sect responsible for protecting its members from external parties. There are specific codes of behavior that we abide by in order to insure the continuance of our species, of course, hence why your Embrace was handled with such care."

"Embrace…?"

"The exchange of vitae I'm sure Julius has made a wonderful disguise of…" He mused, "It is how kine are turned to humans. You need not know anything more of it."

She swallowed hard and nodded, "What about these other sects?"

He rested an arm on the chair and rubbed one of his temples, before there was a gentle knock on the door. He sat up, "Who is it?"

"Uh…Miss Rivers, sir…"

He stood up, "Miss Perry, any further questions you have are going to have to either wait, or be taken to your sire."

"But sir, I-"

"I understand your confusion. I have other matters to attend to."

"Very well…thank you…"

He couldn't help but smirk, "Of course. Good evening, Miss Perry."

Tess numbly left though the door, seeing a girl on the other side with skin even paler than LaCroix's. _Another vampire?_ She asked herself, before she realized it couldn't be true, because her beating heart could be heard echoing in the hallway. _Why is her heart beating so loud? Or…is it me? I can smell her too…I feel like some sort of…predator…_

She entered the elevator and slumped against the wall, sitting in the corner as tears formed in her eyes, _Do I even look the same…? I'm a monster now…am I even alive? Why isn't my heart beating…? Why do I want to tear into the throat of every human I see…?_

* * *

Mister Madison walked into the Asylum, trying to hide the disgust on his face as he moseyed around. Bars were the last thing he wanted anything to do with. He apprehensively tugged at the black scarf around his neck, which he only brought with him whenever he left the Chantry.

"Victor Madison!" He heard an eager high pitched voice and turned to see a girl leave the side of another girl who was now slumped over the bar, "What are you doing here?" She asked playfully, licking a drop of dark blood from her even darker lips.

That was easier than he thought it was going to be, "Hello, Jeanette." He droned.

Her dark lips formed a devious smirk, her heterochromatic eyes framed with just as much overwhelming eyeshadow as he remembered, "What brings you into my little playpen, hmm? Come for a drink…?"

"No, Jeanette, I've come to discuss some business with you."

Her smile faded, "Business? Shouldn't you talk to my sister then? Apparently, I'm no good at business. Therese will get mad at _you_ if she figures out you made me tamper with business."

"No. This is business a bit more related to _you_ , than towards your sister."

"Me?" She asked, "Look, I don't do business for the club and I hardly do business for the Anarchs." Her façade of girlish playfulness was slowly disintegrating, "No one trusts me. I have no clue what business a Cammy would trust me with, unless it's a good time."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Must…we bring the sects into this…?"

"I bring sex into everything, honey." She said, completely mishearing him over the loud pumping bass music.

He rolled his eyes, figuring the sooner he spat out his little bit, the sooner he could leave all this chaos and pounding noises of the music for a quiet read by the fire, "Your consorting with Halcyon. It needs to end. Immediately."

"Halcyon? Why would I end what we have? She's my little pet, I'd never let her go."

"I would reconsider." He said, "I hear your sister does not approve of your 'pet.' She is one amongst many."

"Halcyon's sister? What, is she jealous?" She scoffed.

"One of Halcyon's sisters is my apprentice." He said, "And she doesn't want Halcyon running around in the middle of the night, communicating with Kindred." He explained, "If you don't want to do it for Therese, then do it for my apprentice."

"Therese?" She asked, "What the hell does that bitch have to do with any of this?" A scowl made her face look not nearly as pretty as it did before, "Use whatever little fancy words you can to try to make me give her up, but I care about Halcyon. I would never hurt her, do you understand? She's in no danger, I don't see what the problem is!"

"You're not going to make this simple, are you?"

She scoffed, "That's all you fucking Cammies think about, isn't it? How hard or easy a job is. That's all I am to you, aren't I? A job? A fucking chore to get out of the way, just for one of your apprentice's jealous kicks?" She bared her teeth, "Get out of here!"

"Therese would kill her, wouldn't she? Just to spite you?"

"I would never let Therese kill Halcyon. Just like how I would never kill Vandal. She has no right meddling in my business, and I have no right meddling in hers. I don't see why she can have a ghoul who's much more of a bitch than Halcyon is, but _I_ try to have a ghoul and everyone wants her dead."

"This sisterly love sounds like something you need to settle with Therese." He said, "My apprentice wants her sister safe, and as long as she's with you, we'll both have to worry about her wellbeing due to Therese's animosity towards her. I know how the two of you work very well. And I don't want Halcyon's corpse to be the end result of one of your latest feuds."

"If Therese lays a finger on Halcyon, I'll kill her myself." She crossed her arms, "Are you happy now? Maybe if I act as bitchy as Therese, you'll move on."

He gave a bitter smile, "If I have to come back…" He started.

"Oh, then what, sweetheart?" She grit her teeth, "I'll make sure you never have to deal with me again."

He gave a sarcastic wave, walking off, "Send your sister my regards."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "See you in hell, Victor."

* * *

 **A/N:** Certainly a rare side of Jeanette on display…Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be much friendlier when someone isn't taking one of her only friends away! Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought with a review please!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Here's chapter eight! I literally had to stop while writing this first scene because I'm so squeamish just thinking about needles…so…if you share a similar squeamishness, maybe skim over that part… Also, apologies if Grout is slightly OOC, he's certainly a handful...

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Slowly gathering his sight again, Dragomir tried to sit up, only to feel his arms completely restricted. He turned both directions and saw metal cuffs around his wrists, they were locked to the table he was laying on. He struggled as quietly as he could to see if the rusty locks would come up, with no avail. He felt…different. Stronger, better senses, too. And dizzy. Every time he moved his head, the world spun a bit. _They must have drugged me…_ He thought as he blinked a few more times to clear the fuzz from his eyes and continue to look around. The small room was covered in blood stains on the walls, a considerable amount of blood on the table as well. _And…if I were to guess anything…looks like tonight's the night I die of live dissection…_

The door opened as another masked creature walked in. A woman, if he were to guess, judging by the bikini she was in. _Did he just capture people who were absently roaming the streets…?_ She walked forward and moaned, speaking in fragments, "…free…air…"

He swallowed hard. He had reached the point where terror was obscure, he knew it would do him no good. No, he had past that long ago. Now he was almost spectating everything that happened. He knew he could do absolutely nothing. His will was useless the second he knocked on the door.

"Fly…fly, fly, fly…" She said as she held one of the walls, "Flown…"

"I just want to go home…" He whimpered, unaware the words even slipped from his mouth.

"Broken mirror of mine." She said as she walked over to him and inspected him again, "Fly, fly, fly."

His throat bobbed, wondering exactly what was going on in her mind. And then, he mentally slapped himself in the face. He chose now to be curious? Now to want to do research on someone? When he could very well get killed by them right now? "Please don't hurt me…"

"Shh, shh…" She shook her hands frantically, "Broken mirror, shh, shh. Green bud…so fresh…"

"What-"

"Shh, shh! Do you want the eagle? He'll come, he'll take…he'll take me….fly away….on his broken wings…fly, fly, fly…"

He heard footsteps down the hallway, hoping as much as he was loathing that it would be Dr. Grout.

"I must fly…" She whispered, before she moaned and ran from the room like her life depended on it.

Surely enough, Dr. Grout walked in, "Please…accept my formal apology for any disturbances from test subjects of mine. It seems as though a particularly clever subject of mind procured a…scrap of metal, perhaps a broken tool; he's made use of it to escape, and to ascertain the freedom of his peers."

Dragomir pulled on the cuffs one last time, "Listen, Doctor, I can help you…I can help you with your research if you let me go…"

"And it is those words again that befuddle me so…" He mused as he rose a hand over his mouth in thought, "Never had I a subject with a mind that may reach potentials that may equate to my own…"

"Well…I…I'm going into neuroscience…the study of the brain…phrenology, as you called it…"

He seemed even further intrigued, "I see…and is it the experience only an asylum can give that you were searching for?"

"An asylum…?" He asked, "No, no, those are terrible…terrible places…they…they turn people into beasts…no, I…I'm hoping to do research in a safer…mental institution…where I could help people…"

And just like that, Dr. Grout was completely uninterested, "What a shame it is…to see such budding warped away into the trivial lives of… _rabbits_ …"

"Rabbits…" He asked, "You…you don't care about the lives of these people at all, do you?"

Dr. Grout looked over at him, "Is there a certain obligation I've missed to care for the estranged lives of the dependent?"

Dragomir felt his heart beat faster as he saw Dr. Grout take out a massive looking syringe with some sort of red liquid inside, "Please…sir…oh god, please…I…I thought you were dead!" He stammered, "How are you still here? You were reported dead in nineteen fifty four!"

"And such claims are far from inaccurate." He said as he walked behind where Dragomir could see.

 _Oh god…where the hell is he putting that needle…_ He shuddered, "Then…then what are you…? Are you his son…?"

"I am Doctor Alistair Grout." He said as he felt the needle stick into his neck. And it didn't feel lovely at all. Dragomir yelped in pain and shut his eyes tightly as Dr. Grout continued, "I have since suffered…a strain of a rather peculiar condition from which I am forbidden from entailing to others, according to the words of the diseased."

He panted as he finally felt the needle get pulled from his neck. His heart was pumping madly, he was surprised it didn't burst, "…what…what is it that you have…?" He asked weakly, "I…I've been doing…years of research…I might know a cure…"

Dr. Grout paused before he set the needle down on a tray and walked into his line of view, "I suppose a mere test subject acquiring such awareness is far from distressing…" He mused to himself, "Vampirism. And no, not the endearing romantic term so customary in mythology."

"Vampirism…" He choked out. _Oh, I am way in over my head. This is completely fucked up. Why am I still alive?_ "And…your test subjects…?"

"Are simply that." He stated, "I've learned if a human is to intake blood from those affected with my condition, they become…a mixed breed…with the mentality of neither."

 _Did…did he just put his blood in me then…? Am I human anymore…?_ He swallowed hard, deciding the only way he would ever get out of here was to trick him and run. And as of now, he saw two options. Pretend to be as crazy as the test subjects, which seemed difficult and time consuming, or pretend to cure his ailment. He was beyond studying this man, he just wanted to go home and sleep for a few weeks. "May I…make a suggestion on a possible solution?"

"Though I am uncertain your finding will be any more…pioneering than any I've attempted at so far, I suppose you may as well amuse me with your fresh ponderings…"

"So…if a human takes the blood of a…a vampire…they become a half-blood…creature…" He prefaced as his eyes darted around, _Might as well make this believable._ "What if…a vampire…took in the blood of one of these half-blood creatures? Could the disease be passed to the host, and the humanity to the parasite…?"

Dr. Grout seemed to actually contemplate the idea, "So if I were to consume the blood of a test subject, and inject them with a portion of my own…the disease could be weakened and eventually consummated into one being?"

"Perhaps…?"

"An interesting proposal…" He looked back at Dragomir, "Perhaps it would work most meritoriously with the blood of one who has yet to be converted into a test subject."

Dragomir felt the color swim away from his face. _Definitely not what I had in mind._ He was a stuttering mess. It seemed his own made-up theory directly went against his own safety.

"I'm not one to test a multitude of factors and risk an invalid record…therefore I shall attempt this trial in the most primal fashion, to ensure any paraphernalia used does not decay the fate of this experimentation."

 _Oh god, what does that mean…don't tell me he has…_

Dr. Grout unchained Dragomir from the table. He sat up and rubbed his wrists on instinct, as he sat up, Dr. Grout grabbed his shoulder and bit into his neck.

Dragomir let out a choked yelp, _...fangs…_ Slowly, he felt his consciousness ebb away, he reached an arm out towards the sky and let out a soft moan as he blacked out entirely.

After a moment, Grout stood back and examined Dragomir. He paused, then leaned in ever so slightly, detecting no heartbeat. He stood tall again and rose two fingers to his own pressure point, detecting no heartbeat. "If success was to be derived from this trial, then it is indisputable the strain of voices would cease their babbling…however….there seems to be a crescendo…." He turned back to the body on the table, "At least it was a trial well worth investigation…" He mused as he left the room.

As the door clicked shut, Dragomir's eyes flashed open. No longer were they dark and soulful, they glowed a bright golden hue, shining like topaz. He felt something bubble up in his chest, a tickling sensation in his brain. He started laughing, his voice incredibly deep and gravelly, brooding and deceitful. He cackled on for an endless amount of time, clutching his chest as he sat up and held his head, "And so…" He rasped, "The game begins…"

* * *

Slade heard the door to the apartment open and he looked over his shoulder, "About damn time." He said, as he starting cutting three servings of steak, "Thought you guys died. Where the hell have you been?"

"Work…" Tess sighed as she sat down, "I'm not hungry…I'm sorry…I had dinner at my…employer's…"

"Jeez…well…where's Dragomir…or…did I make all of this for nothing?"

"I have no clue…" She said with a bit of edge to her voice, "I've been at work all night, it's not like I have a monitor on him at all times…"

"I mean…you guys are dating…so…I thought you'd at least _know_ where he is…" He sighed, sitting down with a plate for himself, "You…you look different…did you catch a cold or something?"

"Yes…something like that…" She muttered, "I'll be fine, it isn't contagious…"

"…so what is it?"

She crossed her legs, "If I told you it involved blood, I'm sure you'd get the message."

He cocked an eyebrow, swallowing a bite of steak, "Didn't think those made you look so pale…and just…I don't know…I can't place it…"

"Yes, well, when you've spent a good part of your afternoon vomiting, you can look a bit pale afterwards." She stood up, "I'll go call Dragomir and see where he is."

A few moments after Tess went into the living room, the front door swung open. A familiar hulking figure stood there, but at the same time, he was completely unfamiliar. He had buzzed hair bleached blonde, light blue plastic tear-drop shaped sunglasses, no shirt, a bulky leopard fur jacket, skin-tight black leather pants, and golden dress shoes so shiny, they were nearly as reflective as mirrors, "Where's the whore?" He growled.

Slade looked confused, startled even, then he squinted at him a bit from the table, squinted so hard his eyes hurt, "Dragomir?"

He gave a grin so wide, it looked like his head would split in half. Before, his posture was rather weak. He'd slump into his shoulders, hold his head down low and keep his gaze on the ground. Now he stood taller than ever, his chin held high, "It's very nice to see you again, Slade." He tousled his hair before he lumbered into the bedroom with a certain swagger to his step.

Slade dashed towards the doorway after he heard the unmistakable sound of someone falling over. By the time he came in, he saw Tess pinned to the ground, Dragomir was sitting on her hips, punching her in the face back and forth. She was screaming, clawing at his shoulders and trying to kick him off of herself, but he wouldn't budge.

"Hey! Guys, what the hell is going on?" Slade shouted, "What happened?"

Dragomir landed one more punch, a cracking was heard that was definitely Tess's jaw, "Go to your little bed-warmer now, get that patched up before the Grand Duce starts to listen to the whispers about you…"

Tess's cheeks were stained with blood and tears, "Get off of me!" She shrieked.

Dragomir stood up and stomped on her ribcage a few times, more cracks were heard, "Very well, then." He turned to Slade and saluted with two fingers, heading towards the door.

Slade growled and got to Tess's level, "What the fuck happened, Tess? Why is he acting so funny, what did you do?"

"I…" She choked out as she weakly sat up and shoved him aside, coughing up a mouthful of blood as she got to her feet and limped towards the door.

"Tess!" He roared, "Tell me what happened! Right now! Tell me!" He thundered.

"Nothing you ever need to worry about." She said as she slammed the door in his face.

* * *

"Slade, dear, are you alright?" VV gently snagged his arm as he walked inside.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, "Actually, I'm trying to finish a bunch of pictures at once…thought I'd surprise you." He smiled.

"Really?" She asked, clearly touched, "Well, don't push yourself beyond your limit, alright? I wouldn't mind, I promise."

"If I don't finish tonight, I'll finish tomorrow." He said, "And then your wall will be fully decorated."

"I'll be sure to make your reward worthwhile, Slade." She beamed.

"R-Reward…?" He asked, flustered.

She winked as she headed up towards the VIP room, her arm trailing up the railings.

After about half the night, Slade came up with a huge stack of paintings, "There." He said, "Did you want to point out where I should hang these?"

"Oh, I'm sure you have more artistic taste than I do." She said, "You can place them wherever you see fitting." She said as she picked up a hammer and box of nails from her desk, putting them gently on top of the stack of paintings, "Do have mercy on these walls." She smirked.

"Alright." He left again to go hang them, he tried to arrange them in the best way he could see fit, he then returned to the VIP room, "Alright, VV…it's been a pleasure. I…I guess that's the last of what you needed from me."

"Oh, please don't say goodbye like that so quickly…I don't like goodbyes…" Her eyes were sorrowful.

He smiled, "Would 'see you later' be better?"

"Please stay…for just a little while longer…"

"Alright." He said, "Hmm…feels weird to be here…without having something to do…"

"I could give you something else to do."

He blinked, "Did you need me to paint something else…or sculpt something?"

She chuckled, "No…"

"Oh…" He said slowly, "What…what did you need?"

"That went right over your head, didn't it?" She looked completely amused.

"…what went right over my head…?"

"Never mind it, sweetheart." She chuckled softly, "How have your friends been?"

"Uh…not so great…at all…"

"Oh?" Her smile faded.

He shook his head, "Turns out, I was right, and they…they had a big fight…I…I don't even know what it was about…they…they wouldn't tell me anything…I…I've been alone at my apartment ever since…"

"Slade…I insist, you should come live with me."

"I…" He blushed, "I don't know if I can do that…"

"Why not?"

"I don't know…I need time to think about it…at the very least…I should probably at least clarify to my landlord what's happened…because…if Dragomir and Tess don't come back…I…I don't know…they'll probably want some answers on that…"

"Of course…" She said, "I'll text you my address later tonight. My…brother…stops by from time to time…I hope you don't mind…"

He shook his head, "Damn it! Why don't they trust me with anything…why…why am I left in the dark…?"

Even given no pretext, she did her best to help, "Perhaps it's because they don't want to hurt you."

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, he had plenty more ideas in mind, but she had a point, "You're probably right."

"I'm sure they still care about you, Slade. I find it hard to believe _anyone_ could dislike you."

"That's because…you're different…I've acted more different, professionally, around you. Around my friends and others, I'm sort of a loudmouth. I blurt out the first thing I say, and I have no temper whatsoever…huh…no wonder why they both left…"

"Is there anything you could have said to hurt their feelings?"

"…so…so many things…" He looked at his hands, "I…I guess it's the same fate that would happen to anyone who's around me for long periods of time…"

"Nonsense, Slade. I like you quite a lot, you've never said anything mean to me. I know you say it's because you're professional around me, but there are people who don't take me seriously at all. The fact that you're willing to show compassion to all sorts of people…it shows just who you are. I don't think anything you said is worthy of losing them."

He swallowed hard, taking a shaky sigh, "I just hope you're right."

"You're more than welcome to live with me, Slade."

"Alright VV, I'll…think it over for a few days…"

"Of course." She purred before she took a sip of her drink and put a hand on his thigh, "I had almost forgotten about your reward."

He felt his face heat up, "VV…"

She stood up and picked up something from her desk, writing on it with a red pen before she handed it to him, "Here."

It was a photo of her, upside down on a pole, her signature beneath it in red. "Everyone has a little devil inside, some are just better at hiding it than others. Keep this for more…private times, when the devil comes out." When he looked up at her, she was smirking.

He felt a lump in his throat, shuddering a bit, "I'll…I'll be sure to treasure it…" He squeaked.

She chuckled, "You'll be back, I trust? The girls will give you a discount on all food and drink as well, so long as you bring that token with you."

He nodded quickly, "I'll be back whenever I can."

"Thank you, dear. I'm ecstatic for the next time we meet."

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoo hoo, triple update! (love not being able to leave my driveway with copious amounts of snow) Let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Here's chapter nine! Lots of sect drama in this one, hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Miss Rivers slowed down as she approached her regnant's desk, "You requested me?"

"Yes." He looked up at her from a document he was skimming through, "The Nosferatu have spotted something…peculiar around the Malkavian Primogen's house."

"Like?"

"Another Kindred."

She raised a brow, "I was under the impression he could not Embrace."

"As was I. He's a highly intelligent man, if not shrouded in so much madness. And it seems recently, his ability to quell these voices has weakened considerably. Regardless, I'd like you to look into the matter."

"How so?"

"Conduct a general search. Keep your eyes peeled, and return with a report."

"Why can't the Nosferatu search the area? They're much keener than I am…and they're located in Hollywood as well…"

"I've been requested to temporarily quarantine the mass amounts of Nosferatu due to Miss Voerman's request."

"Oh, I see…" She mused, "Very well. I will look into it."

There was a knock on the door.

"Thank you, Miss Rivers." He nodded, "Come in."

Miss Rivers turned and looked at the pair of Ventrue that entered. She was always ordered out of a room whenever other Kindred entered. She had no clue why, but it was the Prince's orders. She would have loved to learn more about the others working there, to listen to them for just one meeting, but she had to follow her boss's orders.

Miranda ran in with a smile, almost as if she always had to beat Cadmus in a race to get to him, "Prince LaCroix. Here are the notes sir. I do hope my handwriting is…superior…to that particular Nosferatu's."

He took the notes as the doors closed from Miss Rivers' exit. "Extraordinary. Thank you, Miss Frost." He set it down on the table, then looked at Cadmus, "And the results?"

Cadmus stood next to Miranda, eventually he fell to one knee, "Yes sir, about the Nosferatu 'spying' on Miss Voerman. I found nothing. Nothing at all. And I stayed multiple nights to be extra sure about it. I think we can…attribute the paranoia to her…clan weakness…let's say…"

"As I had feared. Thank you, Mister Vanderbilt." He smiled as he saw Cadmus kneel. "Expedient as always, you two." He chuckled as he stood up and started pacing, "Your next mission."

"Yes, sir?" Miranda's eyes followed him pace, "What are your wishes?"

"I have two quests, you may divvy them up as you see fit." He paused and faced them with his hands behind his back. "There is a piece of Sabbat…territory." He said, watching as Cadmus's eyes light up, "Mercurio will assist you with any details needed about its destruction."

"Sabbat territory…" Cadmus repeated, "The second I meet with Mercurio, I will render their base to ruins." He resolved.

The Prince stifled a chuckle, "Excellent." He looked up again, more towards Miranda, "Secondly, the hospital in Santa Monica has somehow procured a container of werewolf blood. I need it removed immediately." He said, "We cannot risk the kine looking into it at all."

Miranda nodded, giving a little bow, "I shall remove the werewolf blood, undetected, and bring it back to you, sir."

"Thank you." He nodded, "I knew I could put my faith in the pair of you."

Miranda smiled, "Thank you, Prince."

"Of course." He nodded, reaching in his desk and extending two envelopes in their direction.

Cadmus rose to a standing position as he and Miranda accepted the envelopes, "Thanks again, sir. Was there anything else you needed?" She asked.

He chuckled, "I was going to ask the very same of you."

"Uh…hmm…" Miranda exchanged a glance with Cadmus.

"No. We should be fine. Miranda will sneak out the werewolf blood, and I'll level the Sabbat. It's nothing we both haven't done before." Cadmus said.

"Very well. I will see you soon, I would hope."

* * *

The walls on the basement interior were covered in flesh, and the floors in blood. Chandeliers and other furniture fixtures were made entirely out of human bodies. The last victim, or 'decoration' to some, was a woman who screamed and ran away feverishly, eventually tripping and crawling on her hands and knees to run away.

She gave one fatal scream before a haunting mystical roar was heard. Not a moment later, a red glow came from her body as her flesh slowly bent against her will. It twisted and turned into a horrifying shape, the woman screaming in agony as she looked less like a woman by the second and more like a horrifying monster.

Andrei gave a deep chuckle as his creation was complete, letting it go off and roam around with the others. The Sabbat elder was adorned in red robes, and his skin was a bluish green, his head was abnormally large, with a huge crest, giving him an appearance sooner alike to an alien than an actual vampire.

The other Kindred in the room laughed. A man in a black suit and slacks walked up to Andrei's side, slicking his black hair back, "I do always wonder what they could possibly be running to…" He mused in a snide, quiet voice, "There was no hope for her escape, so where would she run to?" He snickered.

"Ah, but delving into the weak mind of kine is a foolish endeavor, Caesar." Andrei said, "Now that we have spread out around this wretched continent, Kindred and kine will finally soon learn to fear and run away from the Sabbat."

"Yes, my lord." Caesar gave a bow, "The council of LaSombra shall be arriving shortly. They are a small branch of the LaSombra Clan from England who wish to help us in our…endeavors."

Andrei chuckled, "Excellent. The sooner they come here, the sooner the _true_ Cainites can finally rule this world with an iron fist."

"I will do what I can to make our dreams into fruition, sir." Caesar said, dissolving away into a black puff of smoke.

Andrei laughed, he eventually strutted over to the only other lone Sabbat member in the room, "Ah, Ferrum, the iron-willed soldier who preserves time after time again. You may return to the surface to begin destroying all those foolish Camarilla weaklings who dare oppose us. Or, you may stay down here in case a bumbling fool dares to challenge me. The choice is yours."

He snickered, "Is that a joke? I'll pound their pretty little faces in for ya." Ferrum grinned, his pointed teeth shone in the dim lighting of the human-comprised chandelier. His long tangled mass of black hair that fell down his back was tied back with a rope and a black headband, he also wore a black tank top to show off his muscles, most likely, and beige pants so coarse, they looked like they were made of canvas. "See ya in a few, boss." He said, the countless earrings on each ear sparkled in the dim lighting as he ran towards the exit.

"Embrace as many bumbling mortal fools as you can. The more troops we have, the better our chances of winning."

"You got it." He nodded, "Anything else?" He barked in his gruff voice, his battered construction boots squelching against the soggy floors.

"Give them the fiery pits of hell. They are all more than deserving of it."

He gave a high pitched laugh as he ran to the surface.

As he got there, sure enough, there were a gathering of Sabbat, they must have been directing people to the 'hunting grounds', as they called it. He slowed his pace and looked at the map they had scrawled out in the dirt.

"Right there." One of them rasped and pointed, "Got that, Ferrum?"

He nodded and started heading in a direction.

"No, you dope, south is that way!" He pointed, "Look again before you get lost and fuck up someone who will get us all in trouble."

He scowled and looked back at the map, "Why the hell do I need a map when I can follow my nose?" He glared at them with his beady olive colored eyes.

A few of them laughed, "Steadman, you have to-"

He snarled and punched the other Sabbat vampires in the face, "Don't fucking call me that!"

He held his broken nose, "Piss off, man! Fuck you!"

Ferrum spit at his feet, then turned back to the map, "Where the hell am I going? How do I get there?"

"This way." He pointed down the street, "Take the sewers, take two rights and a left, then exit the first manhole. You'll be right in the center of action."

"Why didn't one of you fuckers tell me that first?"

"We didn't think you'd need to take the path that the idiots take." One of them grumbled, before Ferrum clobbered him over the head. The Sabbat grabbed Ferrum by the shirt and bashed their heads together, it looked like the two of them were going to kill each other soon.

"Break it up, love-birds!" One of them spat as he broke them apart, "Ferrum, go! Now!"

He grunted and kicked open the nearest manhole, jumping inside and heading in the direction they told him to. Or, the direction he remembered, at least.

* * *

"I'm telling you, pulling it to the left is more effective."

"No, the right."

"Left."

"Does it matter?" Lark and Killian turned to see a familiar face walking behind them, "You've been arguing about this for hours."

"Nines, which way is better to snap a guy's neck." Killian asked, "Right or left?"

"Left." Lark said, "It's the left."

"I don't really see what difference it makes." Nines sighed.

"Which way do you do it?" Lark asked.

He thought about it for a second, "Right."

"Ha!" Killian said, "See?"

"The left is so much easier!" Lark argued.

Nines narrowed his eyes as he looked over the horizon, Lark and Killian still arguing about which direction was better, according to the blood flow in a person's body. He saw explosions light up the horizon, as well as a sprinkling of gunshots, "Shit…" He muttered under his breath, "Lark."

Lark paused mid argument and looked over at him, "What is it?"

His bright green eyes were sparked with concern, "Go get the others."

She nodded, "Where are we going?"

He motioned forward with his head, "Library parking lot."

"Got it." She ran off.

"What's up?" Killian squinted.

"We gotta move kid, I see grenades." He said.

"Alright, alright, let's go then." He said as they booked it.

Ferrum laughed, his mouth and chest soaked in blood from the three saps he just Embraced, "Ha, ha! Long live the fucking Sabbat!"

Nines dashed in and smashed the butt of his gun into the side of Ferrum's head, knocking him aside with considerable force. He then shot Ferrum a few times for extra measure.

Ferrum's body glowed a green color, the bullets bounced off of him as he scrambled to his feet.

"Fuck." Nines muttered through grit teeth, wondering when the others would catch up to him.

He took a step back, seeing as he was completely surrounded by Sabbat. One of them grinned as they pulled the pin off a grenade between their teeth. "This is it, Rodriguez."

The manhole suddenly burst open as an army of Anarchs sprung from it and started tackling the Sabbat.

Ferrum scowled as he got to his feet, "What the fuck, this was supposed to be a Camarilla wipe out!"

The Sabbat with the grenade lobbed it in the middle of the frenzy.

There were screams of all sorts. When the smoke cleared, there were police sirens, and a good deal of ash. At least a dozen Anarchs stood standing, three Camarilla Nosferatu, and four Sabbat.

Nines aimed his gun at one of the Sabbat's head, "Leave."

The Sabbat looked around, watching as the Nosferatu scrambled off. He turned with a sneer and started walking off.

Ferrum growled, clearly unhappy that the Sabbat were giving up. His eyes darted around, looking for the weakest appearing Anarch. Like an animal, his gaze fell from Damsel to Anastasia, until he grew massive fangs and claws, running towards her with a green glow surrounding himself.

Anastasia half-narrowed her eyes, "Fortitude…and Protean?" She asked, coating herself in a similar coating and growing fangs and claws, "Two can play at that game, buddy." She dove at him.

He stumbled back, surprised that she was much stronger than he was. His Fortitude held up against hers, at least, since none of the gashes she left in him were fatal, but it wasn't a moment later that Anastasia noticed all the other Anarchs booked it.

A fleet of police officers ran in, armed with guns and batons.

Ferrum broke away from Anastasia as he felt someone attempt to bash his head in. He turned around and tore the man's head off, galloping off on four legs, aimlessly roaming the streets until he found his way home.

Anastasia swallowed hard, also deactivating her Disciplines and running back with the others.

"You alright, kid?" Nines asked, looking a little worried. After their retreat, the Anarchs had gathered in an abandoned alleyway.

"What an asshole, picking on you like that." Damsel said, "I'd go pound his lights out myself if Skelter didn't fucking tie me on his leash."

"The cops were hanging around, I didn't see any good reason to go and break the Masquerade. Besides, we all know you'd get carried away." Skelter crossed his arms from the dumpster he was sitting on.

"Pfft. Fucking bitch had it coming." Damsel grumbled.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Anastasia said, "Shit…" She bent slightly and felt her ankles, "Don't ask me why I run in these…"

Damsel snickered, "That's why I wear converse, honey."

"Yeah, but those are still shit for running." Jack said, "Nothin' like a trusty pair a' work boots." He said, earning a high five from Skelter.

Nines kept his eyes on the street, "We gotta get back to the Last Round before the cops start questioning people."

"Yeah, good idea." Jack stood up as they started heading back.

Killian elbowed Anastasia gently, "If you want, we could meet back at my place and I could take care of your ankles…"

"Ugh." Lark rolled her eyes, "Flirt somewhere else."

"Christ…" Killian crossed his arms, "Embracing my little sister sounded great at first…didn't bother thinking about how much of a cock-block she'd be…"

"I think I'll be fine." Anastasia said, "I usually fight barefoot…I'm a Gangrel anyway…but those cops ruined my flow."

"Those Sabbat are in for it now." Jack said, "The po-po had to have caught at least one of 'em."

"Let's hope so, anyway…" Damsel grumbled as she held the door open for them, casting one last look outside before she slammed the door shut behind herself.

* * *

"This is wine, this time."

"Do you have to say that every time you pour me a drink?"

"Yep."

Miss Rivers gave a soft sigh as she swirled the deep red liquid in her glass, before she drank at least half of it, "I really should be handling the new case…"

"Yeah, and I should be fuckin' up some shovelheads in a ditch somewhere, but he's gonna have ta keep his panties on for a few more hours. I don' see what harm a little break is now and again." Mercurio plopped himself on the couch next to her, taking a sip of his own wine.

"He'll scold us…"

"And why?" He asked, "He's a logical guy, doncha think?" He tapped his head, "Our heads need it. We're not like him, Harper, we're not creatures of da night, conditioned for stayin' up late and workin' our whole lives. We need rest every now and again, you especially." He said as he tipped his glass towards her. "He gets that. He never gives ya a deadline, now does he?"

"No…" She said quietly as she rocked her leg back and forth over the other, "But he does give more pay the faster it gets done." She finished her glass and held it out towards him, "More please."

"Alright, Queen Harper." He said as he poured her another glass, "Don't get wasted this time, neither."

"I won't." She said firmly as she took a sip and stared at the door.

He rested his arms on the back of the couch, "So whatcha in here for, anyhow? Not dat I don' like your company or nothin', it's jus you don' normally drop by without warnin'…"

She stirred her wine around in her glass, "Has he ever…spoken to you about…" She drank half the glass, "Being Embraced?"

His eyes widened, "…has he brought it up to you?"

She nodded.

"He's never said a word to me yet." He sat up, "What da hell does he want with you so bad that you gotta be Kindred for?"

"I don't know…" She said softly, "He said…it was to ensure my safety for future tasks…though I have ventured in places where other monsters roam…it seems now out of all times, he's been especially cautious with me…" She looked up at him, her deep eyes frightened, "Do you think it's due to how dangerous Los Angeles is?"

"I mean…" He chuckled softly, "Either that, or he's in love wit ya."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink, "You're…kidding, right…?"

He snickered, "Aw, c'mon, Harper, you don't know me that well at all, do ya? He's as cold as ice, I don't think kinds like him are even capable of _liking_ someone, let alone loving them."

"Right…" She nodded quickly, "I…I don't know what I would do with myself if that were the case…I think I'd jump off the building…"

He laughed, "That would still kill you either way. You'd jus' be runnin' towards your grave a little faster."

"Well…in that case…I can't…" She said, "I can't risk being Embraced if it's just for him."

"I mean, he's been sendin' me on all kinds a vamp missions and hasn't mentioned a damn thing. You're more office savvy though, he kinda uses me to get cash, occasionally pound a few skulls in."

"Uses you…" She muttered softly, "I hate that…"

"Well, that's how it is." He shrugged, "Least he takes care of us, right? Besides the workload. Gives us blood, gives us a boatload of cash. I don' really see much of a problem with it. Take away the blood bond and it's really just…no different than an ordinary job. Little dangerous at times, but it pays. We still got our humanity, right? You could even have a family, if you wanted…"

"Me? Couldn't you…?" She asked.

He swatted a hand, "I don' like the thought of outliving anyone I care about."

"And you think I wouldn't mind?"

"Well…I dunno…you're kinda more…"

She finished her wine, watching him as he carefully approached his answer.

"You're…kinda cold…"

"Cold…?" She asked, before holding her glass out, "More."

"That's enough for you."

"Please?"

"Go somewhere else then, I ain't gonna be responsible for getting you drunk. Boss'll skin me alive. Throw the leftovers out for the Sabbat."

"Very well, then…" She stood up, "I'll…see you around."

"Yeah, you too. Take care, Harper, alright?"

She nodded, "You too." She closed the door gently behind herself.

* * *

 **A/N:** So how was that? I think I have at least one protagonist of each gender for all seven clans at this point, representing most of the sects too, even. Now the chaos can truly begin! Leave a review if you can.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Here's chapter ten! (Yay!) At last, the final pawn tumbles to the ground…enjoy! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Slade was headed back to his apartment. Bogged down from a day of school, he knew going home would be even more depressing, as he would most likely be there by himself. He hadn't seen Tess or Dragomir ever since that night they had a big fight, and that was quite a few nights ago, at this point.

He tripped and fell flat on his face, in the middle of a back-alley. He swore like a sailor as he got up, seeing what he tripped on. He was done at this point, "God damn…sewer maintenance people…not cleaning up their shit…Jesus Christ…" He picked up the manhole cover he tripped over, going back to put it over the hole leading to the sewers, "Fucking jerks…leave a manhole cover wide open, why don't you? Yeah, that sounds like a priceless idea. Freaking riveting."

He heard a feral growl, as a horrid beast jumped up from the sewers, flooring him. Slade screamed. On top of him was a fleshly monstrosity, composed of little more than arms sewn onto a head. The red eyes and fangs only made this more terrifying. Slade yelled and yelled, gradually getting eaten by the monster.

* * *

Velvet closed the back door for Vesuvius, checking the dimly lit back area carefully, as one of her dancers cited that they heard some sort of horrendous noise coming from there. She took a tiny walk around, not seeing anything to arouse suspicion in the slightest. Then her eyes widened, she ran over to a red figure on the ground. It was the bloodied body of Slade, missing quite a few pieces of himself as well. A tiny feral beast was feeding on him, but once it noticed Velvet, it turned to the fresher meat, lunging at her.

She gasped and jumped back, holding her hand out as an orange glow surrounded herself and the beast.

The creature recoiled slightly, growling ferociously, its movements were a bit slowed, nevertheless it kept lunging at her.

She moved with incredible speed as she scooped up Slade and brought him inside the building before the beast could even lay a claw on her.

She quickly locked the door, looking around nervously to ensure there were no other patrons in the area. Sitting on one of the benches, she propped Slade up in her lap and gently pet his hair, apologizing softly into his neck before she bit in.

Slade let out a gasp, weakly holding an arm, or, what was left of it in the air, "VV…" He choked.

She gently rubbed his back in attempt to calm him before she gingerly let him go, quickly wiping the blood from her lips as she gave him a worried look, hoping he pulled through.

Slade went pale, his red, bloodshot eyes gradually returned to their original color, and his wounds began to seal up.

She held his shoulders, her silvery eyes slowly glossing over with tears, until dark streams ran down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry…" She whimpered, brushing a lock of his hair out of his face, "I….I couldn't lose the…beacon of hope…"

"I…I…what…" He looked down at himself, "Do I…do I not need to breathe anymore…what…what happened?"

She held him close, resting her head against her shoulder so she had a surface to sob against.

"VV…what…what am I now? What…what did you do to me?"

* * *

A dry sigh escaped Dragomir's chest as he brushed a spider from his fur coat, "Oh Grout, my dear father…how frightened I truly am to see you again…" He swung the door open and walked inside, closing it afterwards, "Like the…" He peered around, hearing absolute silence, "…terrifying family reunion I've never once been to…" He mused as he poked his head in different doorways. "Mister Grout…? Where are you, Mystery Man? I'd like you to meet your son…" He sniffed the air and growled softly, "Damn, your scent is everywhere…well…." He scratched the back of his head, "I suppose that's because it's your house…I can't argue that logic…" He started walking down a flight of stairs that led underground.

A ghoul ran forward and stopped him, "Uncle! Uncle, Uncle of mine, please save me!" He pleaded.

Dragomir adjusted his glasses, "You don't want freedom, it isn't much brighter than hell."

"Please…" He whimpered, "I just want….food…."

"Mmm hmm…" Dragomir turned his gaze back up the stairwell, "That way." He pointed.

"Thank you…oh thank you so much!" He hugged him.

Dragomir tried his best not to choke, due to his odor, "Very well…begone with you…"

The ghoul stumbled up the stairs to freedom.

Another empty sigh exited his chest as he continued on his decent.

After he turned a hallway, he heard the muffled sound of Dr. Grout's voice in one of the rooms. He did his best to tune into him, leaning against the wall as he snuck closer. "…if the voices are to be believed, then my caution is warranted, for they speak of his blackest crimes both past and future. More than once I have seen the suspicion in his eyes and heard the distrust in his voice when speaking with me! The fear must register on my face for it is all I can do in these moments to keep from crying out in chorus with the voices!"

No sooner did he stop speaking all together, before the door swung open. Dragomir's eyes were wide as Dr. Grout looked right at him, his eyes wide in trepidation.

Dragomir grinned widely, before he snickered, "Hello…"

"I had wondered where your body dispersed to…" He mused as he turned away from the door and walked back into the small room he was in earlier, "It seems the only success I've had is ensuring you've assimilated the disease as well…"

Dragomir moseyed in, seeing as Dr. Grout didn't seem overly perturbed, "Apologies…" He scratched the back of his head, "You hear them as well…?"

"Yes…" He brooded quietly, "Only as of late have they engrossed me so…"

He sniffed around the room before looking back at Dr. Grout, who stood absent-mindedly in the center of the room, "This disease I've procured…I'd like to know everything about it. Everything you've gathered…every other sufferer."

"I suppose allowing you access to my studies would stand innocuously, so long as you do not tamper with them in any fashion…"

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said, approaching the recorder, "And these…these devices…?"

He shook his head and started walking into another room, saying, "Nothing more than a source of ventilation in my wife's absence…"

He turned his head curiously in the direction Dr. Grout walked off to, before wincing as he heard a bloodcurdling scream from a lower level. Deep in his heart, he was inclined to care. He wanted to rush down the stairs, free all the test subjects and run, but his mind said otherwise. As he sat down with one of Dr. Grout's notebooks, he heard a whisper in the back of his mind, _"Care not for the lives of the beating…"_

* * *

"Just take the money before I change my mind." A soft voice said as he put an envelope on a solid oak desk. He reached up and scratched at his beard, "Then you never have to see me again."

Isaac brushed a hand through his dirty-blond hair, "You don't have to give me _this much_ of the profits, Ash."

"Yeah…well…" He turned away and crossed his arms before he gave an irritated sigh, "You want me to take it back? Spend it on…what, exactly?"

He flipped through the bills, "I just worry about you, that's all."

"Why? It's not like you're obligated to care about me anyway, I don't give a fuck about you."

The door swung open as VV entered, "Isaac…." Her eyes were leaking with tears.

Ash's eyes widened as he stepped out of her way.

"VV." Isaac said, "What's the matter?"

She was clearly beyond frantic, "Something…something grabbed Slade in an alley…oh god, it tore him apart! It ate off his arm and his chest and his leg…" She wiped some tears away, "I couldn't help myself, Isaac, I just couldn't do anything else!"

"Slow down." Isaac stood up, "Who's Slade?"

She sniffed, "My artist…my designer…he did paintings for Vesuvius, he's the sweetest boy I've ever met…"

"And something attacked him? Did you get help?"

"No, it was just me…" She sniffed, "I…I grabbed him and brought him inside…oh god…it was terrible, Isaac, it didn't have a body or anything…just…two arms and a head!"

"That…sounds…incredibly concerning…" He mused, "Well, did the kid walk it off, or should I call police? Or not, no doubt that thing probably ran into the streets at this point…causing more than enough attention."

She sobbed into her hands for only a moment before she looked up, "Isaac…he's…he's dead…and it…it was me who killed him…"

Ash's face went from concerned to infuriated.

Isaac gently put a hand on her shoulder, "You mean…?"

She nodded as she squeezed him tightly, crying over his shoulder.

Ash scowled, "You fucking idiots…you see someone in an ounce of danger and put them in hell rather than letting them die in peace…" His voice was mostly drowned out by the sound of Velvet's sobs.

Isaac hugged her back, "Listen to me, VV. It's not going to end like this. I'm not going to let that tiny bastard LaCroix think he's won. You're not going to die. Not on my watch."

She sniffed, "And…and Slade? I gave him blood…told him to rest in my room….what if they get a hold of him…?"

"Hmm…" He broke the hug to pace around, "If LaCroix had his little way…you'd both be dead. But…I'd do _anything_ in my power to prevent that. He knows better than to mess with the Baron of Hollywood. I'll be sure to personally remind him that if the time comes."

"I don't want you to get hurt…" She did her best to get rid of all her tears, "I couldn't stand seeing something happen to you…"

"Nothing will happen to me. I am one of the backbones of the Anarch movement out here. LaCroix already knows this won't be as easy as he thinks it will be."

"You promise…?"

"Of course." He smiled, "I'm not going to lose you."

She looked over at Ash, then back to Isaac, "Will you…take care of him as much as you've cared for us? He's so innocent, Isaac…so sweet and young…he would never hurt a fly and now…I've…I've turned him into a monster…"

He paused, "…is he a good kid…at least?"

"He's wonderful…" She sniffed, cracking a smile, "He…hardly accepted my autographed photo…"

He thought for a moment. He always knew that Velvet was quicker than most to form these sorts of, 'bonds', with people, even for a Toreador. He also knew that he had no place telling her what she could or could not do about these sorts of things, all he had to do was look at Ash to remind himself of that, "I'll make sure he's protected under my barony. But you have to keep a close eye out for him, VV. I get a lot of young blood in here forgetting their place."

"I will…you won't need to worry about him at all…"

* * *

"Miss Rivers." LaCroix sat up as Harper walked in, "Your report?"

She handed him another manila folder, as well as a broken cell phone in a plastic bag, "Additional evidence."

His eyes widened, "Give it to the Sheriff." As she did so, he sat back, "I wonder why the Nosferatu were unable to collect such evidence…"

"It was right in front of the door." She said softly, "I can't blame them for being cautious."

"I see…in the future, please do your best to stay out of such dangerous locations." He said, an unamused look on his face, "I certainly do not feel in the mood for last minute rescue operations."

"Of course, sir." She stood before his desk, keeping her face completely stoic. "Your next mission?"

"Well…it seems my orderly plans of conduct have been tossed into the rubbish chute, provided a generous amount of help from the Anarchs…" He mused, throwing a hand helplessly in the air as he looked back up at her, "A kine has been Embraced by none other than one of Isaac's adoptive childer…" He rubbed a temple, "An execution has been scheduled for tomorrow, for both the childe and sire."

"…Ash Rivers…?" Harper asked.

" _Adoptive_." He clarified, "It was Miss Velour. She, as well as the former kine, are to be executed tomorrow at midnight. You will be at my side, I presume?"

"Of course, sir." She choked out.

He raised a brow, "Is something wrong, Miss Rivers?" His tone was far from understanding.

"…is an execution for the childe necessary? I can understand the sire…but…"

"It is entirely necessary. How else would they learn to cease this rampant and careless reproduction?"

"I feel as though they're innocent."

"Need I remind you, Miss Rivers." He said as he tapped a stack of papers against his desk, " _No one_ is innocent."

"The Camarilla is about the protection of kine and Kindred alike, is it not?" She asked, "So then why are we killing Kindred?"

"Because they are a threat to kine." He said, his aggravation evidently increasing, as well as the volume of his voice, "If a wolf enters a pasture in pursuit of an injured sheep, do you kill the wolf or the sheep?"

She paused, before she could answer, he cut her off, "You kill both. The sheep to prevent temptation, and the wolf to teach the others of its kind a lesson. Am I clear, Miss Rivers? Need I break it down any further?"

She looked away, crossing her arms.

He raised a brow, "You will be at my side tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir."

"You must understand." He stood up, "I cannot have my own faction seeming even the slightest bit upset about the death of these ingrates."

She looked over at him, but didn't bother poking the fire.

"I am going to be facing enough heat with the anger of the Anarchs." He said, "To have my own Camarilla, no less my own _ghoul_ even offer a single disapproving glance will be costly. And not costly to _me_ in the slightest. If I'm forced to step back due to _your_ actions tomorrow evening, it will be _you_ who suffers."

"It isn't as if I'll have any say in the trial at all." She argued, "I'm going to be a bystander, am I not? The spotlight will be on the Prince of the Camarilla, not so much the ghoul in his shadow."

He turned his back to her as he looked out the window, "You will have plenty of eyes on you at all times. Especially the eyes of Gary." He said lowly, "And it's those eyes I fear the most."

Harper raised a brow, "Gary? You're worried about what Gary is going to think?"

"In case you haven't noticed, he can be rather persuasive with the likes of the Camarilla." He turned back to her, "And his word hardly goes ignored. Not when he can create evidence to support anything."

"Then why is he one of your Primogen?" She asked bitterly.

There was a knock on the door.

LaCroix clenched a fist, "You are not dismissed, Miss Rivers. Sit." He ordered. She felt nauseous as the words tumbled from his mouth, immediately stumbling towards the closest couch and sitting down before she gathered her wits once again.

"Well, as much as I hate to enter the room when people are talking about me behind my back, I have a little gift for you, Princey." Harper turned her gaze to see Gary hand LaCroix a small device.

The Prince refused to touch it, "What is it?" He insisted, his eyes were as frightening as live wires.

Gary seemed completely unamused, "A gift."

"What is it?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"Boy, someone's in a mad mood." He looked over at Harper, "She on the rag or something?"

His eyes narrowed, "Give it to the Sheriff and leave."

"Fine by me." He walked over to the Sheriff and dropped it in his massive paw, "Good luck with your marital disputes." He said as he disappeared.

The Prince sighed deeply before he turned back to Harper, "You will return to your room for the rest of the evening, and make preparations to attend the execution tomorrow at midnight."

"Yes, sir."

"You are not to speak to anyone before or after the execution until otherwise noted."

Her throat bobbed, "Yes sir."

He approached his desk and took out an envelope with money and blood, "Be thankful I've decided _against_ ducting your pay, Miss Rivers."

"Thank you, sir." She said as she took the envelope and money, putting them in her pocket, "Was there anything else you needed, sir?"

"No." He said quickly, wafting a hand at her, "Good evening."

"Good evening, sir."

* * *

 **A/N:** I wonder what Gary's gift is? What did you think? Let me know with a review! Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Here's chapter eleven! This first scene might seem pretty familiar…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"Good evening. My fellow Kindred, my apologies for disrupting any business or interfering with prior engagements you may have had this evening." His voice was very light and formal, completely contradictory to the faces of those on stage, "It's unfortunate that the affair that gathers us tonight is a troubling one. We are here because the laws that bind our society, the laws that are the fabric of our existence…have been broken."

Velvet sniffed, shaking in the hands of the Nosferatu that gripped her neck from behind.

Victor stood next to Strauss in the upper balcony, overseeing the entire theater. LaCroix was pacing back and forth on the stage, with the Sheriff and some other Camarilla emissaries making sure that the two captors were being held securely. One he recognized as Velvet Velour. (Only because she would always try to make all sorts of advancements on his Regent). The other Kindred, however, was a complete mystery to him. He raised a gloved hand to his chin in thought.

"How the hell can he kill someone as iconic as VV…?" Damsel asked quietly in the audience.

"Because he's lost his shit…" Nines crossed his arms in blind fury.

"As Prince, I am within my rights to grant or deny the Kindred of this city the privilege of siring." LaCroix went on, still looking rather at ease, "Many of you have come to me seeking permission, and I have endorsed some of these requests."

Ash sat back in his seat, occasionally throwing a look at his sire.

Killian chewed on his thumbnail as he looked over to Lark, "If Nines didn't get in a fistfight with one of his Primogen, that'd be you and me, Lark."

Lark gave him a nervous look, before she turned to Nines, "Is VV going to die?"

Nines swallowed hard, but didn't say anything.

"However…" The Prince continued, "…the accused that sits before you tonight was not refused permission." The Prince looked at VV with a stern scowl, "Indeed, my permission was never sought at all." He then looked at Slade, "They were caught shortly after the Embrace of this childe."

Slade tried to keep his crying quiet as he helplessly kneeled there, his eyes wavered as he stared at the wooden floors of the stage.

"That kid looks so scared…" Anastasia said quietly.

Miranda, bored with the show, leaned on Cadmus's shoulder slowly, before Cadmus gave her a shove.

"I can't blame either of them…" Skelter muttered back to Anastasia, thankful his voice was on the quieter side, "As long as he's in the throne, no one around here's getting Embraced at all. Any Kindred that come in are gonna either be Camarilla pricks or Kindred from out of state…"

Slade helplessly looked around at the crowd, seeing thousands of figures he hasn't even seen before. Until his eyes froze at one particular Kindred he instantly recognized. Tess. His brown orbs froze, in a combined state of confusion, and anger.

Tess clearly caught his gaze, smirking and waving at him with a few fingers. Sure enough, Julius was sitting next to her with an arm around her shoulders.

"It pains me to announce the sentence," The Prince said, "But as some of you may know, the penalty for this transgression…is death." He folded his hands.

A silence as heavy as lead filled the air. Well, it would have been completely silent, if VV had not let out a muffled sob. She was shook roughly by the Nosferatu holding onto her neck, getting kneed in the back, as well. A few members in the audience winced.

"Know that I am no more a judicator than I am a servant to the law that governs us all." LaCroix said, "Let tonight's proceeding serve as a reminder to our community that we must adhere to the code that binds out society, lest we endanger all of our blood."

"Surely, he cannot get away with this." Victor mused softly, "It's too soon. There aren't enough of us here. He would directly challenge the Anarchs."

Strauss gave a slight nod, trying to calm his magister's strategic ramblings.

"Forgive me." The Prince bowed to VV, a bitter look in his eye. As soon as he said this, his subordinates got a bit antsy as they held both captives in place.

The Sheriff drew his blade as LaCroix lifted a hand, "Let the penalty commence."

VV's eyes closed tightly as she whimpered out loud, holding her head down as she bit her lip.

The doors to the theater burst open, as Isaac walked down the aisle, "Stop the execution." He shouted.

There was a muffled commotion in the audience.

LaCroix glared at Isaac, then nodded to the befuddled Sheriff.

"Isaac!" VV shouted out as the Sheriff reeled back to cut her head off.

"LaCroix." Isaac clenched his fists, refusing to name the man by his title, "I wouldn't do it." He lectured, "Harming one hair on her head would invoke the wrath of the Baron of Hollywood. Not only that but it would also spark the anger of all the Anarchs in the state." He said, "You already stole our land. So help me, if you steal one of our children too…" He shook his head.

As the blade nearly reached her neck, the Prince held a hand out, the Sheriff's eyes looked empty as he stopped the blade and pulled it away. He paused, waiting a long while before he said anything.

"Yeah, that's right." Nines stood up, "If you think we're going to abide by these bullshit tricks you call 'laws'…"

"If…Mister Abrams and Rodriguez would allow me to finish." LaCroix said, his eyes darting from person to person. Harper crossed her arms and kept her gaze averted to the floor. For some reason, she couldn't say she was surprised. "A proposition may be made, in order to preserve the lives of these Kindred. However, if any terms to this agreement are not met, than the execution will commence."

"Even if it means war?" Nines narrowed his eyes.

The Prince glared at Nines, but didn't say a word, allowing that to serve as his answer.

"Spit it out." Isaac said.

"The childe will serve the Camarilla faithfully." He said, "And the sire is to remain solely in her domain. Any sighting of her in any other territory will be immediately reported, and an execution for both childe and sire will commence without disagreement." He stated, "Furthermore, an execution will be arranged in the case that the fledgling disobeys any laws of the Camarilla."

Slade swallowed hard, he had no idea what half of these words even meant. He blinked away tears as he tried to fathom his situation.

Nines looked like he was about to argue, but Isaac put an arm in front of him, "We accept those terms."

"Very well." LaCroix smirked.

The Anarchs all seemed to collectively take a sigh of relief. Killian elbowed Anastasia, "Celebration dinner at my place?" Lark shook her head in shame.

The subordinates grabbing Slade and VV stepped back out of the way, utterly confused.

"Let no one say that I am unsympathetic to the plights and causes of this community." The Prince went on, "I thank you all for attending these proceedings, and I hope their significance is not lost." He said as the crowd began to disperse, "Good evening."

The curtains started to draw closed as VV stood up and rushed to Slade's side, giving him a hug that surely would have choked him if he still needed to breathe.

The Prince spoke quietly to Harper, who walked off stage. He looked back at Slade and VV, then left along with her.

* * *

No more than a night later Slade entered Vesuvius, heading to the VIP room. He took a brief stop at Chinatown first to purchase a pair of katanas. They were now both strapped to his back in an 'X' pattern. He knocked at the doorframe, "Uh…can I come in?"

VV opened the door, letting him in before she gently closed the door, "I…I'm…." She swallowed hard, "I'm so embarrassed, I can hardly think of anything to say." She turned back to face him, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"VV…I'm…" He teared up, "I…I'm _so_ sorry…"

She gently held him, "Don't apologize to me, Slade….there was nothing you did wrong…I should have never taken your life into my hands the way I did…"

"But thanks to me…you were almost executed…"

"There was nothing you could have done, Slade." She said as she gently broke the embrace to hold his shoulders, "I panicked…it was all I could think of…and now…you're…no better than a slave…"

"Yeah…about that…"

"I'll answer any questions you have…so long as they won't land me in hot water…"

"Please…if it's not too selfish…I…I'm just…so confused." He said, "I need your help…I…I don't even know where to start…"

She sat down, "Why don't you start with you telling me everything you _do_ know?"

He sat beside her, "Uh…well…I…I don't eat anymore right…like, food…I don't…eat that…"

"No…because I've Embraced you…I've turned you into a vampire, which we call Kindred."

"So…I drink blood now?"

"Mmm hmm…" She said, then she added, "You need it to sustain your powers. The more energy you output, the more blood is needed to be input."

"We…we actually have powers…?"

"Mmm hmm. There are different clans of vampires…species, if you will. You and I are Toreadors…the… _romantics_ , in our community. Regardless of clan, all Kindred have three powers, though I hardly use mine at all….I don't believe in violence."

"Toreadors…?" Slade repeated slowly.

"Mmm hmm." She hummed, "The clan that's most in touch with their humanity…we blend in with society the best, wear our emotions on our sleeves." She said, "We have Celerity, Presence and Auspex…so that's speed, an intimidation aura, and special vision." She crossed her legs, "That's how I brought you inside so quickly after you were attacked by that demon."

He nodded slowly, "What…what about the others…I mean…some of them…looked really…weird…"

"There are dozens of clans, sweetheart, and I bet even more I don't even know about." She said, "The kind you'll see mostly in Hollywood are Toreadors. Occasionally Nosferatu, since Isaac allows them to live underneath us."

"Nosferatu?"

She paused, "Do you remember the Kindred that was holding onto me during the execution? That was a Nosferatu. They live underground due to their appearance, simply being seen by others is a Masquerade Violation. It's an unfortunate life I couldn't fathom, but they do seem to make the best of their talents."

"Masquerade Violation…that…that sounds like a law…what…what are the laws like…here?"

"Well, the Masquerade…" She paused, "It's a common law, between all of us." Her eyes met his again, "We cannot allow humans to know about us. We cannot use our powers in front of them, tell them about us…it risks their lives…it would throw off the balance we have between predator and prey, I suppose. That isn't how I view it, but…it's the harsh reality of it."

He nodded, "And…and this Camarilla…are they like…the vampire government?"

"Well…" She sighed, "This is where any information I'm going to tell you will become obscured…" She uncrossed her legs, "I'm not in the Camarilla, therefore anything I'm going to say about them might be incorrect. Please understand this…I wouldn't want you bringing this information with you to some sort of meeting and clutch it close to your heart…"

He gave a slow nod.

"The Camarilla are an organization of Kindred who specialize in enforcing and protecting the laws of the Masquerade. The moved here…almost a year ago. That's another reason why the Anarchs are so furious with them…The Prince moved here and took the land as if it were rightfully given to him, despite the fact that he has nothing more to prove for it than a slip of paper." She said, "That's usually how the Camarilla works…with their signatures and police tape against the blood, sweat and tears of the Anarchs."

"The Anarchs…" He said, "So there are two sides of this…that's usually how it works, I guess."

"Four."

"…four?"

"The Sabbat, for one…" She said, "Kindred who have no regard for the Masquerade…truly evil beings who prey on humans every day…any evil act you could imagine falls under their umbrella." She said, "And the Kuei-Jin. They've been…fairly silent recently…but…" She looked back up, "We're still at war with them. Eastern vampires, they call themselves…they're stronger, supposedly, though if that were true, I don't think we would be at war with them at all."

"Jeez…I can't believe all this crap has just been…under my nose the entire time…"

"That's the beauty of the Masquerade." She gave a small smile, "I've always wished I could attend a masquerade…a dance where everyone wears elaborate masks to hide their identities…and at the end of the night, after you've danced and played with all the faces you've never recognized…the masks come off and you realize just…how truly beautiful people are on the inside…"

Slade gave a slight nod, wishing that were truly how the world actually did work.

She looked back up at him, "What else can I tell you…" She sat back, "Well, learning about the other Camarilla clans might be helpful. The main clan is Ventrue…they're…the business sort…cold, emotionless, calculating…the Prince is your typical Ventrue, according to Isaac, at least. I've never met him myself…I've no plans to after last evening…" She swallowed hard, "Toreadors are there, of course…I know the Primogen quite well…unfortunately…there are Nosferatu, they act as the eyes and ears of the Camarilla…" She said, "There are a few Malkavians, and a few Tremere, but you likely won't run into many of them."

He nodded, "And I have to work for that Prince guy forever now…"

"Nothing lasts forever." She said, "Though it might feel like it."

He nodded again, standing up, "Thank you VV, for everything."

"Of course. This won't be the last we meet, don't worry. I know you're going to feel alone, and scared. When you do, you can always find me. It won't last long, alright?"  
He nodded, heading for the doorway, "Thanks for…putting up with me…"

She gently held his wrist, pulling him back and kissing his forehead, slicking his hair back, "Please…be careful…"

He stiffened. He would have easily blushed, but he didn't really have the capability to do that anymore, "Uh-huh…"

"You still have my number." She rubbed his shoulder, "I'll be there whenever you need me."

"Got it." He said, "I'll be back as soon as the Prince gives me some slack."

* * *

Victor hung his scarf up as he entered one of the many libraries of the Chantry, "Well…that was certainly an interesting case…don't ever expect to see an outcome like that twice."

"I didn't know either of them…" Iphigenia said, "But it was surprising seeing the Prince succumb so easily to the words of the Anarchs. I was positive he'd kill them both, it was strange for him to arrange such a deal. No doubt he's still dealing with a good amount of pressure about the ordeal…" She mused as she grabbed a book and opened it.

"We haven't been here that long…I understand the move he made." He said, sitting in an arm chair and crossing his legs as he opened up a newspaper, "Of course, Strauss's feelings are most likely at the very least mixed, as his rosy-haired admirer has survived the guillotine…"

She smirked as her eyes darted over, "I had no clue Strauss had a night life."

He turned a page, "That isn't the case at all and you know it."

She laughed, "Well, considering her outfit…"

He rolled his eyes, "My word…they shut down the entire Santa Monica pier…"

"Did they?" She mused, "I find it amusing how captivated you are with the local affairs."

"Captivated, no. Intrigued, more like it. There was a murder on the pier, exactly the same as the one in Long Beach. That's two now. Whoever this Kindred is…they're really playing with fire now…not that they weren't before."

"Most likely Sabbat." She said before she put her book down, "I haven't seen Halcyon since…" She paused, "Three…four nights ago…? You haven't spoken to Jeanette, have you?"

"Oh, I have." He folded up the paper and put it down, starting to pace, "What an odious, childish…ingrate…I have never been met with behavior more infantile than hers…" He paused, "I need to be careful, or else I'll lose my temper…"

"You see the reason I can't even speak to her now…?" She asked, "You should have seen her face when she learned I have no interest in men…I wanted to drive a knife through her skull right then and there…"

"You're telling me." He muttered, "Another few seconds of that conversation and there'd be boiled pieces of Jeanette all over the dance floor. That would ruin her business for more than just a few mere nights." He said, "It would also render me with a Masquerade Violation, but I'd have four more left."

She chuckled, "I think you'd have more to deal with than a Masquerade Violation…Therese would schedule an execution for you, I'm almost certain…" She paused, "Either that, or she'd marry you."

He plopped back into his armchair and folded his hands, "Perhaps that line of thought is not so unwarranted after all."

She raised a brow, "I doubt Therese would be the matrimonial type…"

"No. Not that. To solve the problem with Halcyon. I was trying to reason with Jeanette, when I should have been speaking to Therese all along."

"…I suppose speaking to Therese could work…though I would most likely end up throttling her as well…"

He chuckled, "I wasn't talking about you. I will make your grievances known."

"Are you sure…? I still feel in debt to you…"

"As long as it isn't speaking to Jeanette, I'm sure it's something I can handle."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"

"This is a part of my duties, Iphigenia. A Magister has to care for his pupils."

She bowed her head, "Of course…" She said quietly, "Thank you, Mister Madison…"

"You're quite welcome, my apprentice."

* * *

Isaac looked up from his desk as Killian entered his store, "Ah, Killian, you're just in time. I finally cooled off from my old-man sparring match with LaCroix."

"Yeah, that was pretty entertaining." He walked in and smiled as the door jingled and closed, "Almost had to put down my popcorn for that one."

"You didn't think I was going to actually let them axe VV, did you?"

"I knew she'd make it." He said, "I was just waiting to see who snapped first, Nines or you. You weren't there so I put my bets on Nines…not that I really lost or anything…" He said as he leaned against the counter, "Princey-Poo looked like he'd shit himself when you spoke up at him like that. Didja see him look at all the other Cammies like he was making sure they wouldn't get mad at him? What a fucking doormat…"

"I'd love to see him shivering in his office right about now." He chuckled, "That'd be rich. He's probably received a century's worth of embarrassment for that little show…"

"Oh yeah…hope so…hope he's up there drowning in paperwork…maybe it'll kill him. Maybe he'll get a papercut and bleed to death."

He folded his hands, "That sure does lead to an interesting new life in damnation for the kid though…handing himself in to the Camarilla…part of me feels sorry for him."

"We got an inside man now, at least. We just gotta tell him the reason he's alive is cause of you."

"Now, now, that's his choice to make. If we try to control him, we're no better than the opposition party." He said, then he gave another chuckle, "An inside man though, I sort of like that. And anyway…I'm sure once this fledgling works with LaCroix for a couple weeks, he'll be _begging_ for his freedom back."

"Of course he will. Soon as he meets us he's gonna see the light. We just have to be careful not to get him killed."

He nodded, "You were in his shoes before, remember? I sure do. I remember the night when Jack dropped you off at my jewelry store after a Caitiff Embraced you out of the blue. You had the artistic talent of a Toreador, but the hot-headed passion of a Brujah. You must know how this kid feels right now."

"Guess I'll take hot-headed as a compliment." He threw a charming smirk at Isaac, "If I see him coming around, I'll have a word with him, but I won't go over the edge."

"Ah, to business…" Isaac mused, "Has anyone had any success with that Gargoyle yet?"

"Nah, I should mention it to one of the big guns though huh?" He asked, "I don't think they'd want me to deal with it…not sure how much Potence can really do to it…maybe I'll ask Anastasia and Skelter to deal with it."

"Damn…I feared as much…don't bother them with it yet. I really wanted to refurbish that Chinese Theater but…I can't really do much with that thing rampaging around. But…it doesn't seem to bother anyone as long as no one goes in, and it's locked so…" He shrugged, "It's not really an emergency…" He took out a blood pack and put it on his desk, "Could you deliver this to Romero? I'd go myself, but…I haven't even started counting the sales for tonight yet…"

"Yeah, I guess…" He muttered as he stuck it in his back pocket, "So long as he doesn't tell me to find him another hooker."

"I wonder when he finds time to do that…" He muttered, "Thanks, Killian."

"Course. See you around, Isaac." Killian said, "Gimme a call if you need anything."

"Will do."

* * *

 **A/N:** You'd think Killian and Romero would be good buddies, but I guess not. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Here's chapter twelve! Kinda a scattered chapter with all sorts of perspectives, hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"Mister Lockwood, I thank you for arriving on time." LaCroix looked up from his paperwork, "I do hope there hasn't been any troubles since the execution."

"No…no sir…" Slade shuddered, "No trouble at all."

"Very well." He said as he pushed a stack of papers aside and picked up an index card that slipped out from the papers, skimming it before he looked back up at Slade, "Before I assign any missions to you, I'm obligated to ask if you have any questions, assuming you haven't brought them to any other member of the Camarilla yet."

Slade swallowed hard. LaCroix's frosty glare, and not to mention the huge Sheriff that almost decapitated Velvet standing an inch or so away from him made this much more terrifying than it needed to be, "No…no questions sir…"

"Mmm…" He raised a brow, "Whether you've taken any measures to educate yourself or not remains yet to be determined, I suppose…" He stood up and paced back and forth only once before he paused and looked out the windows with his hands behind his back, "An agent of mine, Mercurio, will fill you in on the details of this task. I advise you take the time then to learn everything about our society before you end up where we first met."

"Right…Mercurio…where is he?"

"Santa Monica Suites, Apartment four, I believe. I trust you know where that is?"

"Yes, sir."

"So long as you alert the driver, any cab fare can be put on my tab. If you manage to succeed in this task, you are to return to my office. I will reward you, and give you your next task."

"Yes, sir."

LaCroix couldn't help but smile, "Either you're absolutely mortified, or you're going to be one of the best new employees I've ever worked with."

"It's probably a mix of the two."

He chuckled, "Very well then. I do hope to see you soon, Mister Lockwood. Good evening, and good luck."

* * *

One thing she learned early into her first year working in Venture Tower was to _not_ sit upside down. Sometimes even laying down became difficult, if her head didn't have enough elevation. It wasn't something that any other ghoul could really complain about either. She supposed it was because she was _different_ , as he referred to her as. Because she was screwed up. Well, really, it was his fault. But, as always, she found a way to blame herself.

It was such a natural position to her, sitting upside down. Whenever sitting on a couch reading, she loved to turn herself around so her feet were in the air, to alleviate some of the pain those dastardly heels cost her. And then the blood would rush to her head.

She recalled his words to her, her fourth month working for him, _"I suppose I should be thankful you have such a sense of allegiance and reason…if you were more…short-tempered, like Mercurio, there's no telling if you would be alive at all."_

It was a job, as Mercurio said. They got paid, they had some time off, they had coworkers, they had a boss. There was really nothing overly unusual about it.

Well, except the blood.

And the immortality.

And the fact that she couldn't talk to anyone until her boss told her she could.

Which she was almost positive he forgot. Entirely.

She let out an empty sigh, letting his words rattle around in her head as she sat upside down, letting his blood flow into her head. What if she _was_ more short-tempered? She'd run her mouth off to him once a day, instead of once every odd months. She'd take more time to do the jobs he sent her on, she'd request more money, more time off. And yet she didn't. She could. She very well could, if she _wanted_ to. But she didn't.

She blamed herself over and over again, closing her eyes as she was unable to focus on reading her book. She should have spoken to him when she felt the withdrawal in the first place. She should have talked to Mercurio, or anyone, about the blood bond they had started, rather than letting it nearly collapse, before rebuilding it.

What would her life be like if she had spoken to him earlier? If she got another fix, and got a fix once a month like a good girl? If she drank the blood he gave her all the time like she was supposed to, instead of drinking it when she ran out of alcohol, or when she was about to do a job she knew could kill her. What would she be like if she obeyed him as much as he wanted her to? Would she be happy? Probably.

She'd be Embraced, by now, if their blood bond wasn't askew. And who knows what he would want to do with her then, his childe, his Ventrue heir to the throne.

And it was thoughts like those that made her sit up. She rubbed her temples, taking a shaky sigh. Most people looked forward to the future, but not her. Not when her future involved him, no matter what.

She flipped her laptop open. Instinct, she supposed. Whatever it was, it also led her to open her email next, as usual. And there it was, in her inbox, an email from him asking her to go to his office. Maybe he hadn't forgotten.

She stood up and combed her fingers through her curls, making sure they weren't tangled before she slipped her phone in her pocket and headed to the elevator.

Another Ventrue stood inside. She bowed her head and walked inside, feeling a strong aura of intimidation coming from him. At least that was something about their blood bond that wasn't wrong. She couldn't fear him as much as she wanted to.

He got off a few floors later, then she pushed the familiar PH button and waited. The door handle was cold when she grabbed it, she could even feel it through her gloves.

"Miss Rivers." He turned to face her, standing by the fire. She wished she had the guts to just push him in, but that thought was quickly subdued when he continued speaking, "I just had a meeting with Mister Lockwood." He said, "So long as he doesn't fail his first task, I would like you to have a word with him."

"Yes sir." She said, "About?"

"Any questions he may have. It seems he hasn't spoken to anyone yet about the Camarilla."

"Isn't it dangerous to send someone out to work for us if they don't know who we are?"

"It is a job in which someone even weaker than yourself could handle with relative ease. In the case that he does not survive, I think we would all be thankful we did not have to waste time or resources in any sort of elaboration."

"Yes sir."

He chuckled softly afterward, "He isn't even kine and I can read him better than I can read you." Her dark eyes looked around, completely unsure of how to respond, "I digress, I will send him to your room if he does return with success."

"And I will answer any questions he has?"

"Yes. I think having a kine explain things to him might be more beneficial."

She nodded, "Yes sir. Is there another mission until then?"

He paused, "I will inform you if anything crosses my mind. But as of now, no. You are to continue pondering my proposal, and speak with Mr. Lockwood upon his return. Therefore, you will need to stay within the proximity of your quarters for the next few evenings, or until otherwise noted."

"Yes, sir." She said softly, "And-"

"Yes, you may communicate with outsiders _if necessary_." He emphasized.

"Very well, sir." She bowed.

He wafted her away with a hand, "Keep an eye on your email, or on your phone."

"Of course, sir. Good evening."

"Good evening, Miss Rivers."

* * *

Slowly rubbing one of his eyes, Vandal sat up from the grungy countertop and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes again as he took a deep breath in through his nose. The humid air reeked of strange coughs and latex.

Peeking an eye open, he looked over at the clock on the wall that silently ticked along. Not even with his slightly advanced hearing could he listen to the second hand click. It frustrated him, the absence of sound made time seem to drag by even longer. His head hit the counter again and he let out a dry sigh. One customer today. At noon. They took a single bag of blood for the proper fee and everything. At least he wasn't feeling as guilty as he was usually when he realized he was missing blue blood bags.

Ever since he noticed them going missing, he had to set up methods to get more. At this point, he had almost drained his bank account of all his profits trying to get a hold of the stuff. College plans were thrown out the window. He couldn't risk Therese finding out. She would kill him in a heartbeat, in the most painful way possible, he was sure.

Or maybe she _had_ figured out. Maybe she set the building on fire, and that's why it was so hot. She was trying to cook him alive.

He decided against it as he heard the door click open, and the sound of heels hitting the concrete floors. No, Therese wouldn't do something so flashy. She'd poison him if she couldn't use one of her disciplines herself, he concluded. But not a quick poison. She'd make it burn him from the inside out.

He raised a brow as he saw the woman standing before him. No one ever _gave_ blood. Not a single one. So why could he feel her heart beating? Why could he feel heat coming off of her? Why did she have the same smell he did? Either way, he choked it out, "You next up for the needle?"

"Vandal Cleaver?" Her deep voice asked.

"Yes, that's right." He said. He would have sat up straight and brushed his hair out of his face, if he thought she was some sort of health inspector. But her outfit was a dead giveaway that she wasn't. A prostitute, maybe? He looked over her again, before it clicked.

"A pleasure." She said, "Jeanette told me about you. I…simply wanted to make your acquaintance."

"Friendly sort, hmm? Guess you have to be to put up with Jeanette."

She leaned in and looked him over. He cocked a brow; yup, definitely Malkavian ghoul. No girl in their right mind would be so obvious when checking someone out. She must have been disinterested, since she stood back and crossed her arms, "My sister won't let me stay with her."

"Your sister sounds a lot brighter than most of the city."

"She took the fangs for me." She said, "But I suppose that's best kept a secret."

He leaned in, "Oh, don't worry, I can keep a secret…" His thin lips curved in a smile.

Her bright green eyes met his bright blue ones, "No, you can't."

He sat back, "Yeah? And what makes you say that?"

"Your mind is just as feeble as mine is." She said, "When cracked with a fist, a nut does not open. When cracked with a rock, it does."

"You think a Kindred would care about your sister?" He asked, "If I don't know her, nobody does."

"And I'd like it to remain that way."

"Then I'll address the elephant in the room. Why the hell are you here?"

"Therese…she's nice to you?"

He blinked, "I don't see why there's any reason to ask such a question."

"Because _I_ asked it."

He chuckled, "What, like you're entitled to answers? You're just a ghoul, you're no better than I am! You're not getting an answer."

"Are you glad then, at least, to learn that you aren't alone?"

"No. I think it sucks more knowing _you're_ ghouled to the Queen Bitch, too."

"I am Jeanette's ghoul, you are Therese's."

"Mmm hmm." He sounded beyond bored, "Why don't you scramble on out of here and wait by the corner for someone to pick you up and slip some money in that dress, hmm?"

She scowled, "I hope you boil to death." She turned and walked off.

He snickered, "That's certainly one way to go, sounds fun…"

Halcyon sneered as she slammed the door shut behind herself, walking down the streets. She shivered, it was much hotter down there than it was at the surface, especially with the cool rain steadily falling. Jeanette was in downtown, as was her sister. She would look for Jeanette, and if she couldn't find her, which she usually couldn't, then she would head home. She was sure Iphigenia would be worried sick.

Behind a brick wall of an alleyway, a pair of bright pink eyes followed Halcyon's steps. A small voice spoke, high pitched but serious, "Target located."

* * *

Roaring laughter and jeers rang through the Last Round as Lark winced. She let out a sigh and peeked an eye open, watching the others ruffle her brother's hair and give him a shove.

"Man, just an inch off. It's like you're trying to miss or something." Skelter said.

"Yeah, c'mon man, you _scared_ of the fifty bucks or somethin'?" Jack asked as he took a puff of his cigar.

"Maybe he feels bad about trying to throw a dart in his sister's eye?" Lark asked. She was sitting in front of the dartboard, her head serving as the board. All around her head were a range of darts that had missed.

"Nah." Skelter said as he grabbed the darts from the wall, "Now it's my turn."

"Good luck, kid." Nines looked at Lark as he crossed his arms.

"Fucking hell…" Lark shrunk in her seat as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Aw, man, that's not fair, Skelter's aim is too good!" Killian said to Jack, "You can't put me up against _him!_ "

"You wanna go up against Nines instead?"

"No, not Nines either…" He crossed his arms, "Maybe Damsel."

Damsel stopped on the toe of his boot, "Jerk."

Skelter grinned as he tossed a dart up and down, "You know, Lark…ever think about piercings?"

"What?" She peeked an eye open, then screamed as she saw the dart flying towards her head, piercing her ear. She screamed and held her ear, " _Ow!_ "

The whole group laughed. Skelter twirled another dart around his finger, "Want the other ear pierced too?"

" _No!_ "

"I think you'd look good with both." He said as he threw the next one.

Lark squealed as she flinched and the dark grazed her cheekbone, "I think you and me should switch places, Skelter!"

"Nah…I already have enough metal in me." He said as he closed an eye and threw another one. It successfully pierced the other ear, but more towards the cartilage. She screamed and held that ear next.

Killian elbowed him, "Didn't know you were so good at doing piercings."

"Eh, more about getting your sister back for all her whining."

"You'd think they'd run outta darts by now…" Anastasia muttered.

"I think they have two more left." Nines said, "She better hope someone else starts throwing before Skelter gets her eyes."

"Damn it…" She said, "Guys…don't stab her eyes out."

Skelter turned to her and handed her the last two darts, "You wanna give it a go?"

"What? No, I don't wanna hit Lark with a dart…"

"Oh, c'mon, it doesn't hurt her or nothing."

"Yes it does!" Lark snapped.

"I'm going to miss badly anyway." Anastasia said.

"Lemme have a try." Jack squirmed his way in and grabbed the darts with his grubby paws.

"Aw, hey man, I was trying to give them to Anastasia!" Skelter growled as he tried to get the darts back, "You already threw your round! Your aim is shit!"

"Nah, nah, I wasn't paying attention, gimme another shot." Jack said as he tried to push Skelter off of him.

Nines shook his head and crossed his arms, "These guys have to be completely shitfaced…we have Camarilla and Sabbat on their asses and they play pin the tail on the goddamn donkey…"

"I wish the explanation were that simple…" Anastasia also crossed her arms.

"They're just a bunch of kids…" He said as he watched Killian and Damsel joined the brawl for the darts, "But hey, they have more heart than the Camarilla and Sabbat put together." He looked over at her with a smile, "I think we'll be alright."

She half-smiled back, "Me too."

He chuckled softly before he pat her head and pulled everyone apart, "Game's over, sun's almost up. Go home."

Lark relaxed, smiling as she saw Anastasia approach, "Hey…I made it with both eyes…I thought for sure Skelter would turn me into a pincushion…"

"It's alright, sweetheart, let me help you with those." She knelt to Lark's level and started gently pulling the darts out of her ears.

She winced, then hugged her, "Thanks Anastasia…" She said as she wiped the blood from her ears, but no sooner did she do that did they close up, "Did they do this to you?"

"Eh…sort of…a little bit…then they realized that I don't care about anything and that nothing bothers me." She said as she hugged her back.

She snickered, "I try to be like that…but…damn, these guys are calloused…I used to think I was the toughest chick around, then I met you and Damsel…"

"You'll get there." She smiled as she broke the hug, "Then you'll have your own little newbie to play around with. Or help. The choice is yours."

"Well…that depends…" She said before she smirked, "They act anything like my douchebag of a brother and they're getting hell."

"In that case, have fun." She chuckled.

Lark gave her another squeeze as she stood up, "I gotta go get my shit upstairs." She said as she walked off.

Killian walked over and smiled at Anastasia, "Anastasia…" He purred though all the syllables of her name as he walked over, "Wanna go out sometime?"

Anastasia's eyes widened, "Well, that was sudden…"

He leaned against the doorframe, "I mean, you can say no. I know you're not going to, but you can."

"Cocky bastard…" She muttered, "Don't you get mouthy with me, I'm old enough to put you down with one hand tied behind my back."

He snickered, "Kinky."

Lark came downstairs, shoving a keyring into her back pocket, "Killian, let's go." She said as she started leaving.

"Go on without me."

She paused, "Leave her alone."

He rolled his eyes, "This is why I pounced." He growled as he turned around, "See you around, hot-stuff." He said as he followed Lark out.

* * *

 **A/N:** Maybe one day, Killian...Let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirteen! (an unlucky chapter, perhaps?) Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"Do you come to Santa Monica often?" Miranda asked, as the Ventrue pair were walking through the dark, rainy streets.

"Course I do." Cadmus grunted, "Where the hell do you think I get my blood from?"

"…people…like everyone else does?" She raised a brow.

He didn't respond.

"I still don't understand your phobia of feeding…you always take your blood from packs. Don't you know it tastes fresher from the source?"

"I don't care about that." He said, "I hate being a monster, sucking from humans like some beast…makes me sick…at least with the blood packs, I could…pretend it's candy or something…"

"Candy?"

"You heard me."

She stifled a giggle, then there was another long pause, "Do you think we'll complete this mission without any issues?"

"In and out. It's just Sabbat territory. Or, at least it is for me. He told you to get Werewolf blood out of the hospital."

"Oh, that shouldn't take long at all."

"Good. And I know the area pretty well, so this should be a breeze."

She faced ahead, "Cadmus…if you have…any…any frustrations…during this…at all-"

"No."

"Any sexual frustrations…that you need help with-"

"No, Miranda."

Another pause. Luckily, it was lifted once they saw a confused looking figure on a nearby sidewalk.

"Hey." Cadmus called, "You the new guy? The fledgling?"

The man in the blue button-up shirt and the rainbow tie blinked as he pointed at himself, "Me? Yeah…I'm new…who are you guys?"

"I'm Cadmus."

"And I'm Miranda." Miranda smiled.

"Slade. Nice to meet you." He shook their hands, "So…what exactly are we doing for Prince LaCroix?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Something about Sabbat territory." Cadmus said, "We're going to meet up with Mercurio for further details." He said, "He's the Prince's ghoul." He clarified.

"Right…so…so…a ghoul is…"

"A ghoul is a human who drinks vampire blood."

"…wait…that's a thing?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "It makes them stronger. They also don't age. But they also get bound to their vampire master. So…it's not exactly for free…"

"Oh."

Cadmus looked around, "Wait a second, this doesn't add up…I thought there was another fledgling involved…"

"Wait, _another?_ " Slade asked.

"Yeah…LaCroix said something about there being two fledglings…but I don't see anyone else…"

"I do." Miranda smiled, "Perhaps she's that cute girl standing over there." She pointed.

Slade's mood darkened, "Tess."

Tess approached, now she was wearing a black blazar with a white collared shirt underneath that was mostly unbuttoned, and a purple tie that was loosened. She wore a pencil-skirt as well, and a tall pair of black pumps. She combed some hair out of her face as she walked over, "I apologize for my tardiness, my sire felt it necessary to lecture me on the different qualities of blood before I left." There was a smile on her lips, "Nice to see you again, Slade, I had no clue we'd be coworkers."

"I'm glad a complete stranger saved my life from that execution while you just sat there." Slade said.

"I apologize, did you want me to go on stage and be killed by the Prince?" She chuckled, "His Dominate can kill just about anyone who he wills it to, you know. Isaac and Nines were lucky he decided against making a mess."

"Don't pull that bullshit with me…don't…don't pretend you know about this any better than I do. You weren't even Embraced that much longer before I was…you were eating with us like a week ago…"

"My sire wasn't a stripper, Slade, he told me everything I need to know as of now."

He narrowed his eyes, "My…my sire and I…there's nothing between us. And I know the same thing can't be said of you. Got over Dragomir pretty quickly there, didn't you?"

"Dragomir and I are long gone because Julius knows what the hell he's doing. Besides, I don't know what he turned into, but I have _no_ interest in it."

"Have you even _seen_ him since the last time we were all together?" He growled, trying not to raise his voice, but falling, "What the hell happened to all that crap about you two lasting? About how you're not stupid enough to hurt him? Where the hell is he then? I thought he was the one person who understood you. Well, what happened to that then? Do you even care anymore? How long did we live together, _years_ , at least, and that's it? Jesus…I knew you'd do nothing but hurt him. I guess I'll have to invent a new word for you…because just calling you a bitch wouldn't do this scenario justice."

She rolled her eyes as she looked over at Cadmus and Miranda, "You'll have to ignore him, his siring wasn't as…neat as it should have been." She held out a hand, "Tess Perry. Pleasure."

"Don't _ignore_ me!"

"I'm Miranda." She smiled, shaking her hand.

"Cadmus." Cadmus said as she shook her hand.

"I had no idea they knew each other." Miranda said, as she and Cadmus exchanged a glance, then she smiled at them, "Now, now, you two shouldn't fight. You aren't human anymore, it's…well, it's a good chance to brush everything under the rug."

"I disagree." Cadmus said, looking at the two fledglings, "Turning into a Kindred is no excuse to reinvent yourself. If you throw away your humanity, you're nothing but a senseless monster. Your past as a human has everything to do with what your actions in the present consist of. Without that…there isn't a point to anything anymore."

"Cadmus…" Miranda said, "I was trying to get them not to fight anymore…"

"Whatever." He said, "Mercurio is in the Santa Monica suites, we're almost there." He said as he put his hands in his pockets and led the group.

"In that case, I suppose I'm a monster." Tess said, "Because ever since I became Kindred, I feel as though I finally gained a purpose." She muttered through clenched teeth before the group slowed down as they saw a man in front of the Santa Monica Suites. He coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood before he pushed the door open and crawled inside, "Oh dear."

"Shit…" Cadmus's eyes were wide, "Please tell me that wasn't Mercurio…"

"Wait, you guys haven't _met_ him?" Slade asked.

"No." They entered the apartment complex, seeing a handful of rooms, "Just because we work for Prince LaCroix in the Camarilla doesn't mean we just know every ghoul and vampire in the business…" He said, following a trail of blood to room number four, "Shit…so…I'm guessing all this blood means…that…that person was Mercurio…"

"Yes…context clues would dictate that…" Miranda deadpanned.

The four of them entered the room, "Mercurio?" Slade asked.

The man from outside was making his way up onto his couch, "Eh….?" He asked, one of his eyes almost swollen shut. He looked terrible, huge bleeding wounds shards of glass here or there, "God damn….cocksuckers…" His head hit the arm of the chair, "Fuckin' pricks took me down so quick…feels like I got hit by a goddamn truck…"

Cadmus knelt to his level in front of him, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Those motherfuckers ripped me off…" He spat out through clenched teeth, "Feels like I got ribs pokin' through my sides…"

"It's just a broken bottle." Tess said, "Are you sure you'll be alright? Do you want us to call an ambulance?"

He cracked a smile briefly through panting, "Heh…you're a batch a good kids…eh? What…did LaCroix send you here er somethin'…?"

"That's right. He said you would help us with Sabbat territory." Cadmus said, "But…that's beside the point now."

"Sabbat territory…?" He asked as he put a hand on his forehead, "Oh…da _warehouse_ ….yeah, that's gotta be it…" He groaned, "Ugh, I'd be dead if it weren't for the vamp blood…one of you…do me a favor…the Prince's other ghoul, you got her number?" He asked, "She's got blood, it'll…fix me up…."

"I probably have it." Tess said, "What exactly happened?"

"I had to get the Astrolite…" He grunted, "Fuckin' druggie pricks ripped me off…took the money and beat the shit outta me til' I ran wit my tail between my legs…"

"Astrolite?" Slade asked slowly, "What the hell is that?"

"Another time." Cadmus said, "Look, where the hell are these bastards?"

He let out a groan, "Damn…feels like somethin's leaking…Ugh…" His eyes closed tightly, "Beach house…the fucking beach house…you…go to the beach, past the kids standin' around by the shore, dere's a house up there…" He grunted, "Half da reason they got the upper hand's cause they pushed me down that goddamn cliff…"

"Right." Cadmus stood tall, crossing his arms, "We'll kill them all, get the Astrolite, and get your money back."

"Oh…that's great…." He seemed to relax considerably, "I'll….I'll pay you back for dis…don' you worry…" He coughed, "You wanna…get Harper too…?" He asked, "Er…er maybe they have morphine in that beach house…"

"Yeah, will do. We won't let you die."

"You're a good batch a' kids…" He chuckled weakly, "Waste those sons a' bitches…"

"Oh, I'll enjoy it." Cadmus said, "Let's go." He led the way again.

"Cadmus…I'm worried…" Miranda said, "What if he dies?"

"He should be fine, for now."

"Can't one of us just feed him our blood?" Slade asked.

"No." Cadmus put his hands in his trench coat pockets, "That would cause way too many problems. It would screw up his blood bond with LaCroix, overwhelm him probably. Not to mention LaCroix would get pissed at me, but, that would be the least of my problems."

Slade paused, eventually he muttered something along the lines of, 'none of this shit makes any goddamn sense.'

"But surely we should do _something_." Miranda said.

"We will." Cadmus said, "You." He looked at Slade, "When we swing back around for our return trip, go to the hospital and steal as much morphine as you can find."

Slade swallowed hard, never once thinking that he would need to steal from people, no less, from a medical facility, in his very first mission, "Yes, sir." He nodded quickly.

Tess scrolled through her phone, "I have no idea about that other ghoul he was talking about, she isn't in Julius's contacts."

"It's fine." Cadmus said, "The morphine should do the trick."

Once they reached the beach, a dark-skinned woman ran up to them, "Up there." She pointed, "Through that chain-link gate, and up the stairs."

A pause.

"What?" Slade asked.

"Those men you are looking for."

"…how did you know that…that we were…?"

Even Miranda looked a little bewildered at this.

"Thanks." Cadmus gave a dismissive wave as they went through the chain-link gate.

Tess looked back at her occasionally before they started on their way up, "Oh…these…these grates are wonderful on heels…" She muttered as her shoes got stuck multiple times.

They hid behind a vehicle adjacent to the beach house, seeing a shirtless man standing guard while smoking a cigar.

"Damn…what the hell do we do…?" Slade asked, "I…I mean…I should've expected combat…but…"

"Hmm…they seem to be mostly comprised of imbecilic men…perhaps I would do well here." Miranda mused.

"I got this." Cadmus got up without them, starting to walk over to the guard.

"Help ya?" The shirtless man asked.

Cadmus immediately drew a knife, stabbing him in the neck with it. As a bit of blood spurted out and the man helplessly choked, Cadmus flicked his wrist with a bit more force to completely behead him.

Slade's eyes grew wider and wider, "Jesus…"

Needless to say, this caught the attention of the rest of the gang. Gunshots were heard as some of the junkies began to shoot through the windows at him.

Cadmus began to glow green, the bullets doing absolutely nothing. Two more thugs ran out with bats and tried to knock Cadmus out similar to how they most likely took out Mercurio, but it made such a horrid _pinging_ sound when the bat connected that it would sooner look like the bat would break in half than actually inflict damage. Cadmus drew a black, double-sided battle axe next, slaying the two thugs in a most gruesome and gory fashion, as their bodies lifelessly slumped to the ground.

Miranda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "He's always doing this…" She said, annoyed at his showing off.

"So we don't have to do anything, then." Tess said as she crossed her arms.

"Pfft, have fun, princess, I'm actually going to help him." Slade snuck ahead and unsheathed his swords.

Miranda and Tess watched the carnage unfold for a bit longer, then they exchanged a glance, "Well, we could go inside and see if the boys gave us any leftovers, if you wish." Miranda smiled.

"Sounds lovely." Tess smiled back as they headed inside.

By the time the girls went in, Cadmus and Slade killed all but one. This one could've arguably been there leader, what, with the studious white lab coat, but he hardly seemed to make a difference. Miranda easily unsheathed her black, haunted katana, it made a hissing sounds as it came out. She murdered the thug in one fell swoop.

"Good…" Cadmus panted, "We're done…"

"Not quite." Miranda sheathed her swords, "We need the Astrolite."

"Oh yeah…"

"I found it!" Slade called, "At least…I think…" They followed him into a room with a strange, white container.

Tess nodded, continuing to look around, "I suppose these stereos will no longer be needed…" She mused as she picked them up and tucked them in her top, "But we need the money they stole from him…will we have to search their bodies?"

"Jeez, I sure hope not…" Cadmus said, "I barely left any parts of their bodies' _left_ …"

The four of them searched for a handful of minutes, before they saw a vent in the laundry room, "You guys don't think it's…in here would you?" Slade asked.

"Maybe…" Cadmus said, as they all looked at Miranda.

"…what?" Miranda asked.

"You're probably the most flexible one here…"

"Ugh, fine…" She bent down and crawled on her hands and knees as she went through the vent, her butt sticking in the air as she searched (though Slade and Cadmus were gentlemanly enough to look away), "Ew…it's so…dusty in here…" She said, "I don't like this at all." She eventually retreated with a money clip, "I _really_ hope it's this."

"Good god…" Cadmus rolled his eyes, "I'll be sure to tell Mercurio about the _trials_ and _pains_ you went through to crawl in a vent…"

Tess smirked as Miranda came back out, she didn't bother to look away at all, "Good job. We'll have to be sure that you get a good share of the money."

"It was nothing." Miranda giggled.

Once they returned to the streets, Cadmus directed Slade to go to the hospital to steal the morphine, the trio of them then returned to Mercurio.

Miranda gasped, "No…he…he…he's not moving…"

Cadmus knelt down to his level and gently shook him, "Hey, you alright? You awake?"

The only eye that could open slowly opened, "…eh? Oh…heh…that was awfully fast…somethin' happen…?"

"Yeah, there's going to be about six funerals next week. We got the Astrolite back."

He laughed, then started coughing, "That's great! Did…didja waste 'em?"

"Oh, yes…Cadmus left them with no other choice, as usual…" Miranda said.

"Not only that but…jeez…that fledgling should be back by now…it's just morphine…" Cadmus muttered.

Slade burst in the room, panting, "Here, I got some morphine."

"Good." Cadmus took the bottle from it, then he told Slade to get a glass of water. Once that was done, he presented both of them to Mercurio.

"You guys are the best…" He said as he grabbed a few pills and downed some of the water before wearily setting it on the table in front of him, "Alright…so…next thing you gotta do…there's a warehouse nearby that the Sabbat have been pokin' their noses into…..I would take it on myself, but the boss said I'm gonna be needed somewhere else…you gotta find Bertram Tung, he'll show you where it is…"

"Do you know where he would be?" Tess asked.

"Well…he's Nosferatu…so…there'd really no sayin'…..the sewers, maybe? Dark alleyways? You gotta look around…"

"We have to search the entire city?" Tess's eyes were wide.

"I mean…I guess you could ask some other vamps if they've seen 'im around…other than that…I wish you good luck…"

Miranda held out a small clip of money, "This belonged to you, I believe." She smiled.

His eye widened, "Oh, that's perfect…" He reached out and grabbed it, "Maybe I can buy a new pair a' lungs…" He flipped through it with shaky hands and handed out a hundred dollars, "Here…"

"You don't have to give us that. You keep it."

"But….I mean…if you keep your mouth shut to LaCroix about dis…I feel like I should at least pay you back…"

"Alright, we'll take it, then." Cadmus said, "But you better still have enough for those lungs."

He chuckled, then coughed again, "Yeah, I got plenty…don' you worry…" He laid his head back down against the arm of the chair, "Was dere anything else you needed from me?"  
"Nah, you rest up and recover." Cadmus said as they were on their way out, "Later, Mercurio."

* * *

A grimace spread across her face as she wiped her lips after drinking from a small black canteen. A homeless man approached her, "Hey…hey, missy…can I get me somma that booze there…?"

She lifted out a foot and rested it on his chest, kicking him away, "It isn't booze." Her sweet voice said with a bitter twist. It was the voice of a fairy, yet edged with the attitude of a dragon. "Piss off."

He stumbled back, "Uh…then, what is it…?"

"Nothing." She spat as she curled herself up on her slab of cardboard. "Piss off."

"Well, at least let me stand near yer fire…"

"No. It's mine. Piss. Off."

He gave her a saddened look, then limped off.

She sighed, her breath making her dark bangs flutter on her forehead. She finished the drink in her canteen, almost vomiting as she got to her feet and looked up at the moon. "Quarter to midnight…" She hummed to herself as she started walking quickly.

She hardly broke five feet, her hair dark hair tied in two pigtails that fell all the way down her back. Her pale face was the only thing that stuck out, since she donned a black skintight body-suit that clung to her like a second skin. Her black gloves and boots helped this appearance, as well as the black thick belt chalk full of utility items. She started moving, running, as she spotted to figures on the horizon, "Oh, I'm getting killed for this…" She muttered under her breath before she hooked a right and hung around a corner, watching the pair.

"You're coming home with me." Iphigenia demanded as she held her sister's wrist.

Halcyon resisted, averting her gaze, "I have to go to her, I haven't seen her in ages!"

"You'll be fine, Halcyon!"

"No I won't!" They were making quite the commotion in the streets, people looking at them like they were completely insane.

"You're making a scene!" Iphigenia spat.

"I wouldn't be if you let me go!"

The girl in the shadow took a sniper off her back and fell to one knee, aiming it precisely at Halcyon's head. _If I miss, it's over._ She narrowed her eyes as she squeezed the trigger without an ounce of regret.

The sound of the sniper resonated throughout the closed walls of the city, ricocheting off the windows and metal walls of the area. Screams were heard as anyone on the streets ducked low and ran for cover.

Halcyon's eyes widened as Iphigenia dropped her upon the sound of the gunshot, she fell back to the pavement and hit her head against the road.

Iphigenia's pupils shrunk, her eyes darted over to the woman in the shadows. The girl in all black got out a pair of pistols and fired them at her, but Iphigenia cloaked herself in a shield of her own blood, holding out a hand to the girl as she started to run.

The girl doubled over and dropped her guns, clutching her stomach as she threw up. It would have been one thing if she just threw up normally, but this was _blood_.

As she was throwing up, Iphigenia grabbed her by the neck and looked around, not seeing or sensing a single soul nearby. She stuck her fangs into the girl's neck, her blood shield wearing off before she dropped the husk of a person to the ground. Her attention was then turned to her sister, whose head was bleeding out in the dead end. She rushed over to her side, falling to her knees as she lifted Halcyon's head into her lap.

Halcyon's eyes slightly opened and she held her sister's arm tightly, "Sister…"

Iphigenia did everything in her power not to tear up, "We will find Jeanette, and we will heal you." She said, gently touching the damp spot at the back of her head. Definitely a broken skull. She wasn't sure which was worse, getting shot in the head and ending it all, or getting hurt to the point where it was Jeanette's blood that kept her alive, and Jeanette's blood that would continue to save her life.

* * *

 **A/N:** Definitely the ladder, Iphigenia…c'mon, Jeanette isn't that bad, is she? Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Here's chapter fourteen! I apologize for the length, this mission took a lot longer than anticipated, and I didn't want to split it up into two parts. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"This is only going to come back to me, do you understand?" Her voice was the loudest she's ever heard it, even when she listened in to the arguments with her sister, "You're a ghoul, you understand the importance of the Masquerade. So why would you open fire in the middle of the street!?"

"Apologies, Miss Voerman…" She said quietly, keeping her gaze glued to the floor.

"And you didn't even kill her! I gave you _one_ job, Miss Luna, one _simple_ assassination. I was under the impression you could kill, you could get rid of people quietly and effectively. If I wanted Sabbat to do work for me, I would hire them!"

Miss Luna was surprised a blood vessel didn't burst with all her screaming, but, then again, she supposed it was impossible for a vampire to burst a blood vessel, "Yes, ma'am."

She held her forehead, pacing back and forth, "And now they know about you. They'll track your blood back to me."

"They can't." Miss Luna spoke up, "There's no way-"

"Yes, there is a way. There is _always_ a way. So long as the Nosferatu exist, there _is_ a way."

She put her head down again, "Yes ma'am."

"You're not getting paid." She chuckled bitterly, "And you're certainly not getting a second chance."

Her eyes widened as she looked up, "But she's just a human…if she was alone, I could have done it-"

"And why wasn't she alone, hmm?" She turned to her, her stone cold stare felt like she got pinned to the wall by daggers, "Because you waited! For _what_ , exactly? For her to walk into an alleyway by herself in the dead of night?" She spat, "Not even humans as senseless as you would do something so idiotic!"

"Yes ma'am…" Her voice wavered.

"You're an assassin, you have poison, you have knives, you have quieter means of killing! Why would you use guns in the middle of a street!?"

"Sorry ma'am…"

"Good." She huffed, "I believe those are suitable last words." She held out a hand.

Her pink eyes widened as she looked up in horror.

The door flung open as Victor walked in, "Ooh." He mused, "I do believe I'm interrupting something…"

Miss Voerman's eyes widened as she put her hand down, completely shocked, "The…the door wasn't _locked?_ "

Miss Luna felt like her heart would burst under the amount of fear, she booked it across the room and jumped out the window, shards of glass spraying across the room.

Miss Voerman turned away and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Mister Madison, what can I help you with?"

He watched the display with a studious amount of amusement, eventually his eyes met hers, "You'll have to forgive me, Therese. I tried speaking about this with your sister, but I was, how should we say this? A bit less than successful? For that reason, I decided coming to you would be a bit more of a logical approach to the solution."

She shook her head, "I apologize for any loss of sanity you might have experienced…it seems ever since the Camarilla has moved in, more or less, she's been especially difficult." She turned back to him, "What is it you need help with?"

"The mess with Halcyon and your sister." He said, "I understand your frustration, but she's rather close to me…in truth, I tried to get Jeanette to stay away from her, but…she wasn't having any of that…"

She adjusted her glasses, "I find it hard to believe that _you_ are close to Miss Crystallia. You're being put up to this, no doubt. What I want to know is who and why."

"Right, I should have expected such clever work from one of my Camarilla elders." He smiled, "Halcyon also has a sister, in fact. Her name is Iphigenia. And she's my apprentice. See why I'm involved now?"

"Ah…I see…" She crossed her arms over her chest, "I suppose it was rude of me to jump to conclusions so quickly…you'll have to forgive me." She paused as she looked at the floor and thought, "You see, I would have no difficulty ignoring her existence entirely if she wasn't so…" She sighed, "So codependent…"

"I know. My choices appear to be either to tell Jeanette to sever ties with her, or to have you leave their…semblance of a relationship alone. I tried the first option, and I have nothing to show for it. Despite that I am very serious about this. I'm rather fond of Iphigenia, and it isn't often she asks me for help, so when she did, I knew it was serious."

"Of course…it's…simply impossible to come to a rational compromise with her…if she doesn't get exactly what she wants, then she refuses to make any sort of deal at all. And…as for Miss Crystallia…I…I can't stand her in the slightest. She's constantly intoxicated, she has no manners, she acts more like an animal than a human." She said, "I can't keep her around. She's bad for business and bad for Jeanette. So long as she's around, Jeanette feels like she's entitled to something…and that's exactly the sort of power she should never have access to."

"Surely there can be some sort of…compromise…we can reach…"

She turned her gaze back to him, "Perhaps…perhaps I would be willing to have a word with Jeanette myself if you did me a favor."

Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. If it were not the fact that Jeanette and Therese were at least _fifty_ years older than him, he would be done with all of this nonsense by now. But, since they were his elders, he was unfortunately going to have to play by her rules. He knew better than to act frustrated, however, as he gave a small smile, "What did you have in mind?"

"Have you heard of the Ocean House Hotel?"

He paused, raising a hand to his chin, "It…it hasn't been open…recently, has it?"

"No, not at all. Apparently it has been overtaken by a burdensome spirit…" She said, "I've been looking into investing into it, but so long as the spirit lingers, nobody's wanted to go in, especially the workers."

"So you want me to look into it?"

"Exactly. I was going to contact your Regent anyway, I'm sure the Tremere would have the most success in the ordeal."

He chuckled, "I'll see what I can do with this…spiritual matter…"

"Very well…so long as I can make the investment, I'll…see what I can do about Miss Crystallia." She handed him a set of keys. "Use this to get access to the place through the sewers."

He gave a little bow, "I appreciate doing business with you."

She smiled, "Likewise, Mister Madison. I'll see you upon your return."

* * *

Victor nervously fidgeted with the key in his hand. For a passing few moments, he was unsure if he would be able to do this task by himself. But, as luck would have it, he eventually came across fellow Camarilla emissaries, with some fledglings in tow.

"Mister Madison." Miranda greeted as they bowed, "A pleasure to see you. What brings you out here in Santa Monica?"

"Miss Frost. Mister Vanderbilt." Victor smiled, "I must say, I'm quite surprised to see you two here as well." His smile grew, "You wouldn't happen to mind if I…borrow…your fledglings, do you?"

"Borrow them?" Cadmus asked.

"Yes…there's a rather pesky spirit I'm charged with dispelling, and I fear Therese made it sound a bit easier than I would like to think. What's the expression they use now? Extra manpower? Yes, let's go with that. I will return them once our little errand is done, in a handful of hours."

Cadmus nodded, looking at Tess and Slade, "Go with him and do whatever he tells you. Miranda and I will keep looking for Tung."

"Yes sir." Tess said as she turned her attention to Victor, "Tess Perry, pleasure to meet you." She held out a hand.

"Victor Madison, Magister of the Tremere Chantry here in Los Angeles." He said as he shook her hand, "And who does that make you?" He looked at Slade.

"Uh…Slade Lockwood." He said as he shook his hand.

"Excellent." Victor began to stroll down the streets, "The first thing we need to do is find a manhole cover, our entrance to this hotel is through the sewers."

Tess swallowed hard and nodded, "Very well…" She looked around the ground, "I've always tried to avoid manholes, I have no idea where one would be…"

Victor stood over a manhole once they found one, eventually heaving the cover off, "Alright, I'll go first." He hopped down.

Slade swallowed hard as he looked down, "Well…I guess I'm buying new clothes…after this…"

Tess took her shoes off and looked over to Slade, "Did you want me to hold yours?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." He took his shoes off.

She took his shoes, then started on her decent down the ladder, looking at the grime left on her hands and shivering.

They eventually resurfaced on the other side, seeing the large haunted hotel before them, "There." Victor dusted his coat off, "Not too painful, right?"

"Jeez…" Slade looked up in fear, "This place looks creepy as hell…"

Tess nodded, wiping her feet off in a patch of grass before she slipped her heels back on, "There can't actually be a spirit inside, can there? Surely it's just…faulty wiring and wind…"

Victor gave a deep chuckle, "Oh, I had no idea I'd be soiling your innocence of ghosts tonight."

They walked up the rickety stairs to the door, the second they did that, a nearby lightbulb burst right in front of them. Slade gave out a yell and flinched, hiding behind the other two.

Victor sighed as he flicked the glass shards off of him, trying the door, "Dear me, it's locked." He looked at Slade, "Why don't you go and check that storage house for a spare key?"

Slade nodded and ran off.

"So…this Therese woman…" Tess asked slowly, "What is she giving you in payment for this?"

"Oh, I fear there's a large feud between a relative of my apprentice and her sister. It's a large, uninteresting mess, at this point." Victor said.

Tess chuckled, "I suppose I should be thankful I'm an only child, in that case."

"In this case, that would be an ideal line of thought…"

Slade came back, "I brought a few…because a few of them were hanging up." He said.

"Wonderful. Thank you." He tried the several keys Slade gave him, eventually they entered. The entire hotel was dimly lit and an odd purple gas would emanate out of particular objects every once and a while, "Now…" He prefaced, stepping forward, "This wraith, may play an awful lot of tricks on us…" He said, a ticking sound was soon heard, "What is that noise? Never mind. You two, need to be on your guard, if you want to-

A chandelier fell from the ceiling, crushing Victor onto the ground. A man with more of a defined frame may have been about to throw the chandelier off himself, but this didn't seem to be the case with Victor.

Tess's eyes widened, she rushed over and grabbed the chandelier, "Slade, you have to help me get this off of him."

"Give me some room." Slade growled, he lifted the chandelier off of Victor and threw it aside.

Victor stood up and dusted himself off, a few bloody scratches all over him, "Well…that…is certainly going to be felt in the morning…see… _that_ …is the kind of thing I'm talking about…"

"Are we going to die?" Tess asked. There wasn't a trace of fear in her voice, more like concern, "I still need to talk to the Prince…"

"Jeez…listen to yourself…" Slade muttered, grabbing a nearby paper that was near where the chandelier fell, "Ocean House Hotel…grand opening…well…I guess something went wrong…then…at some point…"

"Yes." Victor led the way, "Perhaps going to the higher floors will uncover this mystery…" He said as he went up the stairs.

The stairs collapsed, and they all fell to the basement level, "My apologies…" Victor coughed, "Seems there were more traps laid out than I could ever foresee…"

"Ow…damn it…" Slade grunted, slowly getting up.

Tess pulled a splinter of wood from her leg, "Very thankful we can't get diseases anymore…" She muttered as she stood to her feet.

They moved ahead, at a bit of an intersection, in front of them a girl with long dark hair, clad in nothing but a nightgown, ran past them. She was scared out of her mind, looking behind herself nervously.

Slade shuddered, "What the hell is going on, was that the ghost?"

Victor looked at where the girl was headed, then he looked at what she was running from, seeing nothing. He raised a hand to his chin, "I didn't think it would be a woman…and if she's haunting this property, why would she be afraid of us?"

"I don't think it's us she's afraid of…" Tess said quietly.

They went in one cramped basement room after the other, eventually coming across another newspaper on the ground. Slade picked it up and read off of it, "Uh…child's severed head found in washing machine…" He threw it back where he found it, as if the horrid deed contaminated his hand, "Great…wonderful…"

The lightbulb burst, and footsteps could be heard, "Drat…" Victor said.

"California is such a great place…it's like they expect us to die…" Tess muttered as they crept forward.

Victor poked a finger to the side of his head, and his eyes glowed red. They left the darkened room, then his eyes widened, returning to their normal color, "Don't use Auspex in here…on second thought…you _don't_ want to see the spiritual side of this place…"

"Got it." Slade nodded.

"Is it really that twisted…?" Tess asked.

"Yes. Very." Victor said.

The next room they went in was a laundry room, "Oh god, _please_ don't tell me…" Slade started.

The washing machine closest to Tess began to open up on its own, leaving a horrid, creaking sound.

Tess opened the door wider and peeked inside. "What are you doing in here?"

"Tess, leave the severed head alone…" Slade said.

She reached inside slowly.

"Tess! That's disgusting!"

She smirked and pulled out a keyring, twirling it around her finger and winking before she shut the door.

"Ah, a key." Victor smiled, while Slade muttered something under his breath, "To where does it lead?"

"Boiler room. Perhaps we can gain access to…" She gasped, "Electronic appliances!" She smirked and walked beside Victor, "How old is this woman, exactly, who wants us here?"

"Very old. Older than me even." Victor said, "She's just about reaching her second century of being alive in this world."

"But I don't get it, what would giving power to this place solve?" Slade asked, "Isn't it creepy enough _without_ power?"

"I noticed an elevator shaft as we were entering the laundry room, it will give us a lift back up to the main floor, and we'll be able to start over from scratch." Victor said.

They used the key to enter the boiling room, and Victor just as easily flipped a switch which powered the entire building on. "Excellent, that's done." He said, although the rattled and steam bursts of some of the generators didn't look like a good sign, "Alright, alright, let's get out of here, move. You two lead the way."

Tess nodded and moved rather quickly as she dashed between the rapidly heating tanks.

Slade tried to keep up with her in awe, getting hit by some of the steam bursts.

Victor brought in the rear, most of the wounds from the earlier chandelier incident opening up again.

They regrouped in the elevator, heading up a floor, "Was that Celerity?" Slade asked.

Tess nodded, giving a worried look to Victor, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Victor said, they walked out to the second floor, in fact, it was the very space _over_ the giant hole in the stairs which they tried to use earlier.

"Alright, so I already forgot why we were here-"

Slade started, but a vase cracked him in the skull, "God damn it!"

"We need to find an item, it will most likely be the source of the ghost's power." Victor said, getting hit by a painting.

Tess winced, thankful she hadn't been hit by anything yet, "Any clue what the item might be?"

"No, unfortunately, but I'll know it when I see it."

Slade picked up a paper at a nearby table, "Second child murdered…police say arm was chopped up like firewood…" He put it back down, "Jesus…"

Victor squinted ahead, seeing that female apparition again, she was guiding them to a set of rooms, with an outstretched arm, "Hmm…is…is she _leading_ us…to the item? But, why would she want to destroy herself?"

"Perhaps she was murdered here." Tess said, "She wants to be put to rest?"

Slade and Victor exchanged a glance, "Start searching the rooms in front of you." Victor said, "I'll backtrack and look at the rooms behind me."

Slade and Tess nodded, the first room they went into had nothing of importance, it seemed, until Slade picked up a crude drawing. It was clearly made by a child. It showed two kids, a mother, and a father. Only the father looked horridly evil, and on fire, "Uh…Tess?" Slade asked, showing her the drawing.

She looked over, "Did Dragomir make that?" She asked quietly.

"No you simpleton, it must've been one of the kids."

"I know." She rolled her eyes and snatched the paper, looking at the back, "So the father is behind all of this."

"Looks like it." He said, "Let's keep searching the rooms." They went in the next room, and Slade started snooping around, "Hey, I found a key." He said.

The lights went out, and they slowly fluttered back on. 'GET OUT' was written in blood on the wall as the lights came back on, and about six vases flew at the pair.

Tess screamed as they hugged each other, then she tore herself away from him and grabbed his wrist, darting out of the room with Slade and slamming the door shut, "It isn't in there…the item…not in there…"

Slade looked at her hand around his wrist, "Uh…well…I…I guess they didn't appreciate the fact that I took that key…"

She gently let go of his wrist and slicked some of her hair back, "No, I suppose not. Have you seen Victor?"

"Here I am." Victor called, "Have you two found anything?"

"A…a key…" Slade said.

"Wonderful, there's a locked door over here." He said, they went through the locked door. It led to a rundown room, with a few boards which were simply moved away, which led them to a bar.

"Murder suicide." Slade read the newspaper on the countertop, "Huh…I guess that confirms it…"

"This door is locked too…drat…" Victor said, "See if either of you two can find a key…"

Tess looked at Slade and chuckled, "I know what room we _shouldn't_ check…"

After a minute or two, no key was found, "Perhaps…" Victor strolled over to behind the bar, pressing a button and opening a tiny shaft, which must have been used to deliver food from the kitchen to the bar.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Slade said.

"I'll go first." Victor crawled into the storage unit. The door shut, and he was transported down.

"At least this will be a lovely hotel with some work done…" Tess said hopefully to Slade.

"Yeah, let's hope…" He muttered.

They were greeted by a pot which clattered across the floor after they went through the lift. Slade picked it up and put it back where it was, "So what's down here?"

"I can't say for sure, yet." Victor mused.

Slade picked up a little red book, "Holy shit…"

"What is it?" Tess leaned in.

"It's her diary…the wife's diary…" Slade shuddered, "The husband killed her and her children in a jealous rage…"

"That must be why she's trying to help us so much." Victor said, "She wants freedom, on the other side."

Tess looked around the room, fairly silent.

" _Help…me…"_

They all paused.

" _He's coming…"_

"So…is hearing the disembodied voices of ghosts normal too…?" Slade swallowed hard.

"We should go." Tess said as she tried the doorknob, but it didn't budge. "Oh dear."

Slade was hit by a pot, "Ow…damn it!" He said, but another pot flew out. Then another, and another, until all the pots in the area flew around cloaked in purple smoke, and the burners on the oven flamed up as well. The entire kitchen was a cacophony of haunted pots smashing into the three of them as well as each other.

Tess ducked low, crawling on her hands and knees to the nearest corner, covering her face with her forearms.

Slade was knocked over by the sheer amount of pots and pans hitting him. He fell to the ground, while Victor just stood there calmly, stoically watching the locked door in front of him, as if staring at it would unlock it.

"Damn it! When will it end?!" Slade yelled.

One of the pots slammed into a microwave oven, which in turn, smashed into the locked door, knocking it down. Victor went through the now open doorway, "Well, that's over with."

Slade swallowed hard as he slowly stood once more. How much more of this would they have to endure? And how was Victor not bothered by any of this?

Tess slowly stood up, rubbing her bruised arms, "I really want to go home…" She whimpered.

"Alright, from what I can tell, the only way out of here is this ventilation shaft. Hopefully it'll either lead us to a higher floor or to the elevator." Victor said.

Slade gave a slow nod.

"Alright…I suppose I'll lead…" Tess muttered as she grabbed the rungs of the ladder, "Enjoy the view."

Victor and Slade exchanged a glance. No doubt if they weren't Kindred, their cheeks would be rosier than ever.

"I'm not going next." Slade said.

"Nor am I." Victor said.

Needless to say, they waited a _while_ after Tess left so they wouldn't see anything. Tess heard the ghost's voice again as she crawled through the vent, _"Be…careful…"_

She shuddered and turned her head a tad, crawling forward slower as she listened back for Slade and Victor.

Slade tried to look away from her butt, "Hey, why'd you stop?"

"It's nothing." She said, surprised how firm her voice sounded, "I wanted to be sure you were both alright."

"…yeah, we're fine…just hurry to the exit…I'd like to finish this _before_ the sun comes us and kills us all…"

She nodded quickly and continued scurrying forward.

The three of them emerged at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Creaking and electricity could be heard, as the elevator itself dropped down to crush them.

"Look out!" Victor said, he wrapped an arm around each of them and dove in the corner, narrowly missing the elevator.

Tess panted and held her forehead, "I'd like to…meet this woman…perhaps slap her a few times…."

"Alright, we'll have to climb this later." Victor said, they climbed up manually to an even higher floor.

"Damn it…there are hundreds of rooms up here, how the hell are we supposed to find this cursed item?" Slade ranted, until he walked into a bulb that exploded. He screamed and flinched, "Damn it, I hate it when it does that!"

Victor pointed down the hallway, "Follow the exploding light fixtures."

Tess nodded, "Follow his orders, Slade…" She stood up and grabbed Slade's arm, leading the way, "I took the least amount of damage so far, I'll lead."

Slade got flustered again, "Yeah…yeah…of course…I…I knew that…"

Victor followed behind, putting his hands in his trench coat pockets. Every so often a light bulb would explode, and to add insult to injury, vases began to fly around. One vase smacked Tess in the face.

She slowly pulled a shard of glass from her cheek, "I must admit, it's quite nice being undead…being injured is much less painful…" She wiped the gash in her cheek and it disappeared.

"You okay?" Slade asked.

"Mmm hmm." She brushed a spider from her hair, gently letting him go.

They entered a large, spacious room, "Hmm…this may be what we were looking for all along…" Victor said, pacing around.

Slade was smacked by a painting, "Whatever it is…we better find it soon…"

"Climb the rafters there, we'll get even higher that way."

Slade gave a nod as he climbed up first.

Tess followed him up the rafters, looking around nervously.

The second they climbed up to the next room, purple fire lit up on both sides of the room.

Victor gasped, "Stay away from that."

Slade gulped, "I…I don't even want to know what that stuff is…"

"No doubt a chemical fire…" Tess wafted the air in front of her nose.

They went through a rather rickety hall, the fire only closing in on them, "Let me go first, alright?" Victor said.

Slade and Tess both gave a sheepish nod.

Victor ran ahead, getting pierced open by steaming holes in the wall as the flames became more and more ravenous. Having opened up a way for them, the bloodied Victor held out a hand to gesture them forward.

Tess quickly rushed in, pulling Slade in afterwards, "Victor, are you alright?"

"Yes, quite fine…" Victor said, looking at the blood on his suit and coat, "These…may need to be cleaned…"

The next room looked horridly destroyed, but a glaze warped over it and it looked completely restored, like new. The paint was fresh and everything was fixed, as if they had went back in time.

"Shit…the sun's up…I didn't think it was that early…" Slade said.

"No." Victor said, "It's an illusion, set up by the ghost…"

Tess slowly walked over towards the window, brushing the curtain out of the way and standing in the sun, "This is the last we're going to get…it…..feels so warm…"

"Yeah…" Slade walked to her side, glancing at her for a bit, then at the sunlight. He was taken aback at how much things have changed in just a few nights.

Tess sighed and turned around, "Amazing how we take advantage of the simple things in life when we have them…and miss them the most when we don't…"

"Slade…Tess…" Victor said, his hand was hovering over a dark blue pendant, "When I pick up the necklace, I would like the two of you to leg it to the exit, as fast as you physically can…"

Tess turned back to Victor, "You'll be able to make it?"

"Don't worry about me."

Tess turned to Slade, "Alright…let's…let's get ready then."

Slade and Tess ran off first, while Victor picked up the pendant, the illusion wore off and they retreated from the Ocean House Hotel.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ah, the views on life given by a Toreador are so different from a Tremere, aren't they? Well, what did you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifteen! In the familiar loop of in-game missions, I thought a treat would be appropriate. Enjoy these scenes from other perspectives!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines. It's also approaching M territory...

* * *

Miranda walked into the hospital, instantly being greeted by the coughs and sickly wheezing of all the patients in line. She furrowed her brows. All the gross noises and constant paging for an assistant doctor was already going to give her a headache. She would not simply wait in line for something so dire. She wormed her way to the attendant.

"Please, wait your turn, and you'll be seen." The attendant said sharply.

She looked even more annoyed, these foolish humans were just bowling pins to an envoy of LaCroix, "You will let me in." She held a hand out as a blue glow came out and a respondent one went around the attendant's head.

"Whatever, just go ahead already."

Miranda smiled, that was more like it. She started exploring the hospital, not finding anything at the ground floor. This put her in an annoyed mood again. She eventually found a terminal, she looked around, the lack of staff was clearly working in her favor, as she sat down and started typing away at it.

She would originally know absolutely nothing about computers, if it for not for the fact that she slept with quite a few technicians throughout the years. This at least helped her narrow down that the werewolf blood was on the second floor in a containment unit. She got up and headed upstairs with a smile, glad that her mission was so near to a close.

Or, at least it was, until the door to the second floor gave a helpless _click_. She closed her eyes and gave a passive aggressive growl. She would have to Dominate the female attendant _again_.

"Hey!" The nurse said as Miranda walked back over to her, "You can't just cut in line like that-

"You will give me the key to the second floor, then forget I was here." Miranda said, the blue glow coming from her outstretched hand.

"Here's the key to the second floor."

She smiled as the key was easily handed to her, then she went back upstairs, using the key to proceed to the second floor.

Within seconds, a security guard noticed her, "This area is for hospital staff only." He said.

Miranda looked around, indeed, it seemed that they were the only two people on this floor. And it's been a while since she, tended to herself. She felt lust burn inside her. A power lust that shook her core and made her tingle. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She had no idea why it was constantly on her mind so much. She thought that, maybe after her death, some decade and a half ago, that this, incessant drive would fade, but if anything, it seemed to have gotten stronger. She was the butt of Cadmus's jokes for it more than she wanted to admit, but she didn't care. She couldn't help it.

She gave a seductive smile, leaning forward a bit, (clearly this was purposeful, as the officer could now see her cleavage at the very least, if not her breasts through the kimono) "Do I look dangerous to you?" She cooed in a soft voice.

"Miss…?" The guard raised a brow, "Do you need to be escorted downstairs?"

Her smile melted away. He was a man of the law, this might prove a bit more difficult, perhaps she needed a bit more of a _physical_ demonstration for him. She gave him a huge kiss as she wrapped her arms around him, stuffing her breasts on her chest and pulling at his tie.

"Miss!" The guard yelled, falling back at her sudden forward momentum.

She gave a weary sigh, eventually wrapping her legs around the poor sod while he was still shakily standing. She thrust her crotch towards him in a suggestive motion as she kept invading his mouth with hers in an aggressive fashion.

A gun fired, and Miranda felt a searing pain in her abdomen. He must have pulled a handgun and fired at her in all the confusion. She released him and took a few steps back. If she were human, she'd be on the floor, bleeding out right about now.

The police officer blinked in astonishment, "Why…why didn't that do anything…to you-?"

"You will fall into a deep sleep." Miranda held her hand out, and the blue glow came off of it. The officer thudded on the ground. She then sunk to his level to steal his keys. She sat on his back and crossed one leg over the other, reaching over and playing with his face, "Why must you make this so hard for me, security man?" She asked, "I simply wanted to play, and you did not comply…you could have played before you fell asleep, wouldn't that have been nice?" She asked, then she gave a dry chuckle, "Don't answer that. Of course it would have." She loomed over him and bit into his neck, this time not for sweet pleasure or romance, but for food. She needed blood, badly. The first reason for this was because there was a fresh bullet wound in her abdomen, and the second was because she spent most of her blood Dominating the staff here, in some cases doing it twice.

She gave a deep sigh as she licked her lips up, putting the officer with whatever amount of blood he had left crumpled in the corner. While she got to work, snooping in every room the officer's keys led her to. One computer read that it was a control terminal, which made her smile. She hacked into it, unlocking and opening as many doors and safes as she could find.

Her smile grew as she headed for her goal. Maybe the answer to this lifelong problem was in her employer. She thought gleefully. Princess LaCroix, maybe that was it, it had a nice ring to it anyway. It was unfortunate that she doubted her employer felt the same way. Even as loyal as she was, she was just another servant to him. She knew if she could be his princess, maybe she wouldn't have to find satisfaction from so many random strangers.

There was also Cadmus, but he rejected any sort of advancement she made on him. She sighed, why was it that they men she _truly_ cared about, the ones who _weren't_ complete nobodies, wanted nothing to do with her?

She gave a little gasp, seeing a camera suspended over the cabinet as it slowly rotated towards her. She scampered back, swallowing hard. She eventually retreated to find another computer to disable the cameras.

She snuck back into the room with the cabinet, relieved at seeing the camera not functioning. She looked outside the window, with an heir of paranoia, then she opened the cabinet and took the suspicious looking blood pack. She smiled as she made her exit. _There you are, my Prince._

* * *

Sliding his hand against the smooth leather surface of the cab seat, Dragomir leaned forward, "Downtown L.A." His voice growled, "Venture Tower."

"Sure thing." The driver started driving along, before he chuckled, "I like your glasses."

"Do you?" Dragomir asked as he chuckled back, "I like them too."

"Isn't it a little hard to see in the dark with them?"

"Yes, but at least now I can see the truth."

"…huh?"

"Tim, you're a good man."

The driver blinked, "H-How do you know my name?"

"Do you believe in evil?"

He swallowed hard, extremely confused at all the strange banter, "Uh…s-sure…"

"You do?" He asked, "What is the cause of evil then, in your opinion?"

"Jeez…I dunno…I think people are either born evil or not…"

"I disagree." He sat up, pointing a finger forward retrospectively, "I think it's our environment that shapes us."

"Sir…you need to wear your seatbelt…"

"And I think childhood plays a part as well." He leaned back, "A major part. You take a child and give them two parents, a brother and sister, I think the chances of them growing up well are far better than the chances of a child growing up in a cardboard box."

"Well…that's just common sense."

"Is it?" He asked, "Then why is it still happening…?" He tapped his finger on the glass, "It's a cycle, is it not? Evil? It gets created and can never be destroyed…it's an energy within itself, an unconquerable force, and yet there are still doctors, still therapists, still people with good hearts trying to stop it. What if that isn't the answer…?" He leaned his head against the window, "What if the answer is more evil?"

"I don't think that's how it works…"

"Mmm. You're right. People like you, Tim, could never be evil. That's why the world is how it is, isn't it? Because the young and _naïve_ , as she put it…they get in the way." He said, scowling, "I think that theory is preposterous."

"What…?"

"I think it's dumb. I've never liked standstills, I've always been a man of action. Well, that isn't entirely true either, but I'd like to be."

"…yeah…"

"It's good people like him that make the world…survivable."

"Who?"

"And bad people like my father that make it pitiable." He sighed, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Especially when they've lost their bone."

"Was your dad a bad guy…?"

"Well, my real father was an ass. No, I mean my current father. He's been corrupted by…" He paused, "By illness. And by the ways of his youth. When insane asylums stood instead of the Asylum."

"The Asylum?" He asked, "Oh, I don't go there anymore, too grungy. Confessions is better. Much cleaner."

He chuckled deeply, "I've never been religious, I would be sinning to step foot in that holy tavern."

"Well, isn't that the whole point of the place?" He asked, his cheeks turning pink, "God, what was her name? Venus? I have no clue what I _didn't_ tell her…I was drunk out of my mind last time I went there…" He muttered, "Don't tell my boss."

"You saw a planet?"

"No, the owner of the bar, her name is Venus."

"Oh." He said softly, "I quite like that name. A lofty name, however…"

"Yeah, I guess."

Dragomir looked out the windows, "One of my eyes changed colors the other day. I look like my sister now."

"Huh? It just…changed?"

"It just changed. Like an autumn leaf, it went from gold to brick red…"

"Maybe you popped a blood vessel?"

Dragomir laughed loudly in a very hyena like fashion, "Oh, one could _only_ wish…"

The cab driver chuckled nervously, "Well…you're here…that'll be-"

"I don't have any money." Dragomir got out and held a hand out, the driver started laughing uncontrollably as a purple haze enveloped his head, "Have a lovely day." Dragomir said as he walked through the doors of Venture Tower.

A security guard sat in a front desk, she adjusted her hat, "Name and business."

"Ooh." Dragomir walked in front of her, sniffing around, "It doesn't smell like guacamole yet."

"…excuse me?" She raised a brow.

"I'd like to talk to the man at the top."

"LaCroix?" She asked, "He ain't expecting you."

"What a shame. Neither was my mother." He snickered.

She rolled her eyes, "Look, kid, there's a bar down the street, the Last Round. Go get drunk there."

"I'm quite sober, I assure you. I'd like to see the man at the top, please, I won't ask again nicely."

"Is that a threat?"

"Probably."

"Sir, I'm authorized to use a gun if I have to."

"Congratulations."

She drew a pistol, "Let's just be friendly here, alright? Go home, sober up, get your life together."

"Are you insulting my outfit?"

"No."

"Are you going to fire your gun yet?"

"Sir, do I need to call the suicide hotline?"

He laughed loudly, "I'm not sure how much help they could do for me!"

"Please leave before I have to escort you."

He held a hand out, she started snickering as the purple mist surrounded her head and she burst out laughing. "Yes, very well. That was fun." He reached behind the desk and pressed the elevator button, "I do hope I never have to see you again." He approached the elevators and looked around, "So many doors…I wish my life had so many options…" He mused as he turned to the only door that opened and walked inside. "One, two, three, four, five…" He sighed and grumbled under his breath as he looked at all the buttons, "PH? Posthumous? Pet horse? Ah, penthouse." He pressed it and leaned against the wall.

"Ding." He said as a chime rang and the doors slid open. He turned to the pair of doors and knocked three times, "Hello, hello!"

"…come in."

He opened the doors and walked in, breathing in through his nose, "Smells like ash and velvet in here." He mused as he walked towards the desk, "You're much more attractive than I imagined. This isn't fun anymore."

LaCroix raised a brow, "Might I ask who you are?"

"I was going to ask the same thing to you. I've heard so much about you."

The Prince sat back, "What are you doing in my office?" The tone of voice was almost one of what a person would use on a child.

"Finding you. Sniffing you out, hunting you down. I'm a visual learner, I like books and movies and references. I can't go off of hearsay, a blessing and a curse, I suppose."

"And where is it you heard of me?"

"My father."

"Your… _father_ …?" He raised a brow, "Who is…?"

"Part of me is compelled to tell you, and part of me isn't…"

"You _will_ tell me."

"Alistair Grout." He spoke as a blue glow surrounded his head, before he held his chest, "You aren't a voice…why did you take control of me like that? That wasn't very polite…"

The Prince sat back, "Grout _has_ sired someone…"

"Sired? What, like a pig? Quite the grotesque word, I think. I think _fathered_ is more appropriate…"

The Prince closed his eyes and shook his head, "How old are you?"

"It's not polite to ask someone's age."

"How old are you?" He spoke a bit louder.

"Nineteen." He blurted as the blue glow consumed his head again.

"Kindred ages."

"Six days."

"So it hasn't been very long, then…" He rubbed one of his temples, "Right, get out of my sight."

Dragomir cocked a brow, "That isn't going to do much without circulation, you know."

"Get out of my office."

Dragomir walked forward and jumped on his desk, sitting there, "I think you're a bit confused." He leaned in, "I did not come here to receive a scolding, I came here for _information_."

The Prince looked severely peeved, then he chuckled slightly and shook his head, "I don't think I've ever met someone who was so eager to have their own execution."

His eyes narrowed, "I heard about the execution of my friend. The failed attempt. I can only promise something like that will happen again. On a much, much larger scale. And you will fall from your throne of gold."

"Get out of my office."

"Gold is quite malleable, you know."

"Leave!"

He stood to his feet, "We will meet again, in much different times. Times when I have more sanity than you."

LaCroix chuckled as the doors closed, "A Malkavian…having more sanity than me…?" He laughed, "Oh, I can't wait to see his ashes…"

* * *

Cadmus hated blindly following Miranda to the nightly clubs. For one thing, someone as short-temped as him had no patience for any drunks that ran into him. And the second reason, the one that _really_ annoyed him, was watching Miranda roam around, trying to 'refuel'.

So of course the second the pair of them entered the Asylum, Miranda climbed up the stairs and went on the second floor, starting a make-out session with the nearest girl. He sighed and stayed by the floor, if she took too long with this, he would continue their mission alone.

"Oh man, hey Cadmus? Is that really you, oh man!" Cadmus heard a familiar, _very_ annoying voice not too far away.

He looked to his right, seeing the familiar head of brown hair and gray jacket. It was _him_. Now Cadmus had to stand around here and wait for Miranda, and he had to talk to Knox Harrington? He clenched his fists, he would have to tear apart a few people just to properly release all of this anger.

"S'up Knox…" Cadmus said.

"Oh man, so what are one of the bigwigs doing in here, eh Cadmus?" Knox asked, spastically and without any sort of self-control. Honestly this person just reminded Cadmus of all those overenthusiastic, hyper kids who were always severely out of control.

"Miranda and I are on a mission, or two." He added the last bit to make him sound busier than he actually was.

"Oh yeah? Well, I guess that makes two of us, huh?" Knox nodded with a smile, as if they were equals.

 _Uh…no…you're a filthy ghoul to Bertram Tung, and I work for Prince LaCroix. I'm already poking holes in your little comparison here._ "So what's Bertram got you doing? Has he been around here anyplace recently?"

"Aw man, I really wish he was…jeez…but…but he's got me doing this secret mission…I don't know if I can tell anybody about it…"

Cadmus rolled his eyes and headed for the exit, he thought Knox could just tell him about where Tung was, and that would solve a lot of problems, but, he supposed it was his fault for expecting Knox to be useful in any caliber at all.

"Wait…" Knox cried out desperately, "I…I should probably tell you…because…well, it's gotten a little out of hand…"

"What is it?" Cadmus turned around.

"Well…there's this…Asian…vampire…thing…that Bertram wanted me to follow around…but…this thing got wise to me…now instead of me following him, I think he's following me!"

Cadmus's eyes widened. The only thing 'Asian vampires' reminded him of was of a warning LaCroix had given them not too long ago, "So this thing is stalking you?"

"It's freaking me out! I wanna put a bullet in its head, but…who knows if that'll do anything…I just want to get rid of it…"

"I'll kill it."

"Aw, awesome man! Here…I don't know anything about him, but he dropped this when I was tailing him once. Take it." He handed him a Driver's license.

Cadmus squinted at the picture, "Who the hell is this guy?"

"I don't know. I don't know why he had it with him either, it's not even him…maybe it could be like…a lead or something, I don't know."

"I'll look into it."

"Awesome, you are the best, man! I'll see if I can get in touch with Bertram in the meantime, okay?"

"Sounds good." Cadmus said. He went up the stairs to talk to Miranda, "Hey, we got a new mission." He said.

But it seemed Miranda was _still_ busy playing with the other patrons. Right now she was with a girl and they were groping each other's chests. Miranda then tackled her onto the nearest table and it looked as if the action wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

He made a disgusted face and backed off, "Alright, I'll do it by myself then…" He shook his head as he left the Asylum.

Although he had no idea how much a Driver's license was exactly going to help him, He only knew of one place that would have anything like a database on the people in this city. So he went into the Bail Bonds building.

He gave Arthur Kilpatrick a brief wave and sat at his computer, (or Krime-puter, as the advertisement always stated). He looked at the license again, Virgil Crumb. He typed the name in, and sure enough, there was a result.

He was dead, being held in the morgue at the medical clinic. _Dead?_ Cadmus wondered, _So, maybe one of the Asian vampire's victims?_ He got up and left Bail Bonds, heading for the hospital, once he entered, he went down to the basement.

"You next up for the needle? Hmm? Your donation-"

Cadmus held a hand out, "You will let me into the back, and then forget I was here."

Vandal mindlessly unlocked all the doors barring Cadmus's entry, "Opened…" He said listlessly.

Cadmus started searching the hospital basement. It took him longer that he would've liked to admit to find Crumb. (He didn't admit this to many people, but his sense of direction wasn't exactly the best, and he often relied on Miranda to find certain objectives.) In fact, if it were not for a few loose wooden boards blocking a hole in the corner of the wall, he wouldn't have found Crumb at all.

He winced once he saw Crumb's body, then he was just confused. He didn't see any wounds or any sort of a struggle, so how was he dead? On the other hand, Cadmus was no mortician, perhaps this Asian vampire was stealthier than he first realized. He looked around the room, there was no sort of lead or clue on where to find this man. He narrowed his eyes at a nearby chest, opening it up and finding nothing of interest aside from a key to the Foxy Boxes.

On his way out of the clinic, he heard a voice, "There you are!"

He looked back to see Miranda chasing after him, "Oh, you done with your little make out session?"

She rolled her eyes, "I was getting a drink…what have you been doing?"

"There's apparently an Asian vampire on the loose and I think I just about found where he lives." He said, their eyes met, "Sound familiar?"

"Asian vampire…" Her eyes shrunk, "No…it can't be…"

"Sounds like it." He said, using the key card he got to enter the Foxy Boxes.

There was little of interest in the first handful of rooms, aside from maybe one thing, "Alaptop, I wonder if it's his." Cadmus sat down and started typing.

"I don't like the looks of this…" Miranda kept checking around herself, "It feels like he's going to strike from the shadows…"

"Probably." Cadmus said, then he got frustrated, "Christ, I can't get into this thing…" He got up.

Miranda took his seat, hacking into it easily, "Oh…oh dear…" She said as she started reading.

Cadmus peered over her shoulder, "Cainite observation…that…that doesn't sound good…"

"I thought they were too busy with the Anarchs to care about us…" She said quietly to herself.

"Hmm…so this bastard was tracking Knox down…" He read, "Shit…he knows I'm onto him…we gotta search this place from top to bottom in case he's still here!"

Miranda nodded, the two of them went into the very last room, a warehouse room, it seemed, filled to the brim with, boxes. "I…I don't see anyone-

A man dressed in primarily leather came from behind one of the stacks of boxes, giving a formal bow before he drew his katana.

Miranda drew her own katana which easily rivaled his, given its pitch black and blue color scheme, and the hiss produced as it was pulled out of its sheath. She darted at him and their swords collided with both passion in fury, and the two of them began a heated swordfight.

Cadmus crossed his arms and watched. If that Asian vampire was just using a regular katana, this fight might as well have ended. It would be no match for Miranda's Tal'Mahe'Ra blade.

Although in this case the fight was more of a standstill, as their blades kept locking themselves into place. As a precautionary measure, Miranda coated herself in a green mist to shield herself from any potential damage.

Cadmus also coated himself in a similar shield, figuring he might as well join in on the fight or it would take ages. He took out his battle axe and ran towards the fighters in an attempt to flank the enemy.

The Asian vampire took a great leap in the air, landing on a higher balcony.

"Hey!" Cadmus snapped, "Get back down here!"

The Asian vampire got out a crossbow, firing away at them.

Cadmus winced as he was hit a few times, "Stay behind me." He held an arm out over Miranda, "My Fortitude is better than yours."

Miranda gave a small nod, "Firearms would be wonderful right about now…"

He silently agreed, though guns were not he and Miranda's forte _at all._ He tried to feverishly look around, as the pair kept dodging crossbow fire. The Ventrue pair were a famed and impossible team to beat, LaCroix's honored soldiers. They were not going to let a Kuei-Jin nobody tarnish their reputation by defeating them. Cadmus quickly noticed a ladder. He ran for it and climbed up it like a berserk fireman, with an axe at the ready as he ran across the balcony to attack the enemy.

The Asian vampire took a great leap in the air, avoiding Cadmus's strike.

"Miranda!" Cadmus screamed, holding a hand out.

Miranda nodded, her big eyes watching closely as to where the enemy would land. Once she saw where he was heading, she climbed up the nearby stack of boxes and held her sword out, hoping to catch him like a shish-ka-bob.

The Asian vampire coughed up a fountain of blood as his torso ripped through Miranda's blade. Miranda gave a small smile and a soft chuckle, believing this fight to basically be over. The enemy then gave Miranda a big shove, slashing her open as she flinched and tumbled down the stack of boxes.

She shuddered as she hit the ground, bleeding in many places at once. Her protective shield of Fortitude was able to sponge some of the damage at least, as she tried to get up, then she realized that her sword was missing. Rather, it was still through the Asian vampire's chest. She had forgotten that this creature was an undead being, like herself, and while her attack would have killed a human easily, this was different. She skittered back like a crab, as the Asian vampire ran at her with his katana, going strong even with her cursed blade through his torso.

Cadmus took a jump from the balcony and landed right behind the Asian vampire, slashing him to ribbons with his axe before he could prey on Miranda. The hostile agent's body fell to the ground as he died.

Miranda stood up, ripping her sword out of his corpse, "Well…that sure was an exhilarating exercise…if I do say so myself…"

Cadmus nodded, eventually he squinted at the Asian vampire's body, "He…he didn't disintegrate…pretty sure when you kill vampires…they disintegrate…"

Her eyes widened, "You're right…"

"Jeez…these Kuei-Jin guys are weird…" Cadmus said, "But they're out to get us…LaCroix needs to know about this the next time we see him." He said, "Come on, I gotta pass a message along." He said, as the two of them left Foxy Boxes.

Knox was eager to see them once they returned to the Asylum, "Yo, dude…you do that thing we talk about yet?"

"Yeah, Knox. He's dead." Cadmus said.

"Awesome! That thing was hounding me, like, _every_ night…aw man, I'm so glad it's finally gone now…"

"Yeah, yeah, great…you know where Bertram is or what?"

"I'm sorry man, I still can't get ahold of Bertram. I'm really sorry, but, but thanks though…"

Cadmus's eye twitched, to continue his killing streak, he may have to sever Knox's head from the rest of his body.

"Did Bertram give you any information about this…Asian vampire…?" Miranda inquired.

"Bertram said it's a vampire from the east…like what they have in China instead of vampires, or something like that, I don't know." Knox said.

She nodded, "Right, thank you Knox." She said.

"Jeez…" Cadmus said as they left the Asylum, "All that walking around and shit, and we're not even close to finding Bertram."

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere…we've nearly searched the entire city, it will only be a matter of time before we find him."

* * *

 **A/N:** All different ambitions on display, tensions are rising! What'd you think? Let me know with a review!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixteen! Now that the roommates paired up again after the Embrace, will things ever be the same? Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Vapor filled the air around Tess's mouth as she leaned against the exterior wall of the Asylum, "I suppose it's rather cold out today. How unusual." She looked over towards Slade, "I suppose he's going to be there for a bit longer…I should probably go talk to the Prince…you can call me if he needs me."

"What the hell are you going to tell him?" Slade crossed his arms.

"I owe him an explanation about something, that's all." She swatted a hand. "It's nothing you need to pertain yourself with." She started walking.

"The hell does that mean?" He shouted.

"I thought I smelled a whore." A taxi pulled over as Dragomir jumped out and held a hand out to the driver before shutting the door and approaching Tess. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in, "I like your face when it's more… _concave_ …"

"Dragomir!" Slade said, running over, "You're a sight for sore eyes."

"Am I?" He smiled before he hugged Slade tightly, "I've missed you…" He rested his head on his shoulder.

"Alright, easy…" He said, trying not to fall back, "So where've you been, buddy?"

He broke the hug, snickering, "It's quite the lengthy tale…" He looked over at Tess, then back to Slade, "One I can see I found company in."

"Company…?" He asked slowly, "You mean…?"

"We shouldn't speak so loudly out in the open." He snickered, his eyes flashing up towards the bar though it was impossible to see under the glasses, "This place seems to be calling to me…the Asylum…where I belong…" He scratched the back of the head, "But they tell me otherwise. I must help you with something…" His gaze unknowingly turned back to Slade, "But with what…?"

"Help?" Slade asked, befuddled.

He drummed his fingers on his leg, "This way, is what my heart says." He started walking down the sidewalk.

"I'm sure whatever you're going to do is against the Masquerade." Tess muttered bitterly as she followed them.

"Jeez…you should've seen the crap Tess and I have been doing lately." Slade said, walking at Dragomir's side.

"Oh?" He smiled, "I thought I smelled him on you. Though, you smell a bit more like velvet." He snickered as he elbowed him in the side.

"Velvet?" He asked, "How…how do you know about that…I…I didn't see you at the theater…"

"They told me. The voices." He said quietly.

"…voices…?"

"Yes, the voices, don't you hear them?"

"Dragomir, are you Malkavian?" Tess asked.

"Yes, that's correct."

"Then that's why." She sighed as she crossed her arms, "Malkavians hear voices."

"They hear voices?" Slade repeated.

"Yes, voices of insight. They suffer insanity, madness, all sorts of…mental setbacks…"

"Now I feel quite insulted." Dragomir crossed his arms in a huff, "I didn't like the voices at first, but I quite like them now, they're quite friendly." He gave a loud laugh.

Slade looked down. Now he at least knew why Dragomir was acting why he was. His sire, whoever Embraced, was Malkavian, so he inflicted Dragomir with a sort of madness.

"Who is your sire?" Tess asked.

"My father quite likes privacy." Dragomir said, "Especially when your mouth is a river to your lover."

"Julius doesn't care." Tess rolled her eyes.

He chuckled, "Your Toreador father is nothing but a stone on your path of mistakes."

" _What_?"

"I can't wait for you to trip over _his_ stone next…" He laughed loudly.

Slade glared at Tess, "You're a Toreador?"

"Mmm hmm. What else would I be?" She raised a brow.

"Nothing but the best." Dragomir growled snidely.

"God, I think I'm going to be ill. Violently ill." Slade said.

"What, you think I tainted your clan? I've done more work than you have. You're a _trial_ , Slade, nothing more." Tess scoffed, "I passed the interview, I spoke to members of the Camarilla before I became Embraced, I was sired legally and inserted fairly into the Camarilla."

Dragomir leaned towards Slade, "When does she stop babbling? What's the keyword?"

"You should've seen her Dragomir, I was about to be killed by the Sheriff, and she just sat and watched…" Slade growled.

"Damn…" He growled as they entered the parking garage, "I wish I could have been there, I didn't hear of it until I finished my studies…"

"I know. You would've saved me and I would've saved you. I guess for Tess it's different." Slade said, "Guess she's _above_ two peasants like us…"

"The Prince wants my execution next." He growled lowly as the entered the stairwell, "But my father's in the Camarilla, so he's a bit more _hesitant_."

"You're lucky you're not stuck working for the bastard."

"Lucky indeed. I couldn't imagine it." He said, "Must suck more than Tess does to Julius."

Tess rolled her eyes, "Definitely telling the Prince about this conversation."

"See, the seeds have already been planted." The calm beach wind blew Dragomir's jacket back as he took a deep breath of the sea air, "Smells like sewage and trash, as always…"

"Why are we here?" Tess asked.

"Less questions." Dragomir said as he approached figure on the beach, "Hello."

The shirtless man turned around, a bit unnerved at seeing them, "Look, it's like I told you types before. We know we can't hunt 'round here, alright? We're barely making it by as it is. No reason to hassle the weaklings."

"Dragomir…what is this about?" Slade asked.

"One friend to another is far from hostile, I think." Dragomir said.

"You mean…you ain't here to run us off?" The shirtless man asked.

"No…uh…at least I don't think we are…" Slade said.

"Of course not. One can't help something so unfortunate." Dragomir said.

"Unfortunate?" Slade wondered.

"We're getting pretty sick of it. Someone citing domain, or in the worst case, hunting us for sport." The shirtless man said.

"But…why…?"

"Don't know…aw, who am I kidding? We're a bad horror show, alright? We seem to be the runts of the bunch. The mistakes. You types call us Thin Bloods, but I say we're all equally screwed…"

"Thin Bloods…is…is that a clan?"

"Clan? You see, I've heard about all that before, and I still don't know what to make of it. What to make of any of it. We'd all like to know just, just what kind of devil's contract we've apparently signed here."

Slade was mixed combination of surprised and sorrowful for this man, and his friends. Whoever they were, they seemed just about as new as the three of them were to this.

"Mmm…" Dragomir scratched the back of his head, "I would offer help, but I just learned what clan I was seconds ago…"

"I've heard of Thin Bloods." Tess said as she stepped forward, "I was told a little about you…your generation is very high, so the potency of your blood isn't very high. It means you have no abilities to ghoul or…I'm not even sure if you can sire…"

"So they're weaker vampires…" Dragomir asked, "What a shame. I suppose it makes no difference for a surfer." He grinned, "If anything, the moon is out, the waves will be taller."

"Who is your sire?" Slade asked.

"This all started…well…felt like ages ago…but it was actually only a handful of months." The shirtless man said, "I was here for the surf tourney, and whenever the beach parties fizzled out in the A.M. I would go to the Surfside Diner. That's where I met her…"

"Who?"

"She was beautiful, not like all those plastic dolls littering the sand. Her name was Lily."

"Lily…." Dragomir asked slowly.

"It isn't a rare name or anything." Tess said.

"No, it was her." Dragomir said, "I know it." He turned back to the shirtless man, "Your name."

"Hmm? Name's E." He said, "Did…did you know Lily, mate?"

"I did. She was a friend of mine in college, before her disappearance."

"That's because she's one of us, mate. She…I…I feel so bad for it now. When…when she tried to tell me what I was…I cursed at her, and we went our separate ways…I haven't seen her since then…"

"You two are close?"

"Yeah, at least we were, before I knew what she really was. Now I just regret it, if anything."

"I can find her."

"Really?" He asked, "I don't know why you'd bother to help a bloke like me, but, that would be great."

"Where would we even begin to find her?" Slade asked.

"This all started at the Surfside Diner…maybe you should start there." E said.

Dragomir nodded, "Very well. Keep your nose out of the sand and you'll breathe just fine."

"Right…I'll uh…keep that in mind…"

Slade looked back as they were leaving the beach, bumping into someone as he left, "Oh, sorry…" He said.

"N-N-N-N-No…I'm s-s-s-sorry…" The other man said.

"You okay?" Slade asked.

"Y-Yeah…just f-f-f-fine…"

"Do…do I scare you?"

"N-No…I just have a s-s-s-s-speech p-p-problem…"

"Right." He said, watching him run off, "Jeez, poor guys."

"I can only imagine a life at a worse quality than this one." Dragomir mused.

"So…where'd he say? The Surfside Diner?"

"Indeed."

"I think Slade and I should go back and deal with the Camarilla work we were assigned rather than deal with Thin Bloods." Tess said.

"I don't think extra work experience is detrimental." Dragomir said.

"Tess, if you want to go dick around and try to find Bertram Tung, be my guest. We don't want you here." Slade said.

"And that's exactly why I will stay here." Tess insisted with a firm look, "Because you two are going to break the Masquerade, make out with the Anarchs and sell yourselves to the Sabbat. I'm going to keep you in line."

Dragomir leaned in towards Slade, "She's worried she'll be lonely. She feels smart standing next to us, she feels important."

"Tess, you're a glorified street whore, if anyone tells you anything else, they're lying to you." Slade spat, "And if you _ever_ try to talk down to me again, I will kill you in the slowest and painful way I can think of."

She smirked, "In that case, I have nothing to worry about."

"I wonder…" Dragomir turned around and held out a hand, a purple haze surrounded her head as she started laughing, then fell to her hands and knees in laugher. "Ah, much better." Dragomir turned back to Slade, "I'm hungry."

"Maybe there's someone in the diner to feed on." Slade angrily swung the door open with such force it almost broke, "What the hell are you looking at?" He asked a nearby muscular redhead with creepy yellow eyes.

"I don't see how that's any business of yours." He said as he brushed past Slade towards the exit.

Dragomir's eyes widened nervously as he pulled Slade towards the cashier, "Leave him alone…" He grumbled lowly.

"Right…sorry…" He said, trying to take a deep breath to calm down, he then looked at the old cashier.

"What'll it be?" She asked, in an incredibly unpleasant voice which suggested she smoked like a chimney.

"You see any strange…pale girls in here…?" Slade asked.

"Like the…Fitzsimons albino…?"

"No, no, quiet girls." Dragomir said, "Short red hair…wears a lot of tie-die or sweatshirts…?"

"Her? Oh…I remember her…yeah…she stayed in one of our booths recently for almost the entire night. She order a single thing aside from a glass of water, didn't even drink from it, but she left a nice tip." She said, "She seemed really scared about something, so I let her stay up until we closed."

Dragomir crossed his arms, "Do you know where she is?"

"No idea. She didn't really clue me in on anything." She shrugged, "But she left some things here. You seem to know her. You should bring it back to her."

"That would be excellent." Dragomir said as he took the purse and they turned around, "I feel as though it's rude to poke around in here…"

"It's the only evidence we have." Slade said as the left the diner.

"Mmm hmm…" He reached his hand in.

Tess dashed up behind him, "I hate you." She glared at Dragomir.

"Likewise." He said, "I'd do it again, but I'm too hungry."

"Did you find anything in her purse?" Slade asked.

"Don't poke your nose in a girl's purse." Tess grabbed the bag from him and looked inside. She raised a brow, then she grabbed a slip of paper, "A bail bond?"

"A bail bond?" Slade asked.

"There's Kilpatrick's bail bond place down the street…" Tess said.

"Alright, we'll go there next."

They were quickly greeted by the man himself once they entered. Kilpatrick was a fat man was standing in the center of the room, with sunglasses, blue jeans, and a red collared shirt, with brown hair that just about reached his neck and a brown moustache and a soul patch.

The room itself was dirty and unkempt, there were a couple open boxes of pizza and donuts lying around, there was a radio on as well as a computer in the back.

"Welcome to Kilpatrick twenty-four hour Bail Bonds. My name is Arthur Kilpatrick. How can I help you?" He asked.

Tess looked repulsed the second they walked in, shivering.

Dragomir adjusted his glasses, "We just need the computer." He said as he approached the computer and sat down, typing away.

Tess eyed over Kilpatrick, awkwardly standing before him with Slade as Dragomir manned the computer. She looked up to avoid the tension a second longer, "So you're Arthur Kilpatrick…you must send those…emails…"

"Sure do. I'm a third generation bondsman. Got a few employees, but I handle every aspect of the business." Arthur said.

"I don't see any employees, Arthur." Tess raised a brow.

His cheeks flushed a bit, "I gotta have a few other bondsmen to keep the place open, missy. I usually pull the graveyard shift with my bounty hunter cause that's when all the crazy shit happens here in Santa Monica."

"Mmm hmm…." Tess said before she turned to Slade in hopes he could start conversation.

"Actually, that last part about my bounty hunter isn't even true." Arthur said, scratching his chin, "He's been bailing on my lately. It's pissing me off, to be honest."

"Oh…what a shame…" Tess said eventually, seeing as Slade wasn't responding.

"Hey, you kids look pretty…well…pretty tough…and it takes a solid pair of brass balls to do shit like this…uh…sorry for the expression there, missy." He held his hands out, "But do you guys think you could go find him for me? I'll pay ya for your time."

"How much?" She raised a brow.

"How's about a couple hundred?"

She sighed, "A couple hundred for a missing person?" She looked at Slade.

"Sure, why not?" Slade asked.

"Good, good, his name is Carson, and he lives in the Santa Monica suites. Apartment one I believe." Arthur said, "I'll give ya a key card, that'll let you in."

Tess took the card and looked at it, before she stuck it in her top, "We'll look into it."

Dragomir stood up and made his way to the door, "The bloodied eagle."

"Wait, what?" Slade asked as he followed him.

"The bloodied eagle belongs to Toten."

"…I'm still lost…here…"

"The parking garage. That's where we need to go to next."

Slade was still a bit lost, but he had yet to find a reason to doubt his friend. He then gave a mischievous smile as his eyes flickered over to Tess, "So…when's the wedding?"

"Ugh." She made a face, "Keep your mouth shut before I vomit…"

Dragomir chuckled, "Keep talking, Slade."

"I mean, it's only logical for girls like Tess. They attract _all_ the attention." Slade said.

"Yes, we do, it isn't necessarily _positive_ attention. There are plenty of women with no standards who would even eat out of _his_ hand. I'm a bit different than them." Tess said.

"Yeah, not by much."

Dragomir put his hand around Tess's neck, stopping her from attacking. He let her go and faced a red car in the parking garage, bashing his fist into the trunk to pop it open.

"Hmm…" Slade looked into the trunk, "There's not much in here…aside from this book…" He flipped through it, "Oh, it's Lily's diary."

Dragomir snagged it and flipped through it, before Tess ripped it out of his hands, "Don't read a girl's diary!"

He cracked like a whip, "It's a missing person, Tess!" His eyes were buggy and swollen, "I'm not prying into her life to get all the juicy details of her life, we're trying to save her life and figure out where the hell she went! Now piss off!"

She scoffed and stepped back, "Ugh….Malkavian lunatic…"

Slade peeked over Dragomir's shoulder, "What does it say?"

His eyes skimmed over the pages, flipping through them quickly before he closed the book, "The blood bank."

He blinked, "The…the blood bank…?"

"That's where she is."

"Really?"

"I can only hope."

Tess rolled her eyes as she followed them down the sidewalk.

After a silent stroll, Dragomir opened the door for the blood bank as they headed downstairs, "Be good, children." He looked back at them before he leaned in the window of the blood bank.

"You next up for the needle? You know, your donation could save a life. Oh, but it's a little too late for altruism, isn't it? I don't think you're here to give blood at all. I don't buy it, Jack."

"I think you're mistaken." Dragomir said, "Where is she." His eyes were narrow, his voice dead serious.

Vandal's grin only grew, "I have no idea what you're talking about." He spoke so softly, it was almost a whisper.

"Give me access to the back."

He snickered as he sat back and crossed his arms, "Nobody gets in but hospital personnel."

Dragomir held a hand out, a purple haze surrounded Vandal's head. Vandal laughed maniacally, holding his chest as he slid a set of keys between the chain fence between them.

Dragomir's eyes looked bloodshot as he grabbed the key and thrust them into the doorknob, heading into the back. His grin had faded away to a sneer as he walked inside with Tess and Slade behind him.

"I'm not sure I like this…" Slade swallowed hard, "Do you…do you guys think that she might've gotten caught…?"

"I smell her here." Dragomir growled, "That bastard must've taken her…"

"Where?" Tess asked.

"This way." They went towards a freezer, but there was a keypad, it required a code.

"Shit…" Slade said, "I, uh…think I saw a computer back there…"

"I'll take a look…" Dragomir grumbled as he turned back to the computer and started poking around.

"I have the feeling he's going to bite our heads off soon…" Tess muttered, "When was the last time he fed?"

Slade peeked over Dragomir's shoulder, "So what's the code?"

"Nineteen sixty-nine." He said as he stood up and they headed back to the door key code and mashed the buttons in.

They entered the room slowly, Tess gasping as she saw all the blood all over. Strapped to some sort of chair that looked more like a torture device was a girl as Dragomir had described, looking extremely weak.

Dragomir approached slowly and lifted her head up, her eyes wavered open slowly. "Dragomir….?" She asked weakly, "I….I _need_ it….just a drop…..down my throat…I can _smell_ it…"

"It's alright dear, take a deep breath, we're going to save you."

"Let me go…" She asked louder, "It's calling me….I need it…I need it, I have to have it!"

"Relax." Dragomir smashed his fists onto the handles and broke them, until a figure was heard in the hallway behind them. Before he could even open his mouth, Lily pounced on them, tearing into his neck and draining him dry.

Tess gasped and took a step back, covering her eyes.

"Holy shit…" Slade said.

Dragomir held a hand out for her, snickering, "If you weren't going to take him, I was…" He looked down at the nurse Lily had murdered.

She took his hand and stood up, her eyes lined with tears. "What happened to you…what happened to me…? Oh god…" She shook, "I've never killed before, I didn't want to….oh god, what did I do!?"

"She…she completely was unaware of her actions…" Slade said quietly.

"It's the beast…" Tess said lowly, "We all have a beast inside…a demon that comes out…that's why we frenzy when we get too emotional or don't have enough blood. I'd say Dragomir is about a half hour away from meeting the beast himself." She said quietly. "It's harder for Toreadors to frenzy...easier for clans like Brujah and Gangrel…and I'm sure Malkavians can lose their minds quite quickly as well."

"It's alright, Lily." Dragomir said, "I understand. We'll keep this under the carpet for now, yes?"

She nodded as she hugged him, "I didn't know you were…" She trailed off.

"Yes, though, I'm not a Thin Blood…" He gently took her shoulders, "E. He misses you."

Her eyes wavered, "He…he does?"

He nodded, "He misses you very dearly."

"Oh god…E…I feel so bad, will he ever forgive me…?"

"Very easily, I think. Go back to him."

"I will…I can't thank you enough." She hugged him again.

He chuckled, "Yes, very well. Go back to him, he can't wait another moment."

She nodded and ran.

Dragomir sighed and turned to the others, "Let's get the hell out of here."

"I don't think so." Vandal approached, "Look what a mess you've made. Now I have to go get another one. You think those are easy for me to get my hands on? Oh, and now there's one less Phil in the world. Your kind are just destined to set us all back." He spat.

"You two go." Dragomir said lowly.

Tess nodded quickly and took Slade's hand, running with him as Dragomir grabbed Vandal by the shoulders and bit into him as he screamed.

Slade swallowed hard as he looked back, hoping his friend will be alright. They returned to the beach, with E and Lily reunited, the trio at least knew that they accomplished one good deed on that night.

* * *

 **A/N:** E and Lily, one star in the dim night sky of Bloodlines. So, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventeen! More subplot! Yay! Enjoy! ;)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Bloodlines. AND a warning: There is sexual material in this chapter, if you don't want to read it, then skip the second half of the second scene. You have been warned! Thank you!

* * *

Victor stood on the Santa Monica pier, (or at least the small amount of it that was still open). He watched the mangled corpse tied to the streetlamp, with his hands in his pockets. It looked just as bad as the picture of the body he saw from Long Beach. Of course, the crime scene was also surrounded by police officers, but none of them had the slightest idea as to what the hell happened to him.

"Excuse me, sir." A nearby officer said, "This is a crime scene, I'm going to ask you to leave the premises so the investigation can begin in peace."

Victor gave a slight nod, "Of course, officer." He said, heading towards the Asylum.

He patted the pendant which was safely in one of his many coat pockets. He took the elevator up to the second floor, and headed into the Voerman sisters' room. His eyes looked a little dejected when he saw that it was in fact the wrong sister, "Jeanette." He said.

She was laying on her bed, a laptop in her lap. She closed it and sat up, "Victor?" She smiled, "Oh, good, I wanted to talk to you…I thought I'd never see you again…" She put the computer to the side and hopped down onto the floor, "Look…I was just…a little irritable the other day…thinking about losing Halcyon…really upset me. I can't deal with something like that…it'd be like if I was asking you to stop spending time with your apprentices."

Victor blinked a few times, surprised that Jeanette would actually be the bigger person and apologize first (albeit it was very roundabout one). "Right…these…these are dire matters we're in, of course…"

She nodded, "I'm…I'm not going to let her go, she's like a sister. Just the other day she came home almost dead, she _needs_ me."

"Yes, that's nice. Have you seen your sister?"

"I haven't, dumpling, it's simply devastating. I'm in such a good mood, I just want to talk to her. I tried calling, I tried emailing…nothing."

"Could you let me know the next time you see her? I cleared out her property of the burdensome spirit."

That seemed to pique her curiosity, "Spirit…?"

"Yes. There was a ghost haunting a hotel and I found the pendant it was bound to."

"Can I see it? I can give it to Therese when she comes back. I can leave it in her nightstand, if you want."

"I'd rather give it to her myself."

She looked saddened, "It really makes no difference, I'll tell her you found it." She laughed a bit, "It's not like she'd think _I_ got it. You're the one who did all the hard work, of course I'd give you credit."

"I'll give it to her myself." He turned towards the door, "Maybe in a handful of hours, or a night or two, and she'll be back."

"Victor, please just give it to me!" She begged, her eyes teary, "Don't be such an ass!"

"Yes, hurl insults. For some reason that will want to make me give it to you more."

She wiped her tears away, "Fine, then go! Take your pendant and just leave already! I knew you never cared about me. You only care about Therese, the worthy sister, Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes!" She crossed her arms, "I'm just left in her shadow, the little sister who will never be good enough!"

He gave a dry chuckle, "I'm indirectly doing this for you, shadow sister." He said, "Because you refuse to leave Halcyon, I just spent the better half of the night last night finding this wretched thing in a haunted hotel so Therese would call of the feud with her. Maybe telling me where she is would be a little more beneficial to you, hmm? Because once I give her the pendant, she'll have to honor my end of the deal, which is leaving you and Halcyon alone."

She crossed her arms and spoke like a stubborn child, "You didn't tell me you were doing all that for _me_."

"It isn't _all_ for you. It's for Iphigenia. She's worried about her sister's wellbeing but she feared she didn't have the patience for either of you."

Her arms fell to her sides, "I guess my help would only get in the way then."

"Yes, now all I have to do is give this pendant to Therese, and you and Halcyon will be safe."

"Yeah…" She said slowly, he knew her mind was full of thoughts, "Hey…um…you wouldn't mind doing _me_ a favor…would you?"

"Yes?"

"Since you were so…strong and brave…tackling that mansion like that…" She looked up at him, "Do you think you can…just slash some paintings for me?" She asked, then she held her hands up and ran over to her vanity, getting a knife out, "Here, you can take this. I just need you to ruin the paintings in Gallery Noir. The whole thing is set up by some Kindred who's more evil than the Prince." She handed him the knife, "And steal the charity box too, buy yourself something nice." She smirked.

He looked at the knife, then up at her, "You want me to slash paintings and steal charity money?"

She nodded, "I'd do it myself, but I kinda attract a lot of attention…I'd get caught pretty quickly…you look like the sort that'd be going in for maintenance or something."

He gave a tired nod, "Can you at least _try_ to find Therese's whereabouts while I'm gone?"

"I'm only going to keep calling until she picks up."

"Yes. Thank you, Jeanette." He gave a small bow.

"Uh huh. I'll see you around, Victor."

Victor left the Asylum, heading down the streets of Santa Monica and eventually reaching Gallery Noir. He was however quickly stopped by an overweight officer.

"Hey! Hey…hey…" He panted, as if the act of running up to Victor and attempting to speak to him already rendered him out of breath, "Hold on a second there! I'm afraid you're committing a three fifty-one. That's trespassing on private property. I'm gonna have to ask you to vacate the premises immediately, or I'll have to radio this in."

Victor rolled his eyes, he didn't have time for this. He held a hand out, as a blue glow came from it, "You will open the door for me, then forget I was here."

The police officer stiffly obeyed, moving like an automated machine to unlock the front doors to the gallery, letting Victor inside.

Victor looked at the knife blade for the hundredth time, never really known for using such a crude weapon, let along using said weapon to deface paintings.

"Hmm…" He mused, "Caine slays Abel…jealous over his brother's offering to god…" He slashed the painting.

"Caine cursed by God…leaving him with a mark…anyone who finds the marked Caine shall kill him…" He slashed the second painting.

"He then meets Lilith, realizing that she had magical properties…he begs her for them, and she accepts. She cuts herself and bleeds into a bowl so he may drink her blood and assimilate her powers…" He slashed the third painting.

"Finally, Caine is met by three angels who offer him a chance to repent for his sins, but he refuses, and each angel curses him and all his future childer. One curses him with a weakness to sunlight. One with a weakness to fire. And one with a hungering beast with a deadly thirst for blood. It is then that Caine is truly awakened, gaining Celerity, Fortitude, Potence, Presence, Auspex, Protean, Animalism, Obfuscate, and Dominate. He then leaves his former lover Lilith." He slashed the last painting.

A red beam of light shot out of the first painting Victor slashed, then it rebounded off the other pictures in the sequential order, fusing together into a ball of red energy in the center of the room, summoning a creature seemingly made entirely out of blood in front of him.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Victor held his knife firm. Seeing as a creation from his very own clan was about to start a battle with him, he deemed that most of his Disciplines would be useless in this fight, and the knife Jeanette gave him was his best hope for survival.

Of course, this meant little, as Victor with a melee weapon was almost a comical sight. More often than not would he rely on his Dominate and Thaumaturgy Disciplines first and ask questions later. He slashed the Blood Guardian, and the beast flinched, but since the creature was composed entirely out of blood, he had little knowledge of whether or not he actually inflicted damage or not.

The Blood Guardian had a bit better luck. He raked Victor with his claws, and Victor growled in pain. He could feel the aggravated properties from the beast's claws, it would take much longer for him to heal off the damage.

He backed off, covered in a considerable amount of wounds. He tried to create a distance, as he fired off a blood bolt from two of his outstretched fingers.

The Blood Guardian flinched and stumbled back, Victor smiled as it seemed the Blood Strike was a successful attack. The Blood Guardian, having learned this, began romping towards him in an effort to close the distance.

Victor kept retreating slowly, firing off more and more blood bolts, and thankful that they costed such a low amount of blood. Unfortunately, the Blood Guardian eventually caught up with him and viciously assaulted him countless times in a row.

He figured now would be a better time than any to strike fight, using the knife and a combination of blood bolts to wear down the Blood Guardian, after a few more moments of this onslaught, the creature turned into a pile of ash.

Victor panted, wincing as he felt his wounds. He would need to feed, as soon as possible. Both for his low blood pool and for his injuries. He went over to the charity box, stole the money, and left the gallery.

* * *

Anastasia puffed a bit of smoke out, standing at one of the back doorways of The Last Round. She took the cigar out of her mouth and blew a bit more smoke out, staring at the night sky. Part of her still felt sore from all the back-to-back Sabbat battles.

The door opened as she saw a familiar blonde come outside. "There you are. Lark wanted you." He closed the door and stood on the other side of the door, "Said something about…uh…shit…I don't remember….she kinda starts talking and I stop paying attention…I just remember she said your name…"

"Pfft." She gave a boyish laugh, "Alright, where is she?"

"Upstairs somewhere…? I don't remember." He muttered as he reached a hand out.

She blinked a few times, "What's that for?"

"Gimme a light." He said, like it was a rudimentary idea.

"You're lucky I have one left." She pulled another out, lighting it and handing it to him, "I usually burn through them pretty quickly."

"You pick it up from Jack or something?" He asked with a smile as he watched a puff blow into the air.

"I'm pretty sure he helped get the idea into my head…but…" She shrugged, "I mean, my parents were hippies so…yeah…spent a lot of time outside, stoned outta my mind…"

"Wish I had an excuse like that." He said, "I never met my old man…" He sighed as he stared at the pavement, "He was a pimp, my mom was the porn star. So yeah, kinda got drugs on my hands when I was little." He looked over at her, "That's what I missed the most when I got Embraced."

She put her cigar back in her mouth, "You miss drugs the most?"

"Yeah, they're up there." He said, "Aging kinda started scaring the shit out of me. Once I hit thirty I kinda freaked out…" He shrugged, "So, yeah, I can't really say I miss that much. I can still paint, I can still sculpt, I can still fuck people over with my bare hands. Hell, I can fuck them over even _better_ with Potence." He said, "I guess I kinda miss getting a boner…but then again, those could be a bitch too, so at the same time, it's not really that bad. That's why I Embraced Lark. I don't think this life sucks _that_ much. She had it made too, she never got into drugs. She never had to worry about missing anything."

"I don't really miss the drugs at all." She said, "If anything, my life alive was pointless. Now that I'm Kindred, I feel like I actually have a _purpose_."

"Exactly. Back then, I'd kill a guy, go to prison. Today, I can kill dozens of shitheads and get pat on the back. Of course I'm going to like it better." He looked over, "Guess it'd suck more if we were capes."

"Maybe…" She shrugged, "The capes wouldn't really like a person like me that much."

"Wouldn't like me either." He snickered, "There can only be one blonde in Venture Tower." He crossed his arms, "And it'd be me. I'd pound little Baby-Face to dust in seconds. That dinky little ape doesn't scare me, he thinks he can flail around a slab of metal, I don't give a shit. I'll take that goddamn sword and smash it over his head." He said as he dropped his cigar and stomped on it, "You don't know how much time I waste fantasizing about fucking them over."

She raised a brow, "You sure that isn't the _only_ thing you fantasize about?"

"Oh, hell no. No, I spend a good…" He squinted his eyes, "Twenty percent thinking about that. The other eighty percent is all you." His eyes darted over to her as his head faced forward, a smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes and threw her cigar on the ground, "I'm not really anything to look at, there, sweetheart."

His smile faded, "You're…shitting me, right? Anastasia, you're like…one of the hottest girls I've ever met." He said, complete honesty in his voice, laced with shock, "Literally spent an entire night up there once with Jack, Nines and Skelter talking about how hot you were. You're _definitely_ something to look at."

"Ugh…really…? Is _that_ what you guys talk about?"

"Pfft…not…all the time…" He crossed his arms, "It's harder than you'd think getting Nines to talk about that kinda shit. Only once did he chime in."

"I had a feeling Nines had some sort of restraint when it came to that stuff."

"Yeah, he told me it wasn't fair to give Lark a zero out of ten."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I can guarantee you that the three of us don't do any of that shit with you guys…"

"Well, I mean, besides me, the others aren't too much to look at. Unless you want to fuck a carpet…"

She rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh too loud, "I haven't seen Kent in a while...ugh…that annoying ghoul he has keeps showing up…"

"Fucking Patty. Her voice makes me want to drink bleach."

"Her existence in general makes us all want to do that. Screw the Cam being the death of all Anarchs, it'll be that fucking waste of space."

He laughed, "Did you wanna come back to my place?"

She eyed him over, "Maybe."

He snickered, "Want me to take my shirt off so you're _really_ sure?"

"Jeez…no…just do it when we get to your place…"

He laughed, "At least I'm subtle when I rubberneck." He started walking, "But I don't see any shame in it, especially in my case. Unlike the other apes in there, I can say I bathe daily. Jack doesn't know what a _shower_ is."

"I'm sure he does…he's had like…three-hundred years…to learn what those are…"

"Have you looked at him?" He asked as they stood in the sidewalk, "No, have you _smelled_ him? Maybe it's just me…" He sighed as he crossed his arms, "Isaac said I'd be a Toreador if I didn't know Potence."

"Really?"

"I don't know who my sire was. I was high as fuck, having a pretty good time, then she fucking Embraced me and I didn't see her again. That was it." He said as a taxi slowed in front of them and they hopped in.

"Hmm…well, I used to sing a lot, when I was alive…so I guess by that logic I would make a pretty good Toreador too." She said as he gave the driver his address.

"You sang?" He asked, "I had no clue…you have any recordings or anything?"

"Probably." She shrugged, "Deep within the uncharted territory of my apartment. So how's Isaac been?"

"Isaac?" He asked as he sat back, "Still pissed at LaCroix for that bullshit execution. Both of us want to meet the newbie. We're thinking of using him as a kinda double agent. Or at least, I am. Isaac said it was risky, but he's always a little cautious about that kinda thing."

"Ooh…a double agent, sounds nice." She said, "I wonder what useless bullshit LaCroix has him doing. Probably fanning him or something."

Killian laughed loudly, "Poor kid…imagine if I ended up in his shoes…damn…that'd fucking suck! Man, LaCroix hates me enough as it is. He hardly knows me, but he fucking hates me. I met the bastard once, he tried to use Suicide on me. If Nines didn't save my ass…" He shook his head, "Guess I'd be a pile of dirt."

"He must have like, the world record for most failed executions."

"Cause he's shit at his job. A good Prince wouldn't even _have_ executions."

"There's no such thing."

"Exactly." He sighed, "Just fucking pointless."

The cab stopped and Killian reached in his wallet, handing him a handful of cash before he got out and opened the door for Anastasia.

She smiled, "Wow, you actually _have_ a gentlemanly bone in your body after all."

"I know, surprising, isn't it?" He asked as he closed the car door and waved to the cab driver. He held his arm out, "Is this more suited to your taste, ma'am?"

"No, we'll look like freaking loonies if we walk around like that…"

He snickered as he walked to the building, holding the door open, "This count as foreplay?"

"Fuck no." She said, "Have you _ever_ slept with someone?" She asked as she went into the apartment complex.

He laughed as he walked towards the elevator and hit the up arrow with a fist, "I just wanted to see what fear smelled like on you." He said with a grin.

"Fear? Pfft, that's rich." She said, "Last time I checked, I can bend you into a pretzel, little boy. Potence, or no Potence."

He leaned against the elevator, "See, it's moments like these that I miss getting a boner."

"You can still do it…you just need to spend some of your blood…least that's what some of the other guys say…"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna wait so I don't fucking frenzy on you." He snickered as the doors opened and they walked into his apartment. He was quick to take his shirt off, maybe it was because the laundry room was right next to the front entrance, "There, I waited like a good boy." He snickered as he turned around, revealing a black griffin tattoo on his left shoulder and pectoral.

The place was rather generous for an apartment. It seemed to have multiple rooms, even a staircase leading to another floor. The furniture was modern, the walls were hardly visible under the amount of paintings, a sculpture of some sort filled every corner, smaller ones on the surfaces. Any other tabletop had loose sheets of paper with sketches on them.

"Jesus…" She took her heels off, "How much money do you make?"

"I was poor as dirt until I got an agent. Then I finally got my art out there. Besides, a lot of the furniture is Lark's, believe it or not. She put her stuff here, but spends more time in her car. That thing's like her fucking child."

She snickered, ogling at his chest.

He sat on the couch, "So are we just gonna stare at each other…or…?"

"I guess…it's not like we need to have dinner, or…dessert…or anything to get to know each other…cause we can't…"

"I mean, I can go pick up a prostitute off the street or something…they stopped charging me…"

"As food? Nah…its fine." She sat next to him.

He sat back, "At least I can finally talk to you without Lark trying to chop my dick off…"

"Be nice to your sister."

"She tries to act like me, but she's so whiny, pisses me off." He muttered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I feel bad for her sometimes, I mean, we all went through that shit…but…I don't know, she responds to it differently."

"Yeah…you guys are all kinda…weathered….I've seen more shit than she has cause I went to prison a few times…she sees violence and gets nervous. Doesn't act like it, but…yeah….even some of the explosives make me nervous…Anyway…" He said as he leaned over, "You never answered my question." His voice was right in her ear, almost a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna go out or do you just wanna tear into each other?"

"…hmm…I don't know…I mean, I've had my flings and fuckings before, but…that was years ago. I'll probably be pretty rusty at it…you wouldn't like that…"

"I think it'd come right back to you. And if it doesn't…we got all night to jog your memory." He grinned.

"Alright, big guy, you lead."

He snickered as he grabbed her hips and lifted her up into his lap. His big hands slowly rubbed the small of her back before he gently planted a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, holding his face with her black-nailed hands, only stopping to remove the flower ornament out of her hair.

He pulled her in a bit closer so her chest was pressed against his, his tongue battling hers for dominance before he whispered in her ear, "That's still not an answer, you know." His grip around her rear tightened.

She unzipped her dress, as it ever so slowly started to slip away from her figure as it tumbled towards the ground, "I'll let this serve as my answer…"

His smile grew as he reached out and started tugging at the fabric, "You see…I'm not a very deep guy….you're gonna have to be a little clearer…"

She pulled off the dress, revealing a tattoo of a black coil that went around her entire body, from her ankles, up to her chest at least, as well as a black bra and panties.

He eyed her over, his jaw slightly agape as his eyes followed the coil, "The hell…?"

"Like what you see?"

"I'm trying to figure out what it is…" He admitted, "Are those…scales…?"

"It's a snake." She nodded.

"Hot damn…" He sunk into his seat a bit more, "Move your legs over this way so I can rub your feet."

She crawled back a bit so her legs were in his lap, "You don't have to."

"I have a feeling you're going to be saying that a lot tonight." He said as he gently held one of her feet and rolled her ankle around, rubbing the arch of her foot, "You just let me take care of you."

Her eyes widened and she let a sigh escape from her lips, shuddering a bit. "Oh…my god…Killian…I…I remember what being horny is now…"

A smirk tugged at his lips as he did the same to the other foot, this time he brought it to his face and kissed it gently. She gave a louder groan, reaching back behind her bra to unlatch it. "Oh, thanks." He said as he started rubbing her calf, "Those things are a bitch, I still can never get them off…"

She stopped fiddling with her bra to decompress a bit more, closing her eyes, "That feels so good…"

"Did no one ever fuck you like this…?" He raised a brow. "You know…with…foreplay?"

"Uh…well…they…they sort of all blend into one…last time I had a fling…could've been when I was alive…and there were so many…" She shrugged.

"Jesus…you really were hippie, huh?" He snickered as he turned and faced her, sitting sideways on the couch as he lifted a leg and kissed her inner thigh, "That's so hot…"

"How so…?" She asked through a groan.

He gently rubbed her inner thigh, his hand slowly crawling up her thigh around to her hip where he tugged her panties down, "I dunno…thinking about….you….sitting outside….stoned out of your fucking mind….so pure and yet the goddamn filthiest thing on the planet…"

"Hey…I…I resent that…" She joked, tossing her unlatched bra aside, finally revealing the head of the ambiguous coil. Turns out it was a snake, the head was on one of her breasts.

His eyes widened as he sat up, then unfastened his belt and threw it aside. He unzipped his pants and pulled them off, then leaned in on top of her and kissed her lips. His hands slowly landed on her breasts, massaging them deeply and leisurely. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, making a series of pleasurable noises as he kept fondling her. "That tattoo is hot…" She said, tracing the griffin tattoo on his chest.

"You like it?" He grinned, "I don't think it's anything like this…" He rubbed his fingers over the snake's head.

She grunted, instinctively spreading her legs, "Yeah…mine's a _little_ bigger…"

Killian snickered as he rubbed her knees, "Trying to tell me something here, huh?"

"…maybe…that…that's for…for you to decide…"

"Yeah, I like that idea." He said as he rubbed her hips, "That's another thing I can say I miss about being human…" She felt his hand at the apex of her thighs, "Oral is a little scarier with fangs…so…this'll have to do…." His fingers found her clit and started rubbing circles around it.

She bit her lip and groaned, her hips quivering as she moved to his rhythm. She occasionally opened her eyes to ogle at his impressive physic, letting it giving her more inspiration as her legs spread a bit wider.

She heard him chuckle as he leaned in and kissed her neck, slowly inserting two fingers, "Jeez, you're tight…"

"And wet…" She said, "Very…v-very…wet…"

"Very…very wet…" He snickered as he pulled himself away and pulled his underwear off. "Alright, let's see how long this can last." He leaned in and kissed her neck as he pressed his length against her inner thigh. As she felt it grow, she also felt a pounding in his chest that almost felt like a heartbeat. She let out a long sigh, clawing at his back. She shuddered at the mere sensation of his length.

His hands gripped her hips as he thrust into her in one smooth motion, keeping his hands at her waist as he set a ruthless pace, contrary to how gentle he seemed before. It didn't take much time for her small sigh to turn into screams. She had been penetrated before, but not quite by someone with Killian's size, nowhere near it. She wrapped her legs around his and squeezed onto him for dear life, letting him pulverize her as much as he wanted to.

One of his hands squeezed one of her breasts, before it moved down to hold the curve of her rear as he leaned into her ear so he could grunt a semblance of her name. Her grip got more and more lax as she simply hung onto him and let him keep going to town, giving soft sighs here and there.

"Goddamn…" He gasped quietly as he rubbed her stomach before slowly pulling himself away, "Fucking blood buff only lasts ten seconds…."

"It's…it's probably more than that…" She panted quietly.

He laid next to her, then rolled her over so she was on top of him. He rubbed her back before he started petting her hair, "We can do this again, right…?"

"Yes…I would love to be steamrolled by you again…"

He gave a deep chuckle, "So I'm worth your time, huh?"

"Hey…don't give me that…the way you act to people it's almost like _I'm_ not worth _your_ time…"

He snickered, "Alright, I'll be a good boy then…I still wanna do you over a balcony…and on a countertop….and when no one's in the Last Round…..and in the back of a truck…"

"…sounds like a good investment…"

* * *

 **A/N:** I thought my first lemon would be in Fairy Tail, eh, I'll get there…So how was that? Let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighteen! Tying up some loose ends in this chapter, from a perspective that's been missing for a little while…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"Alright, Kilpatrick said he was in the Santa Monica suites, you still have that key?" Slade looked at Tess.

"Mmm hmm." She pulled the key from her chest and handed it to him.

He took the key and they went in apartment one, "Well…he's not here…shit…"

Dragomir walked inside, sniffing around as Tess peered around at the décor. He sat by the laptop on the table, cracking it open and typing away, giving a few guesses at the password before he seemed to be able to figure it out and snoop around.

Slade pressed on a button on the nearby recorder, "Maybe he left something on this…"

"Check, check. Is this thing recording? God, I hate these things. Uh…anyway…the, uh, McGee case is getting weirder all the time. I found where he's been hiding, and I saw some really creepy stuff down there. There was, uh, no sign of McGee. I'm gonna follow up on another lead I got, too. I updated the files on the computer. Uh, this is Carson, signing off. Man, that sounds stupid!"

He blinked, "So he's looking for a guy named McGee…"

"Who is in the tattoo parlor." Dragomir said as he closed the laptop, "The key." He pointed to the filing cabinet.

"Oh, you broke into his laptop?" Slade smiled.

He nodded as he stood up and strode over to the key, grabbing it and sticking it in his jacket pocket, "Tess, get back on your leash, girl, we're leaving."

She scowled and walked over, "It's not a leash, I'm not a _dog_."

"Yes you are." He said as they started walking.

Luckily for them, the tattoo parlor wasn't that far away from the Santa Monica suites. Inside, the place was entirely vacant, of both customers and staff. No on in the tattoo chair, no one manning the counter, they failed to find anyone notable downstairs either.

"Jeez…I…I don't think this place should be empty…" Slade said.

"I would never get a tattoo here…" Tess shuddered as she watched mice skitter across the floor.

"Then why are the lights on?" Dragomir looked around, "Hmm…..suspicious…"

The phone started ringing, leaving a pause as the three of them exchanged a glance, as there were no employees to answer the call.

Dragomir held a hand up as he approached the phone, but Tess dashed over and picked it up first, "Hello?"

Dragomir snarled and crossed his arms, leaning towards Slade, "I wanted to use my announcer voice…"

"Hello?" An elegant and dainty voice asked from the other end of the phone, "Might I speak with Mister McGee?"

"He isn't here, my most sincere apologies…is there a message I could pass along?"

"Well…Mister McGee was going to do some modeling for me. A reference to my work, that sort of thing. I set up an appointment with him a few days ago…but he hasn't shown up. Do you know when he'll be back?"

"I don't…I could do some modeling, if you need a position filled and have the cash…"

"Who the hell is she talking to…?" Dragomir asked lowly.

"Ah, excellent. Would you like to come over right now?" The man on the phone asked.

She blinked a few times as she thought, "Yes, that should work…your…location is…?"

"I'm at the end of Main Street, a small basement studio. Just ring the buzzer and I'll let you in."

"We'll be there." Tess said, hanging up before he could acknowledge her mistake. "We're going to a modeling place for cash." She said, "And perhaps additional information."

"…beg your pardon…?" Slade asked.

"We'll go." Dragomir said, "Not only because I'm going to model better than you are, but because I smell a rat."

"Tess, who the hell was on the other end?" Slade asked.

"We'll find out when we meet him." She headed for the exit.

"And did you get _where_ he lives, genius?"

"Where he works, at least." She said as she felt a stray piece of hair escape her bun. She quickly tied it back in, "It shouldn't take long."

Dragomir elbowed Slade, "Remember when the kids in high school called me a Ken doll? Maybe now I can put those skills to use."

"But, what does any of this have to do with McGee…or Carson?" Slade asked.

He pointed to his nose, "The nose knows. I don't, but he does."

The trio reached a set of stairs which led to a buzzer, when Tess rang it, the dainty voice asked, "Yes? May I help you?"

"Yes, about the modeling?"

"Oh, right, I'll let you in."

"I don't like this…" Slade muttered.

"These stairs…." Dragomir looked around uneasily.

"We'll find out in a minute." Tess muttered she walked inside with a smile.

"Ah, hello." The man who spoke with them on the phone approached, "Welcome to Gimble's Prosthetics and medical supplies. You called about the modeling job, yes? Well, you do have well developed limbs, if you don't mind me saying so…" He chuckled. They were in a simple waiting room, which was accompanied by light piano music.

Tess chuckled, looking slightly confused, "Yes…thank you…I hope you don't mind, my friends were also interested in modeling." She motioned to Slade and Dragomir.

"No we're not. Look." Slade said, "Who are you and what do you know about McGee?"

"Oh, down to business we are." He chuckled, "I'm Gimble. Stanley Gimble. But oh, let us dispense with formalities. You can call me Stan."

"Alright _Stan_ …so what happened to McGee?"

"I'm not so sure. He called a few days ago wanting to make some money by modeling for me, but he never showed up. I'm just as lost about it as you are."

Tess seemed puzzled, "I suppose we should just leave then…" She muttered.

"Why don't we head downstairs and do some modeling?" Dragomir asked.

"Ah, an eager participant! I'll go out in the back and set everything up, just wait here!" He left the room.

Slade blinked, "Alright, you guys sure we shouldn't just leave?"

"We're going to follow him now." Dragomir said, "The best type of sneaking is the type done when the mind is distracted." He muttered as he followed after him.

"Wait…won't he get mad…he told us to wait here…"

"What is that expression, Tess?" Dragomir asked, "Curiosity killed the cat? Put the cat in a deep slumber…"

"I don't know why you're asking me…" She muttered.

"You will…." He gave a maniacal laugh.

She scowled, "Clan of the Moon…"

"Tess…you've been a Kindred for like…six days, and you're already a racist…" Slade said, "I can't be the only one who thinks this is sad…"

"It isn't racism…" She rolled her eyes, "Racism would be insulting him for being Native American…clans hardly mean anything, it's just a set of disciplines…"

"Her words have purpose, she was a whore long before she became Toreador." Dragomir said.

They looked around in the basement levels. All they saw were a few prosthetic parts and creepy mannequins, as well as a camera mounted on a tripod. The piano music was too far away to be heard, instead just a coldness was left in its place.

Tess peered around, "Seems clean enough for a basement studio in L.A…."

Dragomir grunted, "I wouldn't be here if it was just a basement studio in L.A. I don't do things without purpose, Tess, you out of all people should know that."

She raised an eyebrow, "Would I?"

"Yes, you would, if you had any functioning brain matter that isn't being assaulted by pituitary gland."

"Too bad she doesn't." Slade said, "I figured this place was bad news…" He said, the lower they got, the odder things got. The next room they saw had a few operating chairs in it. Followed by a room with a large amount of cutting tools and a textbook for the human anatomy.

Dragomir picked up the textbook, "This might be of use for my father…maybe he'll keep his nose out of the intestines of test subjects…"

" _What?_ " Tess asked as she turned around with shock.

He snickered, saying nothing more.

The next room they entered had an operating table coated in blood. Some of it was even on the floor.

Slade swallowed hard, "This…going any further…is a bad idea…"

"I'm going to keep digging." Dragomir said, "It's your choice to stop, you don't have to continue."

"No way, if shit hits the fan, you'll need help."

Dragomir gave a sincere smile, rather than one of his crazed ones. He wrapped an arm around Slade and hugged him, ruffling his hair before he let him go and they continued walking.

The walked through a set of double doors, seeing a large operating room, with a few cells, "Jeez…" Slade said, "Still want to do some modeling, Tess?"

She swallowed hard, her throat still dry.

"Yes, I didn't think so." Dragomir walked inside, "Hello…?"

"Huh? Oh, hey! You gotta get me outta here man!" A voice called from one of the cells, "This guy is a freaking nut job!"

Dragomir turned and adjusted his glasses, "Ah…there you are…" He tapped the side of his head, "And they call me cursed."

"You gotta help me! Gimble's been taking pieces off of me and McGee here for three days!"

"Is…is that Carson?" Slade asked.

Tess walked over to watch.

"Yes, it is." Dragomir said, "But he isn't alone…" His eyes darted to the side, his head racing forward. It was impossible to tell where he was looking with his shades.

The doors across from them burst open, and Gimble stepped out. The look on his face suggested that he didn't see the three of them as people at all, merely as experiments or targets that needed to be round up and put back in there cells. With the element of surprise on his side, he attacked Slade first.

"Ow! Damn it…" Slade stumbled back, covered in blood despite the fact that he was only hit by a blunt object, "What the hell?" He wondered why there was so much blood on him, then he looked up, seeing that Gimble was wielding a severed arm. He screamed and backed away in terror.

Tess skittered back as well, hugging Slade in terror as Dragomir threw his jacket at them and ran towards Gimble, holding a hand out as a purple glow surrounded his head.

Gimble started laughing hysterically, ultimately making his role as a serial killer look even more terrifying.

Slade gently broke away from Tess, drawing his swords and going much faster, almost as fast as Tess, he started shredding Gimble to ribbons while he was stuck in his hysteric trance.

Dragomir laughed with Gimble, holding his chest as he watched Slade tear him apart.

Gimble eventually steadied himself, swatting Slade with his severed arm, while Slade would stab him back in return, in a vicious cycle.

Dragomir growled as he held a hand out, trying to focus on Gimble.

"Use Hysteria on him already!" Tess insisted.

"I don't want to hit Slade!" He barked.

"It's fine…" Slade coughed, his speed was eventually too much for Gimble, and Slade stabbed him a few more times, ripping his swords through Gimble's flesh as he tumbled to the ground in a bloody heap. "Alright…good…one of you flip the switch…"

Tess dashed over to the switch on the wall and flipped it, unlocking the cells.

Dragomir put his jacket on, picking up the severed arm and sticking it in the jacket pocket.

The prisoner ran out of his cell, "Aw, thanks guys. I didn't think I was gonna make it. I owe you my life."

"Carson, right?" Slade asked.

"Yeah, that's me. I was originally hunting for McGee. I've been on some weird cases before, but this one takes the cake."

"You're alright?" Dragomir looked over, "You don't look very damaged."

"Yeah, I'm okay, I guess, better than old stumpy at least."

"Kilpatrick sent us, he wants you back in the office." Slade said.

"What? Aw, no way man, no, no, no, I'm through with this business…I hate to leave Arthur in a lurch, but that's just how it is."

"I can't entirely blame you…" Tess muttered.

"He's going to be devastated, the poor creature." Dragomir sighed.

Slade watched as Carson ran off, looking into the adjacent cell, "Shit…" He saw what he presumed to be McGee, which was a limbless, bloodied corpse.

Dragomir scratched the back of his head, "Oops."

"Let's just go back and get the cash." Tess said.

They went back to the Bail Bonds place, Arthur Kilpatrick seemed pleased to see them, or at least pleased to see Tess, "Hey there, hot stuff."

She scowled, "Yes, hello. We got Carson back, he was not willing to return."

"Ain't coming back, what do ya mean he ain't coming back?"

Dragomir peered over her shoulder, "His finger was missing. Right index."

"Oh, well that sure is trouble…bounty hunter ain't no good without his trigger finger." Arthur said, "Well hell, that leaves me in hot water boy. Gonna cost old Arthur real good."

Tess shuddered, "Alright, let's go." She said quietly to Slade.

"I got this guy with a sheet a mile long." He continued, "Been on this case about stolen auto parts, but I can't find him anywhere. Want a job?"

Tess closed her eyes.

"Yes." Dragomir said, "Sounds lovely. We might take time to get to it."

"You haven't paid us for finding Carson, yet." Slade said.

"Oh, right, sorry about that." Kilpatrick handed them all some money.

"Now who's this guy you're looking for?"

"Right, his name is Mike Durbin. Goes by Muddy. His girlfriend put up for the bond, her name is Marian Murietta. She lives up in the apartments over Trip's Pawnshop. I haven't been able to get in touch with either of 'em."

"So you just want us to see if he's here or not?"

"Yeah, yeah no body attachment or nothing, it ain't much of a job since you ain't licensed and all. But I'll pay you for your time."

Slade nodded, he looked at Tess and Dragomir, "I'll do this by myself, I've been wasting your guys' time for long enough."

"Thank you so much…" Tess smiled.

"I suppose I do have other matters to tend to…" Dragomir mused.

"Alright, so above the pawnshop?" Slade looked back at Arthur.

"Yeah, Marian Murietta, in one of them crappy places over the pawnshop. Find out where Muddy is, what he's doing, whatever, just be careful. You ain't licensed and if anything bad goes down I don't know ya, ya hear me?"

"Got it." Slade said.

"If you need help…howl to the moon, I'll pick up." Dragomir laughed.

He chuckled and shook his head, then he looked at Tess, "If Cadmus and Miranda find Bertram, come get me."

"Alright." She nodded, "I'm going to Julius's then."

"Enjoy him as he dies." Dragomir said.

She scowled at him as he chuckled and walked off. She looked at Slade one last time and nodded before she left.

* * *

Slade peered around for what looked like Trip's pawnshop, surprised when he ran into the Tremere Magister who he worked with a night or two ago, "Victor?"

"Greetings, fledgling." Victor gave a small smile, "Is something troubling you?"

"Uh…well…yeah…sort of…see, this guy wants to check and see if one of his bounties are in town or not…but, the last time I did one of his jobs…a serial killer overwhelmed us…and I was with two others…now I'm by myself…so…you wouldn't mind helping me out, would you?"

"No, of course not." He walked over to Slade's side, "Anything to pay back the help you've given me, now…where is this person located?"

"In the apartments above Trip's pawnshop…" Slade said. Luckily, Victor was able to show him the way towards them.

Slade read off the mailboxes as they walked in, "Alright, five-hundred and seven…" They climbed up the stairs and Slade pulled at the handle, "Shit, it's locked…" He pulled and pulled, "Damn it!"

Victor looked around, reaching from behind a plant, and pulling out a key, "Sometimes, one must fully observe their surroundings before continuing." He said as he unlocked the door and they went inside.

Slade looked around, "Jeez…Kilpatrick wasn't kidding when he said these places were crappy…my apartment in Hollywood is ten times better than this dump…"

Victor furrowed his brows, as he and Slade paced around the apartment. He eventually saw a recorder and hit the play button.

"Mare, hey Mare. It's Mike. Look, I gotta head downtown for a few days, maybe longer. If Reno calls, tell him to meet me down there…we've got something to discuss, apparently. I'll be at Milton's place in the Skyline lofts, room two. Sorry baby, I'll explain everything later." A southern drawl rambled from the recorder.

Slade blinked a few times, "Huh…well, he's not here then…"

"This certainly puts a wrench into things…" Victor said.

"Alright…I'll think I'll just go back to Kilpatrick and tell him that he fled town her something…I've wasted enough time with this…if I don't help the others blow up that place from Santa Monica…there's no telling what LaCroix will do to me…"

"Right, then I suppose this is where we split ways."

"Yeah, thanks a lot Victor."

Once they made their farewells, Slade went back to the Bail Bonds place.

"Did ya find something out about Muddy?" Arthur asked.

"He went downtown. He's not here." Slade said.

"Alright then. I'll have to call in some bounty hunters to help me find Muddy and a couple of other jumpers. Thanks for all your help."

Slade held a hand out.

"Oh, right, right, sorry about that." Arthur handed him the money.

"Right, I'd help more, but I gotta go."

"See ya around then." He waved, "If you ever find yourself, or a loved one, locked up, please call!"

* * *

Miss Luna grunted as she hit the ground, stumbling forward and quickly getting to her feet again. She dusted the shards of glass off of herself, running as fast as she could. She knew Therese wouldn't dare jump out the window and follow her, but she knew Therese had money. Lots of it. Enough to buy someone or something that would easily hunt her down.

Her small gloved hands found themselves in the chests of others as she pushed them out of the way from her mad dash towards _somewhere_ , until she slammed into someone who was dressed dark as night. She landed on her bum as she rubbed her forehead, her glossy eyes that were lined with tears blinked a few times as she tried to get back to her feet as quickly as possible.

Cadmus blinked a few times, feeling a nervous lump in his throat, "…pink…?" He eventually found his voice, as their eyes met.

"Cadmus, I…" Miranda trailed off, seeing the tiny flustered assassin standing opposite of Cadmus, "Was I interrupting something?"

Cadmus's eyes darted over towards her, "Go keep looking for Bertram." He swatted a hand, and she ran off, he then looked at Miss Luna, "You okay?"

"Two…." She scrambled back, "You a cape?" She hissed.

He tilted his head to the side a little, "Well…by definition…yeah, I guess…"

She looked confused, "Voerman…you know her….?"

"Uh…sort of…who…who are you now? You wouldn't happen to know Bertram Tung…or…know where he is…?"

She shook her head, "You didn't see me…you don't know me, I'm nothing." She turned around and started running.

"Wait!" He called, "You…you're hurt…"

She looked over her shoulder, taking out two pistols and aiming them at him, "You didn't see me!"

People on the streets screamed and ran off.

He held his hands up, "I just want to help you…I mean…there's glass…in you…so…"

"I'm fine…" She said through clenched teeth, "You didn't see me. Go the other direction."

"What happened to you, anyway?"

She fired at his toes.

His eye twitched as his foot moved out of the way, "This isn't a game you want to be playing with me…"

"Then go the other direction and you never have to see me again. Or kill me if you have to." She spat through clenched teeth, "I'm just kine, I'm just a _dog_ to you, just a filthy little _flea_."

"Are you a ghoul?"

She fired at his other foot.

"Who do you belong to?"

"No one!" She barked as she fired at his head with both guns nonstop. "You had your warnings!"

His eyes widened as a green mist surrounded him, "Alright, alright, jeez…"

She stuck the pistols in her belt as they ran out of ammo, then she turned and ran. She thought herself safe after a minute or so passed, then a knife whizzed by her ear and struck a nearby fencepost, as Cadmus emerged from the shadows and gave chase.

She gasped as she caught her footing, grabbing her sniper and turning it around to fire it at point-blank range.

Cadmus's cheeks puffed up as a wound exploded on his chest from the hole the sniper bullet pierced. An unwise move, but he let his Fortitude down when he gave chase, and he was more than paying the price for it. He coughed up blood, growling in pain. He grabbed the barrel of her gun, pulling her in close and catching her face with the palm of his hand, tackling her to the ground and pinning her down with ease.

She grunted as she hit the sidewalk, thrashing underneath him as she reached in her belt for two daggers, rearing back to stab him in the back.

He winced as he felt them both dig into his flesh. He pulled out a knife of his own, rearing back, "Well, it's been a fun three minutes…" He muttered.

She grit her teeth and gave up her grip, letting her tears loose as she closed her eyes tightly, "Fucking…get it over with already…"

"…" The grip on his knife shook, "You really area ghoul…you have a heartbeat…and everything…"

She peeked an eye open, "Yeah, I'm a ghoul, what the hell do you want?"

"Did…did Kindred society ruin your life too…?"

"Tch…." She wiped her tears away, "Don't pretend to be so compassionate. You want to hire me? Kill me? Drain me? What do you want?"

"No…I wanted to help you…originally…here…" He slit his wrist with his knife, "If you drink this, you'll feel better…and then maybe I can help get the glass out of you…"

Her eyes widened. "…why are you helping me…?" She asked, "I don't want to owe you anything, I don't have any money and I'm not a blood doll…"

"Because I…I…" He got off of her and sat beside her, "I…I hate being a vampire…I hate all of this. All the backstabbing, all the bullshit…so…when I saw you…you…you sort of reminded me of…myself…I mean, you're still a ghoul…though, which…which is awesome…you can…you can still see the warmth of the sun…god…that must feel amazing…you can eat…and drink…I'm rambling…I'm sorry, I…I hope I didn't make any of your injuries worse…you won't be bound to me from one drink, it'll just patch you up…I swear…"

"I know how it works…" She muttered as she grabbed his wrist and brought it close to her mouth, "Ventrue?"

"Yeah."

"You don't seem like it." She muttered before she started drinking from his wrist.

He closed his eyes and let her drink as she pleased, eventually using his free hand to rip the two daggers out of his back.

She gently pulled herself away, contrary to how many ghouls seemed to nearly frenzy when drinking from a regnant, "Thanks…" She muttered as she wiped her mouth, "What can I do for you, sir?"

"It's fine…you can go now…"

"Get it over with now." She said, "I know you want to use me. Frankly, I don't give a damn, so long as Voerman isn't involved and I'm not used as a blood doll…"

"Jesus…I don't have anything for you." He said, "You _said_ you didn't want to owe me anything…why would I betray you like that?"

"I've yet to meet an honest member in the Camarilla."

"I know…I know I'm a Ventrue, and part of the Camarilla, and Kindred, but I don't care about any of that…the only thing I care about is wiping out the Sabbat…they…they killed my wife…so I don't really care about the political games going on…unless it gets me closer to killing the bastard who killed my wife…"

"….that's it…?"

He nodded, "I hate being a vampire…most of the complaints you just said about them, I have to deal with them just as much, if not more so…"

"….can….I please be your ghoul…?"

He gave an excited nod, "Yeah, sure, why?" He stood up, "Why the sudden interest?"

"I've never met a Kindred who…isn't convoluted…"

"No, I'm pretty straightforward. Dense, is what Miranda calls me…"

"I like it."

He tried to hide his chuckle, "I'm Cadmus."

"Cadmus." She repeated, "Angelique Luna."

He nodded, "Do you have a place to stay?"

"No."

"Here…" He dug around in his many pockets, eventually digging out a card, "It's the key to my room, in Venture Tower." He handed it to her, "If you tell the security guard that you know me, he'll let you up. It's very nice and cozy. The Prince is as rich as all hell, so you go rest up."

"Ventrue Tower?" She asked, "You…work directly for _LaCroix_?" She hissed, "I can't go there…he definitely knows about me…"

"He knows about you?"

"Voerman has a big mouth, and another even bigger mouth. If he doesn't catch word from one of them, he'll catch word from the other. And I worked for another Primogen for a few years before the deal fell through and he pinned a price on my head…." She crossed her arms.

"I'll cover you. I promise."

"Okay…" She said quietly, picking up her sniper and putting it on her back. She looked back up at him again, her eyes narrow as she looked him over, as if she was trying to figure out if he was crazy or not. Regardless, she followed him down the street towards a taxi to downtown.

* * *

A/N: Oh I'm sure this arrangement does wonderful things to Therese's anxiety…(can you tell one of the writers really likes the Voerman sisters?) So what did you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Here's chapter nineteen! In case you weren't positive if one of the writers is obsessed with the Voerman sisters, here's this chapter. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Keeping her eyes closed and her breathing deep and slow as if she were in a deep slumber, Therese listened in to the doctors chatting lowly by the doorway.

"Well, it's good to know the drug is working, at least." A voice said, "No sign of any sort of…?" He trailed off.

"None at all." Another doctor said, "There's still trauma to her body, of course, but that seems to be the only sign of damage."

"Is she still upset?"

"There isn't a single patient here who is content. When we release her, she'll be fine. There's no sun, no fresh air, she's going to be depressed."

"Of course. What exactly are they doing with her when they release her? She's too young to go back and live in that house by herself."

"They said they're planning to release her when she turns eighteen."

"Two more years in here?"

"She still needs to be monitored. A week of no alternate personality isn't definitive progress. We still need to conduct certain experiments. Give her stress, give her pain, give her sadness, just to ensure she won't lose it when she does go out there and get involved in the real world."

"Yes, of course."

"For now, we're going to try and plateau the drugs and see if there are any changes. The drug seems to be making her lethargic, so we're thinking after this bridge, we can cut some slack and eventually wean her off of it. But…we've never had a patient with dissociative identity disorder who _didn't_ need drugs."

"Is there any chance she'll be hypersexual if the other personality is suppressed?"

"Hardly. But Doctor Holmes said there's a good chance it'll bring out a case of megalomania."

"But we can put her through more experimentation to get rid of that, right?"

"Of course." She listened to the pair of doctors leave, discussing types of drugs they would try on her. She sat up on her cot, blowing her hair out of her eyes. Her bangs were growing out, and they refused to give her scissors to cut them shorter. She just wanted to _see_. But even that was too much to ask.

She wrapped her arms around her knees as she stared at the foot of the bed, listening to the complete silence. The dreary room had concrete walls and floors, at least six inches thick, most likely designed to be sound proof. But, they only seemed to amplify most of the sounds. At night, she listened to the screaming of the person in the room next to her, who was experimented on every evening at the same time. She liked to blame his tortured cries for her insomnia. It definitely wasn't Jeanette.

Jeanette. Wretched, cursed Jeanette.

She hated her. Any time she thought about Jeanette, she felt her blood boil. Her eyes teared up and she bit her lip as she let out strangled sobs. She felt like a child, sitting in bed and crying. But she would never throw tantrums or scream, she had some sense of dignity. Some sense of dignity as she sat in an asylum.

Why did she hold onto her pride? There was no lower she could fall…perhaps six feet under. She would always be the last heir to the Voerman family, the girl that _killed_ her family. Well, she didn't kill her mother, at least. She had one memory of her mother, her warm arms wrapped around her as she rocked back and forth. She had to be an infant, the memory was so foggy and so warm, like a dream. Her father never spoke a word of her mother, not even when she asked as politely as she could. The answer was always the same.

Your mother never cared.

Therese never settled for that answer. Not as long as she remembered being held so warmly. She had to care at some point. She found an image of her mother once, in Jeanette's dresser. She knew Jeanette definitely stole it from her father, stole it from a pocket of one of his blazars, most likely. She would have chastised her little sister, but her father never recounted losing it. It would have been different if he brought it up to her, mentioned losing it, but it seemed he forgot it was there.

The picture was long gone now, confiscated with just about everything else in the mansion she grew up in. She closed her eyes as she clearly remembered the picture. Her mother's long blonde hair, soft round face, plump lips and warm green eyes. She almost looked like…

Jeanette.

Blood mingled on her tongue as she bit her lip harder. She wasn't groggy anymore, as she had been so often. She sniffed and wiped a tear away from her eye. Therese, the shame of the Voerman family, the one responsible for the death of them all.

Perhaps if she had children, she could clear the dirt from her reputation. But, she was a woman. Her last name would be drowned away as soon as she was wed. Wiped away like a smudge on glass. When she was born, she killed the Voerman family. Perhaps that's why her father took his life.

The sight of his body hanging from the rafters popped up into her mind, jolting her eyes open as she felt her chest burn with fear and sadness. She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as she listened to the footsteps of the doctor or therapist heading towards her room. Usually she cried as they scolded her, or stuck her with needles. She minded at first, the first few weeks, but she could hardly feel them anymore.

Slowly the door creaked open, the therapist stepped in. He was the only person here who made sense to Therese. She didn't like him at all, but she understood his every intention. If he was a game, she would never play it, because she'd always know how to win.

He grabbed a chair and pulled it over, sitting beside her bed, "Miss Voerman. It's seven in the morning."

"Thank you." Her voice was surprisingly soft, most likely because it had been days since she spoke last.

"What are you thinking?"

What was she thinking? Plenty of things, but what was she going to tell him? "I'm famished."

He scratched something down on his pad of paper, "Mentally, Miss Voerman."

"I find it hard to focus when I'm so hungry."

"Please don't make this difficult."

She rolled her eyes, "Nothing outside the ordinary." He was usually much more direct with his questions. Averting them was fun for her, but only when they weren't so vague.

"I don't care if they're the same thoughts, I need to hear what they are."

She rolled her eyes yet again. "I've made no progress." She felt her hands shake, sticking them under the sheets.

"That is not for you to decide."

She closed her eyes and grit her teeth.

"What is the matter, Miss Voerman?"

"When you…talk like that…you sound like my goddamn father…"

He sat back, "Is that so? You never mentioned this before." He leaned in.

"I haven't."

"Well, if I'm making you uncomfortable, I suppose I should leave."

"Then why don't you?"

He chuckled, "A new therapist will be sent in, you do realize? And they will have to ask all the questions I already know."

She scrunched her nose up in a scowl, "Why are you wasting so many resources on me?" She asked as she sat up, "As long as you keep giving me those medications, I don't need a therapist. Those medications that do absolutely _nothing_."

"The medications you are on are the reason you're functioning at all."

"Tch, what, are they keeping me breathing? Are the beating my heart for me? They're just keeping me tired and sluggish so I won't try to tear your heads off. I'm angry about everything, so your drugs are just there to slow me down and make me forget it all."

"The drugs are suppressants, but for your condition, not your anger."

"My _condition_ …" She shook her head, "Jeanette isn't a _condition_. She's my sister. I have no idea what the hell sort of information you were told, but she isn't a mental condition, she's my little sister!"

"There is no birth certificate for Jeanette Voerman. There is no Jeanette Voerman anywhere, Therese. You're an only child."

"I am not!" She exclaimed with a dry laugh, "You were given the wrong information! You're treating me for a problem I don't even have!"

"You have dissociative identity disorder. We've had a few other patients with it before, but…none as young as you."

"I wonder why that is." Her gray eyes narrowed, "Perhaps it's because I _don't have it_."

He chuckled softly as he put his clipboard aside, "What is your first memory of your father?"

She sneered at his change of subject before she laid back on the bed, "I don't know…." She replied with a tone to her voice, "What's the first memory you have? It's not something that can be recounted with relative ease."

"I have all day."

She sighed, closing her eyes as she bit her thumb nail and tried to remember. "He corrected the spelling of my name. I wrote my name in one of his notebooks…it…it was spelled wrong. I didn't know there was an H after the T and an E at the end."

"He corrected your spelling…how?"

"…that's…an odd question…he crossed it out and wrote the proper spelling underneath, showing it to me."

"He wanted to help you learn?"

"Of course. He was a good man….when…he wasn't with Jeanette…"

"And how did he act with Jeanette?"

She hated revealing any more information. She'd always tease him, give him a handful of invaluable information and then close up like a clam and refuse to open, "I don't know."

"Miss Voerman, please."

She rolled away from him, facing the wall. She watched an ant crawl up the wall, sensing the rough surface with its antennae.

"If you answer my question, you will get two meals today, rather than one."

She sat up, "I always get two meals."

"Mmm hmm." His eyes stayed on the clipboard.

"Bastard…" She hissed under her breath. "He was angry. He didn't like her. He'd punish her and scold her."

"And he treated you fairly?"

"Always."

" _Always?_ " He raised a brow.

She crossed her arms, "I don't know what you're getting at."

"You did things to make your father happy."

"Of course I did." She said, "I was the good girl. I was obedient…I wasn't like her…I didn't bring boys home and get in trouble." She said, then she shook her head, "Any child would do something to make their father happy…whether it's getting good marks or making dinner…it's simply what has to be done in a functional family."

"Did your father ever raise his voice at you?"

She was quick to respond, "No, because I was the good one. I didn't do things that got me in trouble."

"Did you ever do anything you didn't want to do for him?"

"Does it matter?" She asked, "Jeanette made Father miserable." She felt rage bubble in her chest, "Jeanette made him absolutely miserable, I just tried to make him happy….but…nothing worked…"

"Therese." He leaned in, "A healthy family does _not_ function in the way that yours has."

She glared at him, "I did everything I could. There was no mother to make dinner and hang the clothes out in the yard, and there was hardly a father to guide us, not when Jeanette was running around and tearing him apart."

"Your mother. Do you know what happened to her?"

"No." She said quietly.

"She took her own life when you were almost a year old."

Therese didn't offer any sort of response.

"Do you know why?"

"No." Her voice stayed soft.

"She was being abused. By your father."

"Father would never abuse someone."

"You were being abused, Miss Voerman."

"I was not." She insisted, "I was being obedient. I was listening, I did everything he told me to so that he wouldn't go insane with Jeanette's antics! I was the reason he was alive, but…" She cursed herself out as she felt tears form in her eyes, "I couldn't do enough…."

"Yes, he took his own life, according to yourself."

She sniffed and nodded.

"And what was it Jeanette said happened?"

"Jeanette lied." She said simply, "Jeanette _always_ lies."

"What was it she said?"

"She said I shot him and killed him. Which I didn't. I would never kill him."

"Not even to put him out of his misery?"

"No." She snapped, "We needed him. Because without him, we're minors….we're…just children…we wouldn't have a house…we'd go to some sort of orphanage…"

"Not even if he made you angry?"

"Why would you take Jeanette's word for _anything?_ "

"Because your father's cause of death was not suffocation or a broken neck." She scowled as he continued, "It was a shot to the head."

"It wasn't me." She said, "Maybe he shot himself, then…I just…I…"

He crossed his arms and looked at his watch, "I'll leave you to rest, Miss Voerman." She sniffed as tears leaked down her cheeks, "Good afternoon."

She watched as he left the room, a nurse entered with a tray of food and needles. "Hungry?"

She shook her head.

"You have to eat." She said as she held the plate out in front of her.

Therese sniffed and grabbed the plate, tentatively nibbling from it, "What's the date…?"

"It doesn't matter." She said as she held Therese's left arm and started administering injections.

Therese sniffed, "I just want to know the date, please…"

"It doesn't matter."

"When do I get to leave…?"

"Eat." She demanded with a cold snap.

She scooped another mouthful of stale oatmeal, hopefully quieting her grumbling stomach. The nurse took the bowl from her a moment later, before she had the chance to eat very much, wheeling the cart out of the room. She hugged her knees, wiping the bloody spots from her shoulder that the nurse left unattended. She would have left them if she wasn't worried about them getting infected.

"Jeanette…" She whispered as she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, "Jeanette…I will get you back…wherever they put you…they can't keep us apart…"

Therese's eyes opened as she sat up and looked around. Her apartment was pitch black, a good sign. If it was any lighter, it would mean she woke up midday. She took a shaky sigh and put her glasses on, combing her fingers through her hair before she quickly tied it up in a bun. She grabbed her phone that was on the nightstand and looked at it, seeing countless voicemails from Jeanette. As she started getting dressed, she listened to them.

"Therese? Can you come to the Asylum? I want to talk…"

"Therese…? I emailed you…pick up when you can, kay?"

"Therese! It's me! Look, if you're mad with me, please pick up so we can talk.

"You're pissing me off Therese…I know you're not at a meeting…I don't know what you're doing, but please…pick up!"

"Pick up!"

"Therese, Victor wants to talk to you. He yelled at me too…so….yeah, pick up."

"Fine, whatever, you crazy bitch, I hate you too."

And that was the last one.

She slipped into her heels, deleting all the voicemails. Compelled to respond, to send a text, to do something, she opened her phone. But, just as quickly, she closed it. "Jeanette…" She scowled to herself as she grabbed her bag and started to leave, "You have no idea how lost you'd be without me."

* * *

Scowling again as she deleted a numerous deal of emails from her inbox, Therese heard a knock on the door. She stood up from the vanity and closed the laptop, "Come in."

Victor walked into the room, "Ah, finally, it's you I run into."

"There you are." She crossed her arms, "The Art Gallery?" She asked before her temper burst, "That was my event! And I know exactly who put you up to it! If you complain about her so much, then why do follow her biddings? She's only going to use you, but I guess that's exactly what you're good for. Do you know how much that's going to cost?"

His frigid blue eyes hardened at her gray ones, "So…the Thaumaturgical creature rigged inside the paintings? That was _yours?_ I could take that little rant of your as a confession, darling. And I'm sure my Regent would love to hear about the where's and how's about its existence. Then we'll see what becomes of your title."

Her eyes narrowed, "You think _I_ have the capability to set up something like that?" She held out a hand, "I'm flattered, truly, but I have no clue to what extent they took my payment. I paid for the paintings, the custodians and protection. I have no clue what they posted as fortification, or how, perhaps if it's such a concern of yours you should take it up with the advisors."

"Never mind it." He growled, "Jeanette tricked me. That's truly where this mess all started. But hear these words…" He reached into his pocket and held out the pendant from the Ocean House Hotel, "I have this. This is the item that was haunting your property. This is the original deal we set for one another." He said, "I just want to settle this and be done with it."

Her head slowly tilted to the side as she examined the necklace, before she slowly reached out and snatched it, examining it before placing it in her pocket, "Thank you." She said as she looked at him from above her glasses, "I can't exactly say where our loyalties lie but at the very least I suppose I can trust you to do the right thing." She faced him head on, "I'll let Jeanette know she and Halcyon are none of my concern, and it will remain that way."

"So you won't kill Halcyon?"

"No. Unless she tries to kill me, which I'm doubtful of…" She said, "I need another favor of you."

"Yes?" He asked slowly, "What is it?"

"I need you to talk to Jeanette. I have a meeting tomorrow, the same day Jeanette decided to have a discussion in the Surfside Diner." She said, her tone indicating how ridiculous she felt it all was, "I'd like you to tell her I plan to…reconcile."

He gave a slow nod, "The Surfside Diner, you said?"

"Yes, that's correct."

He nodded again, "Then I shall speak to Jeanette."

"Thank you, Victor. I'm sure the Prince will appreciate this act, seeing as otherwise I would be missing a rather important meeting."

"Yes, of course." He left the Asylum, heading for the Surfside Diner.

The first thing that struck him as odd were the four men positioned to his immediate left. He paid them little attention, however, as he looked hopelessly for Jeanette, eventually he meandered over to the back booths.

Gunfire sprayed all over the room. To Victor's dismay, he was pelted in the back more times than he could count. He grunted as he felt blood trickle up his throat. _That was definitely a shotgun blast._

He whirled around, not too sure if he could stand a barrage like that again. He held a hand out towards the gangster wielding a shotgun. The man both inflated and heated up like a balloon, slowly but surely rising from the ground as all his cohorts screamed in fear at the display in front of him.

The man's explosion was so hot, that his three accomplice's blew up alongside him. Victor sighed and put a hand down, feeling hunger course through him. The only other person in the room was a nervous chef, running for his life. Victor held his hand out again and a blue glow came out of it, putting him into a trancelike state. He fed on the man's neck and slumped his unconscious body on the counter, eventually hearing the phone ring. He walked over to the phone and looked in all directions, picking it up.

"Victor?" He heard Therese's voice.

"Yes. It's me. Jeanette wasn't here…eight bullets in my back later and the restaurant is empty…may I have an explanation?"

He heard her give an irritated sigh, "Leave it to Jeanette to stab me in the back…" She spat, "I knew she never wanted to talk, it was just another ruse…she would have killed me for certain…..Victor, I have no suitable apology, you saved my life…" He heard her give another shaky sigh, "I'll take care of Jeanette. I'm not going to be needing any more help…but I do appreciate the help you've given me."

"I see. In that case, I'll return to the Chantry and give the good news to Iphigenia."

"Very well. Good evening, Victor."

He was about to hang up when he swore he heard Jeanette's voice, "She's crazy, help!" The line was cut short after that.

Victor hung the phone up slowly, finding it odd at the very least. Why would Therese vent like that with Jeanette in the very same room as her? Unless Jeanette overheard at the least second and ran into defend herself, it made no sense. Would he answer her cry for help? That remained to be seen.

He berated himself as he hit the second floor button on the elevator, his scientific curiosity got the best of him. What would lead Jeanette, someone who most likely despised him, to cry out for help? She would only do something so open if her life was in danger.

As he opened the door to the bedroom, dispensing with knocking, he saw Therese aiming a gun at the bathroom door. At first he thought Jeanette was inside the bathroom, until she turned and faced him, half of her body appeared to be Therese's, the other half was Jeanette's, down to the makeup and single green eye. When she spoke, it sounded like Therese's voice, "I'm…terribly sorry you had to see this…" She said as she held her hand in the air, her pistol still tightly in hand, "I suppose I should have locked the door..."

She spoke again, and this time it sounded like Jeanette's voice, her face contorted with terror, "Victor, you have to save me, she's going to kill me!"

" _Save_ you?" Therese's voice asked, "It's far too late for that, Jeanette, you've crossed the line. I warned you this would happen, and you completely disregarded me, as you always do! I'm done with your games."

Victor looked horrified, "What…what in unholy…terror…?"

"Victor, please…" Jeanette begged.

Therese gave a hopeless laugh, "Oh trust me, I've tried. I've tried for years, to use reasoning with you. Logic. It's a complete waste, nothing absorbs in that empty head of yours."

"Reasoning?" Jeanette raised a brow and crossed her arms, her fear soon abandoned for anger, "You mean _threats_? Burning my bed, Therese?"

"Yes, since you value your filthy life as a harlot more than anything else, I figured burning your prized satin sheets would give you the sense to listen for once, rather than leading every pointless Kindred and kine on the streets into your bed."

Jeanette smirked, "Don't pretend you're so innocent, Therese. Or should I say, Daddy's girl?" She looked at Victor, "You have no clue how depraved the Baroness of Santa Monica really is."

"Shut up, Jeanette!" Therese's eyes widened.

"Ladies, ladies…let's…slow down for a minute…" Victor said, trying to hide his sheer terror, not to mention he had no idea what he would expect next, "Killing one another isn't going to solve the problem here…"

"I think it will solve the problem quite nicely." Therese's voice said, "I won't have to deal with any of her antics any longer. Maybe I'll actually make a profit, maybe I won't have to deal with explaining Jeanette in every meeting I go to!"

"Why don't you listen to him, Therese? Listen to the Tremere Magister, put the gun down and get along with me already." She smirked.

"That isn't what he said at all!" She shouted, "Why is it that you have to warp everything anyone says into something that works best for you? Something that's more convenient for carrying on your twisted life! You're the reason I've always been set back, because you can't listen without making some sort of selfish choice that ruins everything!"

"I know what this is really about, Therese…" She said, "Now that Victor's here, I'm not nearly as scared to say it." Jeanette said as she looked at Victor, "He'll keep me safe, he won't let you kill me for spilling the truth."

Therese gave a dry chuckle, "The truth?" She asked, "Since when did you _ever_ speak the truth?"

"Halcyon makes you jealous, doesn't she? You see how much love and attention Halcyon gives me, and you haven't had any sort of attention since Daddy kicked the bucket." She threw her hands in the air, "You were the one who killed him, Therese, blew his brains out all over the silly clown wallpaper…"

"I would never kill Father!" She spat, "Father killed himself because he couldn't handle your antics! You made him miserable!"

"Say what you want, Therese, he was in my arms when I watched you fire the gun…that was the last smile he ever had…" She sighed, "I guess that's why you're such a good politician. You see a problem and you just get rid of it, because you're just a control freak!"

"And you're a wild animal. You'll rub up against anyone who gives you any sort of attention, before you bite the hand that fed you. You're nothing but a filthy whore!"

Victor felt a lump in a throat, "Please…don't kill each other…I beg you…"

"I don't have a choice. I can't make any more risks." Therese said.

"Yes, go ahead, Therese, kill me. Kill the last thing alive in your life, kill the branch to every happy memory you've ever had." Jeanette said airily.

"Don't be ridiculous." Therese spat, "I was happy far before you came along. I was happy without you, writing papers, balancing finances. Whether in the past or in the present, I've always been happier without you!"

"What about when they took me away, Therese? Were you happy then?"

"Shut up, Jeanette! Are you happy fornicating with the kine in the street!? With the Anarch scum!? You are _nothing_ , you have _always_ been nothing! You're completely incapable of doing anything that requires wit or skill, so you just resort to throwing yourselves into the arms of whoever walks by you. You think _I_ crave attention? You're so incompetent and dependent on others, you can't function without having someone spoon-feed you every second of your life!"

"I…know…my opinion of the two of you was…up…up in the air…before…" Victor stuttered, but he eventually held his arms out, "But you two are a scientific marvel! You have a very admirable lifespan, and I don't think it should be cut short for either of you."

"Hear that, Therese?" Jeanette asked, "He thinks you're a _marvel_."

Therese scowled, "That isn't the focal point, Jeanette." She turned her attention back to Victor, "You have to understand, she's an obligation and nothing more. If I get rid of her, the Anarchs will be weakened, Iphigenia will have her sister back, and I'll have my sanity. I don't see any sort of light in leaving her alive."

Jeanette scoffed, "I'm not an _obligation_ , Therese, I'm your sister! You need me!"

"I don't _need_ you, Jeanette. I'll be just fine without you."

"You…know…if I had lived a bit longer…a couple hundred more years, lost a bit more of my humanity, then perhaps I would agree with you…Therese…but…she is your…sister." He swallowed hard, "You have a sister…I grew up alone…I…I was always alone…I…I cannot imagine how much easier my life and un-life would have been if I had a sibling with me throughout it. No matter how different we were…"

"He certainly has a way with words…" Jeanette gave a soft sigh.

Therese stared at the floor, deep in thought, "You…do make a rather valuable point…if nothing else, I should keep her around to…keep me company…I suppose she isn't completely intolerable." She crossed her arms.

"Completely intolerable…" Jeanette scoffed, "You couldn't live without me, Therese. When you escaped, I was the first person you sought out."

"Of course…" She said, her voice soft and gentle, "You were…my only friend…"

"Because Daddy didn't let us go out and make any friends….he was afraid we'd get hurt."

"Those days…were simpler…" Therese let the gun tumble to the floor, "…happier…"

"I guess it is cruel of me to argue with you so much…I just wish you'd give me more respect."

"Respect?" Therese asked, "You act like a child, I can hardly trust you with twenty dollars, let alone my respect."

"Therese…" Victor started, "You probably should show your sister a bit more respect…but Jeanette…that would come a bit easier if you didn't sabotage Therese's plans…like the gallery…"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to be a little less impulsive…" Jeanette muttered.

"I'd gladly give you more control of the club, if you were to take responsibility for it. I…I can understand your methods and tactics are a necessary evil in the club business, but I do wish you would keep it…controlled." Therese said.

"Okay." Jeanette said with a smile, "So long as you don't step in and take everything back if I make one little mistake."

Therese nodded, "I'll do my best. It's going to be a change for both of us, then." She said as she picked up the gun and handed it to Victor, "Here. Take this. I don't want to even look at it again and think of what almost transpired."

Victor looked at the small handgun briefly, "Words cannot describe at how pleased I am at this display of peace."

Therese chuckled softly, "It has been quite some time since I've felt so…"

"At ease. Yeah, me too." Jeanette finished, "Thank you Victor." She smiled, "You saved my life."

"I shall leave you two ladies alone now." He smiled back, "I have business to attend to."

"Of course." Therese nodded.

Jeanette smirked, "Please…don't be afraid to stop by…I owe you one. And not a word of this to anyone else…or else we'll have to-"

"Kill you."

* * *

 **A/N:** So? What'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty! I know you missed LaCroix, so here he is. :) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines. Also Miranda and Tess exist.

* * *

"We found Bertram Tung." Cadmus said once he and Miranda united with Slade and Tess, "He was in an oil tank this entire time. Right under our damn noses…"

"Not surprising for a Nosferatu…" Tess muttered.

"Cadmus…are you alright…? You look as though you wrestled a bear…" Miranda said.

Cadmus looked down at himself, the huge hole gored into him still sealing up slowly, "Yeah…I'm fine, let's just talk to Bertram."

For Tess and Slade, this up close and personal look at a Nosferatu was a sight to behold. The top of his head was uneven and there were boils everywhere on his head, as well as golden ring piercings in his nose and ear, one ear, the other one was practically fused into his head, he had dark red eyes as well. At least he dressed nice, he wore a black jacket, pants, and dress shoes.

"Well, well, look at what we have here…" Bertram's voice gurgled, his voice was just as strange as his appearance, "Hey Cadmus, Miranda, what brings you to Santa Monica?"

"That warehouse." Cadmus said, "The Sabbat one. Mercurio told us about it. Think you can show us the way?"

"Yeah, I've been watching the place. The Sabbat have a bunch of lowlife humans working day-in and day-out over there. I think most of them have aspirations in joining the graduating class of shovelheads…ugh…losers…"

Cadmus clenched his fists, anytime the Sabbat were brought up his blood boiled.

"So, who are the new fledglings you brought along?" Bertram smiled, "Well, _you_ I recognize there pal…"

Slade blinked, "You know me?"

"Pfft, Slade Lockwood. Who the hell wouldn't know you? News travels down the Kindred grapevine like wildfire. And that courtroom spat with LaCroix, Abrams and Rodriguez is a juicy little morsel. And you in the middle…how interesting…"

Slade crossed his arms, "Jeez…that's how all this bullshit started…why does he even want me to do this?"

"Beats me. I'd say he wants you outta the picture."

"He wouldn't do something so heartless." Tess rolled her eyes.

"Tess, he almost killed VV and I." Slade said.

"Because she broke the laws." Tess said, "You have to bring the idea of Embracing to the Prince himself, wasn't it clear in the trial? That's what Julius did for me. He ran an interview, I passed and was Embraced. Careless Embracing like what that stripper did is the reason there are so many dark minded Kindred around today."

"Is that what I am to you Tess?" Slade growled, "A dark-minded Kindred? Just another little problem in your peachy little world…hmm? Am I in your way? Am I an inconvenience to you?"

"Not now…but I'm sure you will be…" She crossed her arms.

"Alright, if you two are done…" Cadmus said, looking at Bertram, "Can you get us to this warehouse?"

"Yes I can." Bertram said, "Once you're there however, you're on your own. You'll have to put the explosives in the center office to take the whole structure down."

Once they made the preparations, Bertram escorted them to the warehouse, it was a dirty, rundown place, connected to a train station.

Slade looked around nervously, "So…who has the Astrolite?"

"I have it." Cadmus said.

"I think Tess should do most of the work this time." Slade said, "Considering you have yet to lift a finger like a lazy degenerate. Come on, miss envoy of the Camarilla! Show us what you got!"

Tess raised a brow, "I wasn't told to go out and plant Astrolite. I wasn't told to do a thing, besides meet people and familiarize myself with the area. I'm simply a spectator."

"Yeah, and that's all you'll ever be. Amongst other things."

She rolled her eyes, "I don't do physical labor or combat, I create strategies and fight with words, this isn't exactly my forte."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the Camarilla will eat that up, Tess."

"Mmm hmm. It's in my files, part of my interview, the Prince knows about it."

"Tess…at our level, the Camarilla wants _soldiers_. Not _politicians_. Why the hell else would they send you out in the middle of nowhere like this?" Slade asked, "They have enough politicians Tess, those are the elders and the old guys in charge. Face it. The four of us, we're flunkeys, whether you like it or not."

"I'm…not a flunkey." She insisted, "I'll talk to him myself…"

"Pfft, yeah, I'm sure he won't lie to you or anything."

"There are opportunities to rise up, in the Camarilla." Miranda said.

"Pfft. Yeah right. Even after twenty years, I'm still a glorified flunkey." Cadmus said, "Good thing I don't really care. If it means I get to keep searching for that bastard, then I don't care. Now everyone shut up. They'll hear us coming if you guys keep bickering like an old married couple."

Miranda looked surprised, "You usually don't take the stealthy approach, Cadmus."

"Eh, I guess not…maybe I'm not that bloodthirsty tonight…"

They went into a rundown, seeing a gangster at a urinal. Cadmus held up a hand to halt them, sneaking up by himself.

The gangster however, had heard him, "Hey!" He turned around with a tiny handgun. But Cadmus was quicker, drawing a knife and stabbing him through the throat.

Slade blinked, "Jeez…he's fast…"

Tess nodded, "Especially with those injuries…"

"I'm fine…" Cadmus said, doing the same thing to another thug near a balcony, overlooking a train station.

"Now what do we do?" Miranda asked as the thug's body thudded to the ground, "All that's in front of us are stationary locomotives…where do we even go…?"

"I don't know…Bertram said the center office…but…I can't even tell where that is from here…" Cadmus said.

"Should we split up and search the area? Meet back here?" Tess asked.

"Alright. You and Miranda go that way. Slade and I will head through here." Cadmus pointed.

Miranda nodded and started walking towards a train inside a cove, "Trust me, if we actually _find_ these brutes, Cadmus will make them all disappear. The Sabbat is a very touchy subject for him…"

"I've noticed. Is there a reason for that?"

"Well…the Sabbat killed his wife…when he was a human…so…he's held a grudge ever since. I can't blame…given how…animalistic…the Sabbat are…it must've been something gruesome…"

"It truly is terrible…I find it amazing that I didn't believe in vampires until I was Embraced…and now I wonder how the Sabbat haven't made vampires as well-known as cats and dogs…"

She gave a soft chuckle, then she froze and held a black-nailed finger up to Tess's lips. She spotted a lone thug near the train. "Stay here." She whispered, tip-toeing up the metal riser with a crouch. Evidently, being barefoot, (with the exception of combat stockings) might've posed an advantage as her feet made no noise on the ground. She drew her katana and impaled the thug, returning back to Tess's side.

"That was hot…" Tess whispered as she shuddered.

"Hmm?" She asked.

She swallowed hard and shook her head, "Oh, nothing. That was impressive." She smiled.

They approached a ladder where the thug's dead body was, "I'll go first." Miranda quickly scaled the ladder.

Tess's eyes grew as she watched Miranda climb the ladder. She quickly climbed up after her and, with the same considerable speed, groped one of her butt cheeks before she slowed down and looked around, "We're going to have to be careful where we tread around here."

"Yes…it's awfully cramped up here…" Miranda said, "But…I've been in tighter places…"

Tess chuckled, "Yes, like the vent duct in the laundry room." She said as she followed Miranda, "From one woman to another, you have a very nice rear, I'm not sure if anyone's ever told you."

"Hmm?" Miranda looked back at her.

She smirked, "Oh, I'm sure you've been told before, probably by…Cadmus?"

"Cadmus? No, never. I don't think he lusts for women anymore ever since his wife."

"What a sense of loyalty." She said, "Quite admirable."

"Yes. Quite. I like that about him." She said, then she smiled at Tess, "Have you been flirting with me this entire time?"

"Mmm hmm."

Her smile grew. But, should she? They were in the middle of a mission, one for LaCroix. Cadmus and Slade couldn't do it by themselves. But she hadn't felt this starvation for attention in a while. Mostly because the police and mostly everyone she tried to flirt with in Santa Monica have given her the cold shoulder, "That's big talk coming from you. You're prettier than I am."

Tess chuckled, "Oh, I'm not entirely sure about that…you have much more wisdom about you, a superiority…even if my appearance was to exceed yours, your mentality would far surpass mine."

"Thank you." She said, "I would have to say your eyes are prettier, overall."

She giggled, "It's nothing compared to your chest."

It had been a while since she'd been flattered this straightforwardly, "I…uh…I hear that a lot…not to say that yours isn't anything to sneeze at…"

Tess chuckled, "I'd love to get my hands all over you if we weren't in such a confined space…"

"Shall we go back down?"

"No, no, I think the others would get a bit angry with us."

"No…please…"

"Oh you poor thing…do you think there will be some room if we move forward or should we head back?"

"Perhaps we should head back. Just for a minute or two…"

"Alright." Tess said as she carefully turned back, then headed down the ladder, "We have to be careful of thugs as well…"

"There shouldn't be any more Sabbat in the immediate area. Cadmus and I made sure of that."

"Wonderful." Tess said as she landed and dusted herself off, "Ugh…Sabbat areas smell like…sewage and smoke…"

"Yes…they…surely are the lowest rung of Kindred society…"

Tess combed her fingers through her hair, taking it out of the bun as she smiled, "You look even better in this lighting."

"As do you. Simply beautiful."

Tess giggled, "Come here." She held her arms out. Miranda ran over and gave her a squeeze, holding Tess's face in her hands. Tess smiled as she rubbed the back of one of Miranda's hands, the other hand rubbed her waist and grabbed her rear firmly.

She groaned, "Ooh…you really do like that…don't you…?"

"I really do." Both hands landed on it as she squeezed it, then reached up and held her breasts gently, "It's a miracle this kimono stays on without any sort of…support…" She rubbed Miranda's shoulders. Miranda gave a soft sigh, leaning forward and kissing her lips, her mouth diving for Tess's with a fiery passion. Tess kissed her back, sighing back as she gently pet her hair. She smiled as she broke away from the kiss, "This…reminds me of the time I got bullied in high school for fucking a girl in the locker room…"

"They were tough on me back then too." Miranda smiled, "Let's give it our all, just to show them." Tess chuckled and kissed Miranda's neck, rubbing her outer thigh while the other hand groped at her breast.

A few small explosions were heard, followed by massive arrays of gunshots, as the warehouse turned into an active firefight.

Miranda gave a frustrated groan, "Damn it all…"

Tess gently pulled herself away, "We should go over there, shouldn't we…?" She asked hesitantly.

She nodded, "They'll need our help."

They followed their ears to the inner workings of the warehouse, seeing that Slade and Cadmus already killed a third of the Sabbat thugs opening fire at them.

"Careful!" Cadmus yelled over the gunshots, "That guy has a shotgun!"

"Right." Miranda held a hand out, a blue glow surrounded the thug armed with a shotgun, and he fell like a sack of bricks.

Tess quickly tied her hair up, dashing behind some of the thugs with pistols to kick them in the head with her heels.

Slade kept dashing around well, using his Celerity in an effort to make short work of the thugs. Cadmus didn't bother with any of his Disciplines, he just fought with his axe and eviscerated anyone in his way.

Cadmus pointed at the stairs, "The office is up there. Let's go."

In the higher offices, they were met with more thugs. One of them had a shotgun and blasted it, aiming for any of the available four Kindred.

Cadmus rolled his eyes, he raised a hand up and a blue glow came out of it. The thug had a heart attack and died. Slade, Miranda, and Tess, killed any of the other thugs nearby.

"Alright, now. The Astrolite. Shall we arm it?" Miranda asked.

Cadmus was staring out into space. He couldn't wait to watch the place drown in flames. It would make him one step closer towards his goal. Maybe one day Angelique would help him with his goal. Or maybe not. He was unsure on whether she liked him or not. It could've just been a business relationship for her, she didn't seem to really like him as a person. He hoped she did. To him, she was like a shining star in the dark, dreary, night sky.

"Cadmus!"

"Oh, right." Cadmus bent down and started arming it, then he stood up, "Alright, we got three minutes."

Tess nodded, "Let's be quick then, we never know what might hold us back."  
They headed out of the mostly empty warehouse. As they tried to leave, the door smashed down and a Sabbat vampire roared at them as he held his claws out.

"Stay back." Cadmus gestured towards the fledglings. He covered himself in a green mist and started fighting with the Sabbat vampire.

Tess watched with wide eyes, "Should we just go? And leave him?"  
"Come with me." Miranda held an arm out to encourage them to follow her.

Tess took Slade's wrist and tugged him along after Miranda.

Miranda looked around struggling on trying to find a clear way back, "This isn't good…" She confessed, "We could still get caught in the explosion from here…"

A low growl was heard, Slade swallowed hard and turned around, seeing another Sabbat vampire, "I could've sworn Bertram said it was just humans…" Slade said nervously.

"Go!" Miranda's eyes were fierce as she fought the vampire off.

Tess squeezed Slade's wrist again as she booked it, blindly taking the lead.

"Damn it…every damn train looks the same!" Slade said.

Tess swallowed hard as she looked around rapidly, bringing him in a random direction with her.

"Christ…it had to have been two minutes by now…what do we do?"

"I don't know…we need to get to higher ground so we can see where the hell we are." She said frantically as she kept running.

A Sabbat vampire leaped from the shadows, tackling Tess over and hissing, as it started clawing into her flesh, repeatedly trying to bite her neck. She let out a loud scream as she did everything she could to kick it off of her, covering her neck with her hands as she thrashed underneath it.

Slade tried to fight it off too, but the beast was somehow able to fight Slade off, still keeping its vice grip on Tess, trying to bite right through her hands. She shrieked as she felt her neck bleed, trying to crawl out from under it with no avail. She then gave up trying to protect her neck and reached out to grab it by the throat, keeping its head away from her neck.

The Sabbat vampire's body was abruptly flung off of Tess's body, as Cadmus swatted away the beast. He reared his axe back and impaled the monster a few more times, it kept crying out in pain. Until it finally burnt away to ash. Cadmus nodded towards the nearby train station, with Miranda not too far behind him, "Go." He said.

Tess slowly got to her feet, covered in blood and deep scratches. She started limping towards the train station along with the others, until they heard a howl and a white wolf came running at them. It slowly transformed into a man. He had long dark hair, and fiendish red eyes that looked much more at home to a feral dog than to a person, hidden behind black glasses.

"The warehouse…" He prefaced in a cool, dark, intellectual voice, "Your handiwork, I presume?"

Slade swallowed hard, "Are…are you a werewolf?"

He gave a slow chuckle, "Not accustomed to creatures of the night, are you? Werewolves don't have a habit of introducing themselves."

Tess smiled a bit, crossing her arms to perhaps appear stronger than she was, "Yes, it was us…but…I have a feeling you're not particularly upset with us for it…"

"Me? No. But, the Sabbat are most likely a different story." He said, "Hopefully none of them saw you escape. They can somewhat, antagonistic."

"Who are you?" Cadmus asked.

"I see my reputation, for once, does not precede me. My name is Beckett. Most of my contacts here have stated that they've felt a sort of dread or pressure…but none of us here are a native to these parts, so it seems we cannot tell if it's irregular or not."

"No…Slade and I are relatively new, I doubt we would be much help…" Tess said.

"New blood, hmm?" Beckett smiled, "What generation?"

"Hmm…I have no idea…" Cadmus said, "I don't even know what generation _I_ am…"

"They're not Thin Bloods, are they?"

"What? No…I don't think so." Slade said.

"A pity…I would love to do some more research on the subject." Beckett said, "Thin Bloods are a rather large fascination of mine. They're considered a weaker, more human-like Kindred. Hence the name, 'Thin Blood', but they are sired, same as any of us." He said, "I heard that there's a large concentration of them live in this city. It's one of the many reasons I'm here in Los Angeles."

"I believe I'm twelfth generation." Tess said, "My sire also told me I shouldn't sire anyone, he said it wouldn't work as well as it would for someone of a higher generation."

"Yes, it's rather possible that any childe you would have may be a Thin Blood." Beckett said, giving a little bow, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, but there are some rumblings I need to discredit. We shall, I'm certain, meet again…or never again. Goodnight, young ones, and be careful. You're very likely being hunted by the Sabbat."

"Pfft, they can come at me all they want." Cadmus muttered, as they headed back to the oil tank.

"Good job, guys." Bertram said, "Felt that explosion coming from a mile away. Man, there's bound to be some pissed off Sabbat just howling for blood tonight." He chuckled.

"Good. I hope they do." Cadmus said, "This guy named Beckett was watching us do it the entire time…you know what his deal is?"

"Whoa, really? Must be something major happening if _he's_ in town. Beckett is a historian of sorts. He's unearthed more vampire lore than any of us. That's all Beckett does, seek the truth behind our…condition…"

"Hmm…" Tess crossed her arms, "I suppose that would explain his…intellect."

"You better get back downtown. Prince LaCroix is gonna wanna hear all about this victory."

* * *

Tess lightly knocked on the door before peeking it open, "I know it's late, I've just been running around like crazy…."

LaCroix looked up from his desk, closing the latches of his suitcase, "Yes, then make it brief."

 _What a stiff. I suppose Julius was right._ "I've been doing quests with Mister Lockwood and-"

"Mister Lockwood?" He asked, "How has he been?"

"Well, sir, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about." She said, "That, as well as an apology…"

"For what?" He asked as he waved the Sheriff off with a hand, who left as quickly and quietly as death itself.

"Our…" She smirked, "Unfortunate introduction." She held a hand out, "Miss Tess Perry."

He looked her in the eye for a moment, frozen like a statue, until he gave a slight nod and shook her hand, "I don't usually do business with Kindred as young as you, unless they are left without a sire. This will not happen again, such an intimate meeting, unless there is an emergency, please do understand. All other questions or concerns are to be brought to your sire. If these reasons are valid, they will eventually surface to my desk." He said as he started walking towards the elevator, she slowly followed, "I'm sure you understand how the judicial system works, similar to the Supreme Court, I suppose. You have been taking political classes, I've been informed."

"Of course." She nodded as she entered the elevator with him, a small part of her wondering where he would even go for the daylight hours, "I just thought playing a game of telephone is rather inconvenient when it comes to introductions to a Kindred so famous."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." He mused as he crossed his arms, clearly he did _not_ want to be in the elevator with her.

She smirked, "So I assume you don't get along with Julius."

"Assumptions are never wise either."

"I can't entirely blame you." She lifted a hand, "He's far more…rash and reasonless. He follows his heart when he should follow his mind. In that aspect, I think the two of us have far more in common."

"Mmm."

"I think we'll get along famously." She smiled and leaned in a bit.

"Perhaps if you…somehow manage to crawl up the corporate ladder."

She snickered, "I do so love being underestimated. I try not to be competitive, but I know it's just another facet of who I am."

"I'll keep note of it." He mused.

"LaCroix…the cross…" She said slowly, before she added, " _Vous parlez français, oui? Pourquoi avez-vous un accent anglais_?"

He scowled, "I advise you keep your nose in your own business. I've been informed of your…cretinous curiosity."

She smirked, " _La curiosité a tué le chat_."

His eyes slid over to her as he held out a hand. Her eyes wavered as a blue glow surrounded her head before she collapsed. He took an empty sigh as the elevator rang and he left her there.

* * *

Grazing her long nails over her buzzed hair, Iphigenia reached out for the doorknob of the Chantry before she felt something poke her in the thigh. She turned and saw nothing there, "Girlie. Fife hundred bucks."

Iphigenia grit her teeth, "I already paid you upfront."

"Yeah, and I had to cover my tracks when the Prince sent a little hunter after me. Five hundred. I don't exactly enjoy stabbing my own faction in the back."

"I don't have that kind of money." She hissed.

"Then you owe me whatever you don't got."

She reached in her back pocket and dropped a wad of cash to the ground, a dark pang in the pit of her stomach as she knew she wouldn't be able to feed Halcyon or Harmonia anymore, "Take it." She barked lowly.

The money disappeared before she heard footsteps, watching the rings in a nearby puddle as the Nosferatu scampered off. She took a shaky sigh as she opened the door and walked into the Chantry, heading towards the room Victor always resided in. She sat on the couch and rubbed her forehead before she grabbed a book and cracked it open.

Victor seemed plenty distracted himself. Iphigenia was used to him writing an occasional sheet of notes, but there were papers all over his table. Most of them were formulas, or diagraphs of a women who was bisected, with certain notes on each side of each half, depicting certain hypotheses about them. Because of how digested he was in his work, it took him a few minutes to notice that she was in the room, "Iphigenia…" He looked up, "You snuck up on me there." He smiled.

"Apologies." She said as she peeked at the drawings, "What…what are you working on…?"

"Hmm?" He asked, "Oh, nothing, these are just…studies I've brainstormed due to my trip to Santa Monica. It is nothing more, and nothing less…"

"I…see…" She said slowly, before turning her gaze back to her book, "Halcyon is bed-ridden…at the very least I can keep an eye on her there…"

"Is that so?" He asked, "How did that happen?"

"A few days ago, an assassin made an attempt at her life…no doubt tied to Therese. It wasn't the gunshot that hurt her, it was the fall to the pavement, she fractured her skull…Jeanette was willing to give her blood, she's been healing wonderfully…I've just been afraid to let her leave in case there are more…"

"Hmm…a few days ago…" He mused, "Well, luckily, it shan't happen again. I have more than settled a disagreement with Therese and Jeanette over the matter. Your sister shall be safe from them now."

"You…settled it…?" She put her book down.

He nodded, leaning a hand on his fist, "I can't say it was a simple matter. But, in the end it didn't take too long."

She gave a sigh of relief, never had he seen her look so eased, "I…I'm not going to ask how….or what sort of miracle it must have taken…I can't thank you enough…"

"Those women certainly have an intolerable streak about them…but…they're not without their…intrigue…" He smiled as he returned to his notes.

As if on cue, the mage who always held the door open, dressed in all maroon peeked in the doorway, adjusting her witch's hat. "Mister Madison?" She asked in a cool deep voice, "Your phone is ringing in your room."

He gave a quick nod, "Yes, thank you Delilah, I shall answer it immediately." He went to his quarters and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Victor…?" It was Jeanette's voice, "Please don't hang up…it's me…I've…just been lonely…"

"Jeanette?" He asked, "Do…you need more assistance with something?"

He heard the squeak of a bed, she must have sat down, "Well…I've just been so…cooped up….Therese has been letting me run the club…like tonight…but she said I'm not allowed to bring anyone into the bedroom anymore…which is fair enough…I just…" She chuckled nervously, "I feel like I'm going to go crazy…"

"Right…I…I must confess I'm not entirely sure how much help I'd be with that…"

"I wouldn't be so doubtful…" She giggled.

His eyes darted around nervously, "Well…Jeanette…I think I hear Strauss calling me…I'll have to return this call at another, more opportune time."

"You don't have to _lie_ , Victor…" She laughed, "I should have known you're more…sensible…I guess I'll let you go then…but…just know, I'll always be here if you change your mind…"

"Yes, of course…farewell…" He hung up, shaking his head.

* * *

 **A/N:** Poor Jeanette…she just wants Victor, is that too much to ask? What'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty one! A bit shorter than our other chapters, sorry! Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

" _They're going to put you away…"_ The voices whispered, _"They're going to put you away forever! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"_ Hearing the laughter of the voices caused her to laugh along with them. She kept feverishly scribbling on the chalkboard. The voices have been warning her over and over again that the tides of time were going to change, she needed to be prepared for it. The more calculations she drew up, the better. It was best to have every outcome etched somewhere in her apartment.

Loud banging was heard as someone knocked on the door, "Miss Desrosiers! Miss Desrosiers! We need to talk! Right now!"

She hissed at the door like a cat, continuing her work.

"Genevieve…come on!" He shouted, "Don't make me get the master key!"

" _The key master! Run! Hide!"_ Genevieve looked around nervously. She dropped her chalk and crouched in the corner, turning invisible.

Sure enough, the clicking and clacking of a key was heard as the door open, and a man in a business suit looked around, "Genevieve? Where the hell are you?" He growled, "We need to talk about this. Your payment is late for this month. _Again_. If you don't come see me within the next couple of days…I'll have to give this place to someone who actually _pays_ for it…"

Genevieve shuddered, hoping that her invisibility wouldn't fade on account of her shaking. She just wanted the bad man to leave so she could keep working on her figures.

"Genevieve! I know you're in here! Don't you hear me? Do you want to lose your home? Just…just come see me when you have a chance, alright?" He stormed off.

Genevieve dropped her invisibility. If she ever paid that man _at all_ , it would've been a miracle. She shook her head and kept writing again.

" _You will have another visitor…"_ The voices hissed.

"Who…?" Genevieve asked, her voice trembling with fear.

" _The lie detector."_

Genevieve convulsed, as she hugged herself and retreated back into her corner, turning invisible.

Victor walked through the door next, looking around, trying to make out what the calculations on her boards meant. Then his eyes glowed red, he eventually stared right at her. "You can come out…I can see you."

She gasped, becoming visible again, "You have true sight…?"

Victor nodded, "You do too. You should see if you can hone your skills with it. Auspex is an invaluable ability, often overlooked by Kindred." He couldn't help but notice her deep voice, it was probably the deepest feminine voice he had ever heard. That, mixed with her impressive height would have made her quite the reputable Toreador, (maybe even more popular than VV), but as it stood, Victor already knew what clan she was long before he even entered the room.

"L-Lie detector…" Genevieve shuddered.

"Lie detector?" He raised a brow, then he smiled, "Oh, please forgive my rudeness. I am Victor." He gave a bow, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Child of Malkav."

She gradually stood tall, "Are you going to take me away?"

"No, of course not." He chuckled, looking at her chalkboards again, "It's not nice to write about your roommates like this."

She blinked, surprised he could even decipher what she was writing in the first place, "I hate them." She said childishly.

He gave a soft smile, "I am not without my intentions, unfortunately, as I have come with a few questions."

"If this cracked mind has the answers, she will give them to you."

"What do you know about Mister Milton?"

"Messy? I hate him the most."

"Yes, but now he lives with a friend, by the name of Muddy. Did you know that?"

"Yes. Messy and Muddy are like two peas in a pod. A rank, disgusting pod that no one should eat. Ever."

"I see. Do you…have any more information regarding the two of them? Like what they plan on doing, or where they're headed?" He asked, "I understand if you don't." He held his hands up, "Then the lie detector will leave, I've taken up enough of your time."

"Messy will die soon. Very, very, soon. He should enjoy every filthy pizza and sloppy joe, like it's his last."

He leaned forward a little with interest, "Will he now?"

She nodded, "His past will finally come back and eat him."

"And, what about Muddy?"

"The same fate, but…he's given a bit more slack…a big false sense of security, he'll think himself safe, but he'll be devoured all the same…"

He nodded, "I must thank you, Child of Malkav." He gave a bow, "I shall be off now."

"Goodbye, Lie Detector."

* * *

Vick held his hands up, as the service ended, and all of his guests left. He attracted a lot of followers in his church. It was probably because of how beautiful he was. His eyes especially were a shining blue that could attract anyone's attention. He stepped down from his podium, seeing the beautiful ornate church paintings to his left, and the dying fire in the fireplace to his right.

He then noticed a hooded figure in the distance, as he was walking down the aisle, "Is something wrong, my brother?" His voice rumbled in that southern drawl, "You're not a…usual member of my people, are you there, brother? Did you want to talk about joining up? There's always room for one more!"

The hoodlum jumped at him and bit into his neck. Vick screamed helplessly, falling to the ground as he was drained of all of his blood.

He woke up a little while later, seeing his attacker leaning on his podium, "Heh, heh, heh…there you are…" He rasped, "Looks like you're finally awake…ha, Andrei's gonna love this…I Embraced a _preacher!_ He eats ironic shit like this up all the time!"

"You monster…" Vick growled, standing up, "That podium is for me! You're not allowed up there, senseless beast!" His eyes widened. "What…what happened to me. How come I don't have to breathe anymore? What…what's wrong with my teeth? What…what in God's name happened to me?"

"Will you shut up? You're a Sabbat vampire now." The Kindred said, turning away to look at the windows, "Now, listen. The first thing I want you to do is go Embrace as many people as you can, and raise hell in the nearer cities."

"Raise…hell…?" Vick repeated slowly, grabbing a fireplace poker and tending to the fire.

"Yeah, what, you deaf or something now-?"

Admirably the biggest mistake the Sabbat vampire made for everyone was turning his back on him, as the hot fireplace poker stabbed through his chest and he instantly turned to ash.

"No! No!" Vick roared, clenching his grip around the fireplace poker even harder, "I am a holy man of purity, and you are a monster! I…I am the great Bishop Vick, and I will purify the land of all these monstrous abominations at once! I will flood the Earth with an unholy purge of all you beasts, and this I swear!"

* * *

"Bishop Vick?"

"Bishop Vick?"

"My lord, Bishop Vick?"

Bishop Vick shook himself away from his trance, he looked around, still in his base of operations, with three of his most loyal associates. "You'll have to forgive me, my brothers and sisters…I was thinking back…back to a time where…the _Genesis_ of this movement has truly begun…"

"Oh, it is no trouble, Bishop Vick." A woman with short red hair, a black headband, and creepy yellow eyes said.

"Sister Jezebel." Bishop Vick said, "You will spread my gift to the prostitutes of this city. Let them carry the dark gift to all other who reveal in the pleasures of dirty and forbidden love."

"It shall be done." Jezebel said.

"Sister Esmeralda." He looked at a girl primarily wearing leather, with some pink highlights in her short black hair, "I want you to spread the gift to all the inner city gangs, and there are many. Have them all die a slow and painful death, whilst at the same time, spreading my dark gift."

"Yes of course, Bishop." Esmeralda said.

"And lastly, Brother Kanker." He looked at a hideously deformed, (even by Nosferatu standard, it was hideously deformed) purple Kindred, with gashes all over his body. It was hard to tell if these gashes were battle scars or just a manifestation of the disease "You will focus on the homeless dregs of this city. They are near death already, you may as well put them out of their misery."

"Yes, my lord, Bishop Vick." Brother Kanker said in a grating and frightening voice.

"Now, go on, my brothers and sisters!" Bishop Vick held his arms out, "Spread yourselves long and wide as we all journey below into the Ninth Circle!"

* * *

"I can't say it's particularly burdensome to have you absentmindedly doodling in my office, but I do wish you wouldn't use all the ink in my pens. This is the third pen that's run out in the middle of a report." LaCroix opened a drawer in his desk and put the dead pen inside.

"Sorry sir." Harper looked from her notebook, pausing as she looked at the pen in her hand, "You…just have very nice pens…."

"Of course I do, you expect anything less? Constant writing requires nothing but the best."

"Mmm hmm…" She looked at her drawing, then heard him get up out of his chair. She quickly crumpled the drawing into a ball and threw it against the fireplace grate, with a pile of others.

"Clean up your mess." He demanded, "I've heard Miss Frost and Mister Vanderbilt are in town, they could stop by at any time."

"And it's imperative I leave…?"

"As always." He said, "I can't see what make the concept so difficult to grasp." He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked out the window.

"They wouldn't hurt me…they'd have no reason to…not with you and the Sheriff quite literally looming over them…" She looked over the back of the couch, hoping he'd turn around so she could make eye contact with him, "There's another reason you don't let me in the room when Kindred are present. Something you refuse to tell me."

"I never said that." He raised a brow but didn't face her.

"No, but I know it's true." She faced forward, "Mercurio goes out and deals with…all sorts of demons on a daily basis…"

"You are on a different level than Mercurio. Tell me, Miss Rivers, if you were the head of a major corporation and you had two very devout employees with different skillsets, would you want them both running the same base of operations, or different branches?" He turned around and walked towards her, "More work would be accomplished if their skills were offset, hence why you frequent my office so much more than he ever has."

She bit her lip as she felt him stand right behind her, sinking into the couch a bit deeper. "I just don't see what you're…protecting me from."

"The Kindred of this area are always difficult to gauge." He said, "One can never be sure where their loyalties truly lie."

"You always say that. What's the real reason?'

He turned away and approached the fireplace, brushing the pile of balled up papers aside with his foot, "Valuable information may be released that I cannot risk you gaining access to."

She crossed her arms, "That's it? You're afraid I'll learn too much…? Isn't it a little late for that…?"

"No."

She shook her head and sighed, "…if you insist…"

"I'd nearly forgotten. It's been a week, hasn't it?" She felt her heart flitter, and it seemed he only preyed off of that as he turned around and faced her, "Have you made your decision, Miss Rivers?"

She looked up at him, then looked down at the floor.

He took a step closer to her, leaning in towards her and lifting her chin so their eyes would meet. Her pale, almost lifeless cheeks flushed as he held her with a hand colder than stone, "I'd select your answer wisely, Harper." His eyes narrowed as he spoke in a hushed tone.

The door opened as Cadmus and Miranda walked in. The Prince immediately stepped back from Harper.

Harper turned over her shoulder and looked at Cadmus and Miranda, her face was now lit up bright red as she pushed LaCroix away and left so quickly, it almost seemed she had Celerity.

The Prince's brow furrowed, as he adjusted his tie and looked at Cadmus and Miranda "Knocking would have been appreciated. I'd thought you were both fairly competent enough to know such an act is mandatory."

Cadmus raised a brow, but Miranda said, "We did knock, sir. Several times."

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "….bloody ghoul…." He turned to them, "The werewolf blood?"

Miranda pulled it out from under her arm, "I have secured it." She said, "Shall I hand it to the Sheriff?"

He nodded, "And I trust everything went as planned with my agent?"

Miranda and Cadmus's eyes met, "No difficulties at all." Miranda said, "We apologize if the warehouse fiasco took a bit longer than you had anticipated."

"Is there a reason for the extensive time spent?"

Miranda got flustered, "Uh…well…we…our…our lack of knowledge of the city…it…it was quite embarrassing…"

"Something rather dire caught our attention." Cadmus said as he fell to one knee, crossing an arm over his chest.

"Oh?" The Prince seemed intrigued.

"There is somewhat…of…an urgent matter…at our hands…and I think it's best if I warn you this personally, Prince."

His emotionless façade began to fade as he looked concerned. His eyes landed on Miranda briefly, to ensure Cadmus wasn't merely fabricating something to kill time, but when he saw how stoic she looked as well, he turned his attention back to Cadmus, "Yes?"

"The Kuei-Jin." Cadmus prefaced simply. Eventually he continued, "One of their spies were tracking us throughout our entire mission. I was able to kill it…but…undoubtedly, they'll be others. It seems their thirst for war with the Anarchs has now spread to an overall hatred against all Kindred, no matter what their allegiance."

He crossed his arms, "That _is_ quite the predicament…" He looked up at them with a smirk, "I suppose it's fortunate you were there to take care of matters. Your actions have not go unnoticed." He met both of their gazes before he walked to his desk and took out three envelopes, "You may split the money as you see fit. I was not expecting additional work to be completed and carried out in such a professional manner. It would be rude of me _not_ to pay you for your efforts."

Miranda walked forward and took the money, "Thank you, sir."

"Shall we…split the total…for the two fledglings…or will you be handling that?" Cadmus asked.

"I will take their pay into account." He said, "They survived?"

Miranda nodded, "They were a very interesting set of Toreadors. I'm sure if they keep working hard enough, they'll make their way in the Camarilla."

"Very well. That is reassuring to hear, especially so with Mister Lockwood. Any signs of disloyalty in the slightest?"

"None that we know of." Cadmus said, "Confusion maybe, but I'm sure that's normal."

"Of course." He nodded, "I'm sure he's speaking with Miss Rivers about any questions he has this very moment." He said as he took a seat at his desk, "I have another task, if you aren't preoccupied."

"Yes, sir. What are your wishes?" Miranda smiled.

"There have been rumors concerning the Elizabeth Dane…have you heard?"

Her smile faded, "I'm afraid with all the chaos we were attending to…we're a bit…lackluster…on recent news…as a result…"

"The ship has been found absently sailing the seas without a crew, captain, or survivor on board. It is currently being investigated by the police, though reports have yet to return. Even the Nosferatu have been completely unsuccessful in retrieving information. The reason the Dane's existence has even piqued my interest is due to the cargo onboard, known as the Ankaran Sarcophagus." He said slowly, to ensure they heard it correctly, "Now, I'm not one to predicate a decision based on conjecture, therefore I am in need of the facts. I need first hand evidence to dismiss the claims that the Sarcophagus is responsible for the disturbance."

"You wish for us to…investigate it, sir?"

He nodded, "You have three objectives. One…I would like you to examine the Sarcophagus for any unusual signs. Many Kindred in this city have reported an uneasiness in the air since the Dane's arrival, and many claim it is due to the Sarcophagus." He said, before his tone fell cold as ice, "Do not, under any circumstances, open the Ankaran Sarcophagus." There was a slight pause before he sat back and continued in a lighter tone, "Secondly…the police have begun their investigation, find out what they've concluded thus far. I'd much rather take the word of the Nosferatu, but it seems police reports are the best we're going to get our hands on." He looked at Miranda, "I'm sure that should be no problem for you, Miss Frost. Thirdly…take the cargo manifest for the ship. I'm unsure if there are any other valuable items onboard." There was another pause as he looked slightly irked, "The last thing we need is police aware of our existence, so…be careful with what you say to them. And unlike the warehouse, you cannot wholesale slaughter a ship full of lawmen without consequences. Is this understood?"

"Yes, sir." Miranda nodded.

He gave a relieved sigh as he smiled again, "I haven't seen such obedience since I was in Napoleon's ranks." He chuckled softly, "Any other concerns?"

"None." Cadmus said.

"Very well. I will see you again upon your return from the Dane."

"Yes sir." Miranda bowed, Cadmus stood up and the pair of them left.

* * *

 **A/N:** Rest in peace, Sebastian LaCroix's peace of mind and sanity. You will be sorely missed. Let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty-two! (triple update?) Lots of drama unveiled in this chapter…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Watching the slow stream of steaming water enter her teacup, Harper listened to a gentle knock on the door. She put the kettle down on the stove, "It's open." She called, her heart beating nearly twice as fast. She knew the Prince was direct and always got what he wanted, but would he really come to her room to Embrace her? Or kill her when she refused to be Embraced?

However, she turned around and saw none other than Slade enter the room, "Oh, Mister Lockwood…I'd nearly forgotten." She said, her heart beat still racing. It wasn't until she took a sip of her nearly scalding tea that it started to go back down, "Please, make yourself at home."

Slade sat in one of the armchairs, already jealous that Harper could still drink tea, "Look…what is this about…is this a new assignment…after the warehouse?"

"No, not at all." She walked into the living room and sat across from him, crossing her legs as she took another sip of her tea before setting it on the table, "I'm here to answer any questions you may have about the Camarilla. I was informed you have not been given any sort of lessons or information about us."

"I don't have any questions."

Her morose mask seemed to crack as she gave a small smile, "I know that can't be true…you don't have to be shy, I can assure you this conversation will be completely trivial to the Prince. Anything you say will not be brought to his attention."

He gave a shrug, "You guys are a vampire government. What's not to get?"

"Oh, I'm not sure…what we stand for, how we operate, what position you'll most likely end up in...who everyone is…I can answer anything, I've been working for the Prince for over a decade."

"…position…?"

She nodded, "So long as you remain loyal to the Camarilla and do as the Prince says, in a few years' time, he's likely to assign you a certain position. A fixed job, if you will, another rung on his ladder. Perhaps you could even serve as Primogen in the future." She sat back as she took a sip of her drink, "And…if you do not show loyalty…if you decide your…life is better with your own freedom…" Her voice grew softer as she gave an empty stare at the floor, Slade could see the truly pained expression on her face, "It would end faster than you could even fathom."

She couldn't place the expression on his fast at first. Listlessness. Hopelessness. She eventually settled on anger, rage, given how tightly his fists were clenched and how quickly he stood up, "Like I said before, I don't have any questions."

"Very well, Mister Lockwood." She looked up at him, her eyes fearful. It had to be the first time Slade had ever seen someone look scared of him, "This is likely the last time we will ever meet under such conditions. It was an honor to make your acquaintance."

"Yeah…" Slade said as he left and slammed the door behind him. He had no questions for the likes of her or anyone else in the Camarilla.

* * *

"VV…I have questions…so many questions…" Slade said once he entered the VIP room.

VV set her martini glass down, "Come sit." She scooted over and held an arm out to hug him.

He sat next to her and gave her a hug, "I finally blew up that stupid warehouse for LaCroix…" He muttered, "On second thought, you probably don't even know what the hell I'm talking about…"

"I can't say that I do." She rested his head in her chest and gently pet his hair, "I'm just glad you're alive…"

"Of course…I wouldn't be stupid enough to die…even if it meant abandoning my mission…"

"That's all that matters…" She said softly, "What questions did you have?"

"Am…am I stuck working for LaCroix…forever…? I can't be, right? He'll let me go…one day…for more than just a week's break…I…I can't be bound to him forever…right?" There was such a hopelessness in his voice when he asked this, like he already knew the answer, and was trying to run away from it.

"Shh…" She pet his hair and spoke softly, he was never so thankful for how soothing her voice really was, "Forever is a very long time, Slade….with all the enemies he has, I don't think he's going to be there forever. You'll have your freedom soon, especially if you fight for it."

"Damn right I will…he won't see it coming either…maybe…maybe Dragomir can help me. Aw, who am I kidding…he's the only true friend I can turn to, other than you."

"Is….is he kine, Slade…?" She asked slowly, "Because…you're going to need to cut ties with all the kine you know…you're going to outlive them and break the Masquerade…"

"No. He's Kindred. So is Tess." He clenched one hand into a fist, "I'm sure you're aware of who she is by now…"

"Tess…yes…I've heard of her, I heard she was in the Camarilla…you must work with her now, considering you're about the same age."

"She's right too…damn it…" His voice shook as he put a hand on his forehead, "I am just a trial. A mistake. A runt for the rest of the Camarilla to laugh it…" He said, "I'm so weak and pathetic, and I don't belong in this society…every time I see her that's all it reminds me of…"

"You don't belong in this society because you're not a monster like they are." She gently broke the hug to hold his face, "Please don't let her words get to you, Slade…you have a heart of gold in a sea of darkness…don't let the darkness take you over."

He swallowed hard, "No…no…of course I won't…they can't change who I am…"

She smiled as she pet his hair, then closed her eyes and moved in a bit closer to plant her lips on his.

He gasped as their lips met, his eyes wide open with fear. He quickly pulled away and jumped off the couch, "VV…"

"Is something the matter?"

"You…you kissed me…"

"I did…" She smirked, "Are we going to pretend as if there's nothing between us?"

"VV…I…" He checked the doorway behind him, "I…I was never thinking about that…I…I'm sorry…"

Her shoulders sank a hair as she looked at the floor, before her eyes found his again, "Did I frighten you, Slade?"

"…kinda…look…no disrespect for you or anything…but…but I just became a vampire…my…my entire life has been ripped away from me…and I have to learn and adjust to these new rules. I…I haven't exactly had romance on the mind at all since I was Embraced…"

"You're not going to leave me, are you? I can't stand being alone…"

"I…uh…no…of…of course not…you're my sire…and I'm your childe…there…there's an inherit bond in that…right? Please tell me there is…"

She nodded, "It's nothing compared to the bond a ghoul would experience to their master, but there is a blood bond."

"Then I'll be back. But…I should go now. I…I have a little break, a _reprieve_ , as LaCroix called it." He said, "I just want to relax and adjust…maybe look for Dragomir. I haven't seen him since Gimble…"

"Very well…please take care of yourself, Slade. You're my sun and moon."

* * *

Cadmus walked into the elevator for Venture Tower and hit the floor a few levels under the penthouse, listlessly waiting for the elevator to open on his private quarters. He walked in his room and looked around, "Angelique?" He asked, taking his boots off.

He heard the sound of the refrigerator closing, then glasses or plates being shuffled around on the counters in the kitchen.

He followed the noises to the kitchen. His room was extravagant and spotless, much like the quarters of all the other Ventrue living in the tower. It also possessed the same color scheme as primarily gold, and the cushioning of beds and furniture being a deep red, with the fireplace looking at home to the richest of Englishmen. Angelique was in the kitchen, two pieces of bread in her mouth as she sliced lettuce with one of her daggers, sliced meats and tomato laid out on a plate, "Ah ough foo."

"Uh…what?"

She took the bread out of her mouth and laid it on the plate, using her knife to put mayonnaise on the bread, "I bought food."

"Oh, right." He said, then he badly hid a snicker, trying not to laugh loudly. (As many other Kindred knew, the last time Cadmus had laughed was most likely when he was alive), "Jeez…I'm sort of jealous. That stuff looks delicious." He said as he sat at the nearby table.

She grunted as she sat next to him and took a bite, "Tastes like shit. All the food in L.A. tastes like paint thinner and mold."

"Jeez…I guess looks can be deceiving then…"

"Uh huh." She said as she took her belt off and hung it over the back of the chair, "If you want me to be your ghoul, I'm going to need two more servings of your blood."

"Uh…sure, right this second?"

"As soon as you want me to be your ghoul. And if you try to stab me in the back I'll slit your throat. I don't get used."

"Got it." He said, pulling out a blood bag and drinking his very own 'dinner', at quite astonishing speeds, before he threw the empty bag in the nearest waste bin, "You feeling better since the other night?"

"If glass bothered me then I wouldn't have jumped from the window. I've been in worse conditions." She drank her entire glass of water.

"I guess." He said, "I had to go blow up a warehouse for LaCroix…jeez…and now he wants us on some boat…the Elizabeth Dane…Christ, and did I mention that if you don't sound like a rich Englishmen towards him, he'll look down on you like you're dirt. Took me freaking _ages_ to master that craft…"

She shook her head, about to say something before she looked at him, "You don't have Auspex, do you…? How do I know there aren't Nossies in here?"

"Pfft…you think LaCroix would let those 'filthy vermin' in here? You're outta your mind. He lets Gary in his office. For Primogen meetings. That's it."

She sighed and played with her fork, heavens knows why she had that when she made herself a sandwich, "I just think the Anarchs have their hearts in the right place, but aren't going about it right." She said, "Or…maybe the Camarilla is just a great thing, but fucking sucks when LaCroix is in charge."

"I don't even care about that kinda stuff. I only care about killing the Sabbat…or at least…the bastard who killed Elspeth…"

"Elspeth? Who was that?"

"My wife."

"Oh…" She said, "Yeah…I worked for the Sabbat once…they don't like me anymore. I don't really know how I got out of there alive…"

"Neither do I. They treat everyone like shit, and their brains are more akin to wild animals than to people. There's no rhyme or reason for those blatantly stupid pieces of dirt. I want to kill every single last one of them. That's the only benefit on being LaCroix's leash, for now."

She leaned her head on her hand, "He used me as a punching bag. That's when I ran away. Fucking Gangrel dog…wanted to see how much damage his claws would leave…"

He stretched his hands behind his back and leaned back a little, "So what's your story? I basically told you everything about myself…"

She chuckled quietly and stood up, filling her glass of water, "What time is it?"

"Two in the morning. Nice try."

"What?" She asked, "I have a job to go on, I need money for all the food I bought."

"A job? No you don't." He slid an envelope on the table, "There, you have money now, so spill it."

She grabbed the envelope, then threw it in the garbage, "I don't want the Prince's disgusting money. You know how he gets that money, right?" She turned to the door, "I make my own money."

"If you're going to be my ghoul, I'd like to know a little more about you, that's all. So far all I have is that you pissed off pretty much every major Kindred in the state. A foundation around that would be nice."

"I'm not telling you my life story, that's my own private information." She argued.

"Jesus, then I wouldn't have told you anything about myself! How the hell is that even remotely fair?"

"I didn't ask for information, you spilled it on me. Don't blame me." She crossed her arms and blew a tuft of hair out of her face.

He bit back the hateful remarks he was about to spew at her, trying, albeit badly, to contain his temper, "You just look so young…that's all. Well, we all do, but you especially. Yet you know just about as much Kindred as Miranda and I do, in other words you know as much as Kindred who have been alive for a quite a few decades, I was just curious, that's all."

She grabbed her belt and put it back on, "I've just been doing this for a while. I've been a ghoul for…years…I lost track of how many….." She muttered, "I probably wouldn't fare very well if I stopped drinking blood, so I keep on top of it. It's….it's a drug at this point…a drug I need to stay alive."

"So…you're some badass…ghoul…hunter lady? That's all you're gonna tell me?"

"What else do you want to know?" She asked, "I picked it back up when I was nineteen, I've been doing shit for anyone who pays me. I was good at my job, until I pissed too many people off."

"But why…what made you start doing this?"

She crossed her arms tightly and looked away, "Why should I trust you?"

"You tell me. You're my ghoul."

"Not yet." She said through clenched teeth.

"Okay. You'll _be_ my ghoul. What the hell is the difference? It's two more sips from my wrist…"

"The difference is when you try to get me to suck your cock I'll know to run and be thankful I kept my mouth shut. I'm not new to this ghouling thing, I know exactly how much power it can give you."

"…what?" His eyes widened, "That's the last place I want you near…"

"Tch, whatever. Say that now, I know you're all just…hell's demons under there…I'm not dumb."

"Do you even have any proof? Aside from all the black and leather, what the hell makes me such a bad guy?"

"You're a vampire. You're a monster, that's all the evidence I need."

"…you have a point there…I guess I wouldn't trust myself either if I were in your spot. I hate being a vampire…no one trusted me after I was first Embraced because I was a vampire hunter…hell, I was nearly put to death more times than I give a crap counting."

She grit her teeth, "I'm going on a job."

"Fine. Leave." He shrugged, "But the second you do that. I'll call Therese. Or LaCroix, or anyone else you've fucked with over the past decade or two. You said it yourself, I guess I have a lot of options." He crossed his arms, "You might make it to the elevator, if you're lucky."

"What." She whirled around on her heels, "You fucking psychopathic monster, what the hell is your fascination with me!? Why does it matter!? It's my life, not yours, you don't get to get your little hands all over it! It's my private information that I don't ever want to think about every again, understand? Leave me the hell alone!"

"No, you little twerp, let me tell you what's about to happen right now." He stood up and took his axe out, "I've been fucked with, chewed up, and spit out, by just about every person imaginable, when I was alive, and when I became Kindred. And if you think I'm just gonna lay down and take it when you try to walk all over me, you got another things coming."

She grit her teeth and looked at the axe, "I was raised by the Sabbat. Happy now?"

His eyes shrunk, "The…the Sabbat… _raised_ you…?"

She sighed and crossed her arms, "I don't have parents. Another homeless kid on the street took care of me for a few years, before he joined the Sabbat and dragged me into it too. I became his ghoul, he beat the shit out of me, I ran away. Started doing missions with the assassination techniques I learned from them. Bought more gear, more weapons…I'm an independent now."

He dropped his axe behind himself, resulting in a loud, unattractive clang which lasted much longer than he intended it to, "Right…I'm sorry…" His eyes wavered.

She turned away from him, "Call Therese, call the Prince, I dare you." She said, her voice cracking, "I'll escape. I always do."

He fell back in his chair, tears falling from his eyes and dripping onto his hands as he looked at them, "I…I w-won't…"

"Good." She said as she slammed the door. He heard her footsteps go upstairs, towards the bedroom, rather than out in the streets.

His hands kept shaking as he felt the tears drip on them. He eventually rubbed at his eyes until they were all gone, slamming a fist on the table with such rage that he had to have at least dented it.

* * *

Hearing the sound of footsteps going up the staircase, Velvet turned to the doorway with a tinge of excitement. It was quickly washed away and replaced with confusion as she saw who visited, "Killian?"

"Hey V." He said as he sat next to her, "What's up, where've you been?"

"…where do you think?" She smiled as she scooted closer and rested her head against his shoulder, "If I couldn't tell these muscles grew, I'd say I've been doing more work than you have."

"So much that you haven't visited Isaac?" He asked.

"Mmm hmm. It's been busy. Stressful times, Killian."

"Yeah, I guess…" He said, "I'd go down there myself but…I don't really need to anymore."

"Have you finally settled down?" She smiled with her teeth.

"More or less. Got a girlfriend now."

"What's her name?"

"Anastasia."

"Oh, what a beautiful name…it's always nice to be able to sigh something so beautiful in a throw of ecstasy."

"And you're telling _me_." He snickered, "So who's the most recent lucky guy, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Jeez, you have to think about it? That's almost depressing…"

"It's been some time…"

"What about your childe? He too much of an asshole like me?"

Her expression turned stale, "He isn't interested." She said quietly, "Killian…I need an honest opinion from a man…have I…lost my luster?"

His eyes quickly landed on her chest before they met hers again. "Nope."

She smirked, "I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate you looking at me like that."

"C'mon, V, you asked for it."

"We'll keep it between us." She sat up, "I just don't understand…I…I felt something for him…he was different than every man I've ever met…he hardly cares about what I look like, he just wants to make me happy and do the right thing…he's so…perfect…"

"Easy there." He grumbled.

"I suppose he just…" She wiped a tear away, "Doesn't want to be caught dead with a stripper…"

"Hey, hey, stop that." He sat up, "Don't talk to yourself like that. You're one of the best chicks in this goddamn state, let alone the fucking Jyhad. Maybe he's got someone back home?"

She shook her head.

His eyes narrowed, "Maybe he's got someone back home."

"But he doesn't…"

"But he might."

"He didn't tell me anything…"

"Yeah, no one ever says shit about the deep stuff in their head. No one's perfect, it's all I'm saying. The chances that he's the innocent little cherub you think he is are zero to nothing. Impossible. There's gotta be something else."

"But…"

"I know he's cute, I know he's great and all that bullshit, but it's just your head. Your Toreadorness is coming out and biting you in the ass. You gotta look at the surface sometimes."

"The surface…" She said to herself quietly as she wiped a tear away, "He's my childe…and I love him…"

"Okay, further away."

"He…he was my artist…and he was so sweet…"

"Good. Stop there. He's an artist, he's sweet to you. That's all he needs to be to you. You give him advice, give him guidance. Clear that love mush out of your head."

"It isn't that simple…" She said as she wiped a tear away, "You wouldn't understand, you have a sister…"

He raised a brow, "What the hell does that gotta do with anything?"

"You're never alone. Even if you didn't have Anastasia…you'd still have someone who loves you."

"Oh, don't play the 'nobody loves me' card, that's bullshit. Susan had parents, Susan had a family-"

"Killian…" She whimpered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Lark is nothing, don't throw her in the mix."

"You don't understand how devastating being truly alone is." She said with all seriousness to her voice, "Only then will you understand just how impossible this is…"

"V-"

"I'd like you to go."

"C'mon V-"

"Please."

He held his arms out for a hug.

She turned him away, "Tell Isaac everything's fine…I've just been struggling…a lot of my dancers have been falling ill…"

"Yeah…" His arms fell slowly, "Guess I will…night V."

She didn't respond, so he sighed and left.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry VV, we have a plan for you, everything will be okay :') What'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty three! If this chapter had a title, I think it'd be Dilapidating Sanity. Then again, now that the sarcophagus exists, that's pretty much every chapter. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines. Also Jeanette. Also Miranda.

* * *

Jolting himself from his nap, Dragomir grunted, "What was that…?"

"Sorry, just ran over a can in the middle of the street." The driver said.

"Maybe don't run over aluminum cans in the middle of the street." He hissed sourly.

"Jeez, sorry man…what put you in such a bad mood?"

His discolored eyes were small, predatory, "Hunger."

"Want me to drop you of by Confessions? A few bar fries never hurt." She said.

"Venture Tower will suffice…" He said lowly. "The scholar does not stoop to temptation, not when intellect lies ahead…"

The driver smirked, "And he doesn't learn on an empty stomach either. You'll drive yourself crazy if you starve yourself."

"You just want more cash." He snarled.

"I'll drop you off within walking distance of both. It's kinda crowded around there anyway, with all the traffic."

"Yes, of course…" He crossed his arms, "I have no confessions to make, take me elsewhere."

" _Not yet."_ He heard echo in his head.

"How about the Last Round? Pretty sure they're open all night…they prolly have steaks and…I dunno…redneck food…"

He cracked a smile, "And what exactly is that? Chicken feed? Who do you take me for anyway?"

"I dunno." She said, "I'll drop you off within the perimeter."

" _Precious world peace will devour the bird."_

"Fine." He spat as he rubbed his head, knowing what he needed to do to ensure he could even get away with hitching a ride. "All this cab fare and not enough payment…" He eyed the kine walking the streets as he got out of the taxi and held a hand out to the driver, putting her into a laughing fit. A scantily dressed woman walked by and he caught her shoulder, "Hello dear…"

She looked up at him, her eyes glinting with a sense of adventure, "Ooh…something I can help you with?" She tore her look away from his chest to his glasses the best she could.

"I'm very thirsty…"

"Oh yeah?" She smiled, "I have some time, wanna grab a drink?"

He leaned in and kissed her cheek, before he pinned her up against the wall and pressed his lips against her neck.

She chuckled, "Alright, alright…slow down there, tiger…" She tried to push him away, but as she felt his teeth graze her neck, she raised her voice, "Hey…hey, stop…get off…I said get off!" His teeth bit in and she shrieked.

A man walking by hit Dragomir in the back of the head, "Get off her, dick!"

Dragomir stepped back, "Piss off!" He held a hand out as a purple glow surrounded their heads. They both laughed mindlessly as Dragomir growled and continued on his path down the street, giving up on sampling the kine.

His head throbbing, he opened the door to The Last Round. "The watering hole…any kine…?"

Unfortunately there wasn't a single human inside. No, there were only the Anarchs. Damsel looked over, "Hey, kid, what the hell are you doing here?"

He walked inside, "Where do you keep your kine?"

" _Our_ kine?" She asked slowly, "Nowhere…they come and go as they please…it's one in the morning, there aren't any kine around."

He let out a low growl, "Damsel in Distress, where's your Prince? He's upstairs?"

"What?" She spat, "Fucking Cammy, we don't have a Prince."

"Is that so…?" He asked, "Then where is the Nine of Spades?"

"Nines?" She asked, "Why do you need him?" Her eyes were narrow with suspicion.

"Curiosity….I'd like to meet the other Prince."

"I just said, he isn't the Prince. He's just another guy fighting the fascist bullshit _your_ Prince throws at us every day."

He grunted in the back of his throat, "I need blood."

"You can't have any of ours, go to your little tower in the sky and drink your heart out."

"It isn't my tower." He growled.

"Look, kid, you're not getting blood here. Go in the sewers and drink rats like the little fledgling shit you are. Don't frenzy and make a fucking mess for all of us to clean up. God, you're such a waste of time, all you pricks who just think you can come in here and tell us what to do. We'll take things back, and we'll dance on your ashes when you're finally dead."

"You make it sound as if you're actually fighting something other than your own shadow."

A scowl tore its way onto her pretty face as she reared back and landed her fist right into his jaw. He flinched and flicked his glasses up on his forehead, holding a hand out to her.

Her fist lit up with blue lightning as she punched him again, "What's the matter, jackass, can't use your Dementation on me? You fucking idiot, you can't use that shit on elder Kindred!" She kneed him in the crotch.

A few more Anarchs ran downstairs, "What the hell's going on down here?" Skelter demanded.

"Get him out of here, Nines, he's pissing me off." Damsel crossed her arms and stepped back as Dragomir hit the ground, holding his head.

"Who is he?" Nines asked as he came down the staircase, looking at Damsel.

"Some Cammy who came in here asking for blood."

"I'll blow his brains out myself, out of the way." Skelter grabbed Nines' pistol.

"Wait." Nines took the gun back, "Just let him leave or he'll frenzy."

"Pfft, let _me_ take care of him." Lark pushed her way down the stairs and kicked Dragomir in the side a few time, "Get up, lazy idiot!" She said, snickering as she watched him grip his head in agony, "What's the matter, honey, got a migraine?" She grit her teeth and drove the toe of her boot into his abdomen. Well, she would have, if he didn't snap like a cobra and grab her foot.

Faster than anyone had anticipated, he pulled her to the ground with him. She screamed in terror as he got himself up on top of her and bit into her neck.

Damsel screamed as her eyes widened, "He's fucking diablerizing her! Kill him already, Nines!"

Skelter turned into his beast-like form, grabbing Dragomir and throwing him across the room. Dragomir landed against the wall with a thud, licking the drips of blood from his lips with his exceptionally long and creepy tongue. Skelter didn't hesitate to romp forward and rear back to sever his head from the rest of his body with his massive claws.

Damsel gently lifted Lark up, "Lark…? Lark, Jesus, don't die, okay honey? Just hang in there…" She looked up at Nines, fear in her icy eyes, "She isn't waking up…"

Nines' eyes darted from Lark's body to Dragomir and Skelter, impressed Dragomir managed to _survive_ Skelter's scratches as the pair wrestled on the floor, "We gotta get Skelter out of there."

"But he almost killed her! I say we kill the son of a bitch!"

"Skelter." Nines seemed to have made up his mind as he spoke up, "Get off of him."

Skelter scrambled back and returned to a semi-human state, "What the hell, man?"

Nines took out his Desert Eagle and aimed it at Dragomir's forehead, right between the eyes, "This is your last chance to get the hell out of here."

Dragomir wiped a bloody smear from his cheek, his torso riddled with deep gashes from Skelter that didn't look like they were even anywhere near healing on their own. He took a few steps backwards before he sat down in one of the barstools and looked away.

Nines put his gun down, "Bring Lark ups-"

Dragomir ripped a barstool out of the foundation and whipped it at Nines, Damsel and Skelter with frightening precision. Nines was floored, but Damsel and Skelter dove out of the way. As they cleared the way, Dragomir grabbed Lark and booked it.

Damsel gasped as she helped Nines up, wiping blood from his forehead with the back of her hand. Before she could say anything, Nines growled, "Get her back!"

Dragomir felt like he had a heart, and it was beating faster than it ever had. One taste of Lark's blood sent chills down his spine, never had he felt anything better in his life.

Logic luckily returned to his side as he remembered they had Celerity on their side, so he grabbed a manhole cover and threw Lark's body inside, jumping in after her.

He started running through the tunnels with her, not hearing a sign of them. He took a deep sigh before he pinned her against one of the grimy walls, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. He gently sunk his teeth into Lark's neck again and finished his meal, feeling his urge to frenzy slowly slipping away, being replaced by an obscene amount of voices in his head, screaming and cursing his name.

Nothing had ever felt this good. No amount of ice cream on a hot day, a hot shower on a cold day, seeing his sister after years apart would ever equate to this feeling. It was as if his entire body became euphoria. He pressed himself up against her and felt any lingering warmth of her body slowly fade as he drained her completely, letting her body fall to the ground as he swallowed hard.

Something was different. Something was off, he couldn't tell what, but he felt more alive. He decided to keep wandering the sewers and let the water waste away at his golden dress shoes as he waited out the Anarch's hunt on him.

" _An asylum, you'll be locked in an asylum!"_

" _Go to the asylum!"_

 _"The Asylum is where you'll find your next thrill…"_

 _The Asylum…? In Santa Monica…?_ He wondered as he changed his course for Santa Monica. He chalked up the terrified voices in his head to nothing but feeding the Beast.

* * *

Miranda walked through the parking garage of Santa Monica. She was headed for the beach, where LaCroix said a boat would be waiting to transport her to the Elizabeth Dane. She hoped she could conclude her mission quickly about the Ankaran Sarcophagus, especially if it would please him more.

Her black-nailed toes scrunched up in the beach sand as she apprehensively looked at the tiny little boat in front of her. This mission was assigned to herself and Cadmus, yes. But she deemed it better for her to go on her own. Whatever happened to Cadmus, she didn't want to know. He was in quite the, emotional state, to say the least. Even more so than he usually was. She knew that he rarely emoted and never smiled ever since he was turned into a Kindred, but this seemed a bit more extreme than just his normal behavior. She was especially fearful that he may lash out at her, as he was known for doing in the past. He must have been relapsing due to the pain and heartbreak of losing Elspeth. For that reason, she decided it was best for her to complete this mission alone. It was a stealthy mission anyway. Which was nowhere _near_ Cadmus's forte in the first place.

The boat slowly but surely made it to the huge Elizabeth Dane. The only thing Miranda could see on her way up with a simple rope ladder. She looked around, then behind herself, then she climbed up the ladder.

She gave a small smile once she was on the vessel. It had been a while she had been attracted, _truly_ attracted to someone, like what happened with Tess. Sure, she seduced many people on both sides of the gender spectrum to either get a free meal or to advance further into her mission, but Tess was different. She was gorgeous, almost as good-looking as she herself. Tess was definitely up there, in her interests, maybe even as legendary status as LaCroix.

She was quite dismayed to see that an officer already had noticed her from the get-go, "Yo, lady, over here." He held a hand out and gestured towards himself.

She swallowed hard. LaCroix explicitly stated not to kill anyone, one Suicide wouldn't hurt, would it? She tip-toed closer to the man, even more surprised when he finally said, "Ah, for Christ's sake. Tell Jacobsen that if he plans on making editor-in-chief that he needs to start working with me. I can't keep giving him these scoops if he's gonna send lap-dancer's fresh off their fifteen minute break who don't bother to blend in."

She cocked an eyebrow, "I wasn't informed of much…Jacobsen didn't have the time to explain it fully to me…"

"Jeez…you didn't have a sexy police officer uniform? A coast guard uniform? Something? What, they just handing every half-decent broad on the street a job now?"

She smiled and fondled her chest a bit, "What can I do for you to put a smile on that face so we can continue with our business?"

"Take it easy, Lois Lane. This is still a badge you're talking to." He said firmly.

Her face darkened. The other officers in Santa Monica, she understood. But now this? Yet _another_ man refused to admire her charms. Oh no, she wasn't having any of this, "Yes…officer…" She said in an exaggerated hiss, "Let us continue with this…story…Jacobsen had planned…"

"Alright, look, I got you a copy of the initial report, and I can get you in to the cabin, but you gotta make yourself real scarce after that. Anybody catches you, I don't know you. And no goddamn flash photography, brainchild." He lectured, handing her the official documents.

Miranda's mental state wasn't getting any better, going on a continuous downward spiral of bitterness. At least she had one of the three objective's LaCroix wanted, and without lifting a finger to boot, "Yes, officer…"

"Let's see here…" The officer held up his walkie-talkie, "Heinz to Marsh, Heinz to Marsh…they need you up the bridge, over. There, the security room will be clear."

"Thank you." She said, still not cracking a smile. Anyone else who knew Miranda well enough would be terrified by now.

"Head down the stairs behind you and stay low. When you get down there, wait for me to call the guy guarding Gangway A. As soon as he leaves, get your ass moving, and _don't_ let him see you. I'll give you a couple of seconds, but don't dillydally. In and out, 'kay?"

"I understand."

"Don't forget to stay out of sight…if _anyone_ sees you, you're on your own. Take the stairs up to the security room…there'll be a computer up there. The password is Lighthouse. Lighthouse. All one word. You getting all this?"

"Yes, of course."

"Now get a move on…and don't forget to tell Jacobsen I get double my usual fee for this one." He remarked, turning around and starting to whistle.

"Of yes, you'll get double your usual fee…alright…" Miranda whirled around, while his back was turned he was impaled by her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, she quickly covered his mouth to muffle his scream. She then ripped her blade out and threw his body into the sea, turning around and flipping her hair back. LaCroix wouldn't be concerned about _one_ death. With all the rabble this sarcophagus was causing, it would most likely be written off as a ghostly, spooky, and mysterious demise. The point was, that _no one_ was to resist Miranda's charms, and she made sure of that.

Of course, without Heinz to call off the guard, getting through Gangway A would be that much more difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. She took an alternate route, sneaking through the cool, blood-soaked corridors of the Dane, whenever she spotted an officer a bit too close for her comfort, she would put them in a trance with her Dominate ability, a blue glow coming out of her hand as she did so. As before in the warehouse, the fact that she wasn't wearing shoes most likely aided her in staying quiet.

In another handful of moments, she broke into the Ship's records room and stole the Cargo Manifest notes, bundling it up with the police report. Now step two of three was done. All that was left was examining the sarcophagus itself.

She finally went into the room where Heinz directed her, true to his word, it was all clear of personnel. So she sat at the computer and started reading up the reports. She rolled her eyes and scoffed. Even if Heinz _didn't_ tell her the password, she would've been able to hack in with ease.

She turned the deck cameras on, turning to the adjacent terminal. She was quite surprised to see that the sarcophagus was much more than just disturbed, there were bloody handprints all over it. "Oh my goodness…" She said quietly.

But this fuzzy monitor wasn't going to cut it. Not for her LaCroix, she would need to see the physical sarcophagus itself, with her own two eyes. So she snuck out of the room, and then went into the heart of the ship. There were tight spaces and a large amount of police officers, but she again relied on her Dominate to stun them in their tracks and sneak by them.

She put a hand over her mouth. It seemed just as the deck cameras told her. A large amount of blood on the sarcophagus, it most likely was opened. She rubbed a hand along the exterior of the case, feeling a chill, perhaps the uneasy pressure in the air that all the Kindred felt was indeed this sarcophagus.

With her findings complete, she made her way off the Dane, taking the little boat back to the beach. She got off the boat and read both the police report and the ship manifest. The former stated that there was evidence of homicide, and large scale violence, despite the fact that there were no bodies found and that nothing on the ship was even stolen. Which, honestly, most of that LaCroix himself already told Miranda. The latter said that the only cargo of note on the Dane was the sarcophagus itself, some pottery, and a small box, with unidentified contents.

A curious find, she mused, as an occasional nightly sea breeze blew past her. She at least hoped it would do well for LaCroix, she hoped she satisfied everything he asked for. She closed her eyes and rubbed a hand on her waist and stomach. She would need to feed. Of course, the lowest level of Dominate, Trance, didn't really take that much blood, but when it was used on dozens of police officers, it would surely add up. She opened her eyes and left the beach, figuring she would feed on some patrons in the Asylum before heading back downtown.

* * *

Closing her eyes, she gripped the door handle tightly before she swung the door open and walked inside.

"Miss Rivers. How nice to see you again after yesterday's interruption." LaCroix sat up from his desk, "I believe there is something you need to tell me."

She swallowed hard as she stood before him, "No." He raised a brow. "I refuse to be Embraced."

"Oh…I see…" He paused, "Of course, I suppose you're free to…change your mind, given certain circumstances…" Her eyes darted all over before he continued speaking, "I have another task."

"That…I can complete as a ghoul?"

"That will remain to be determined."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Very well."

"I would like you to meet Miss Perry. I've heard only negative comments pertaining her. You will then, with the assistance of Miss Perry, meet with Miss Voerman and deliver this." He handed her a manila folder, "Afterwards, you are to interrogate her. Oh, but do be mindful of her temper. Do not irritate her in any sense. An undercover interrogation, if you will. She is not to know that I am in need of these answers."

"And what is it you would like us to ask?"

"There have been sightings of a particular ghoul who has worked for the Camarilla before, and since been exiled due to…extenuating circumstances. Sources claim this ghoul, who makes her living as an assassin, was hired by Miss Voerman. I need you to see if these claims are accurate, and if so, I need you and Miss Perry to effectively…eliminate the ghoul."

"Understood, sir."

"Very well. Miss Perry will be in her room, most likely. Here are her keys." He reached in his desk and handed her a pair of keys.

"Thank you, sir." She said as she slipped the keys in her pocket.

"I'm sure you'll be needing this as well." He handed her a pack of blood.

She took it and stuck it in her pocket as well, "Thank you, sir."

"Very well. Good luck."

Harper headed to the elevator, taking a shaky sigh as the doors closed slowly. She looked at the keys and pressed the appropriate button for the floor she was on. Perhaps death wasn't a daunting idea. Not so much being Embraced, no, just Final Death. She wouldn't have to worry about pleasing anyone.

The bell rung and she stepped out, heading to the appropriate room and unlocking the door. She knocked twice before she entered.

Sitting on the sofa was Tess, who was on her laptop. She quickly shut the computer and looked up at Harper, "Hello."

"Good evening." Harper stepped inside, she felt her heart beat twice as fast. Maybe she wouldn't be so anxious around Kindred if LaCroix gave her actual experience with them. _She's a Toreador, she probably finds you adorable. LaCroix ensures all his employees are well fed anyway…_ "I'm here about a job we were assigned by the Prince."

"Just the two of us?" Tess asked.

Harper nodded once, "We were assigned to speak to Miss Voerman. Interrogate her about an assassin that she might have hired without her acknowledging our intentions. And, if it is true that she has hired an assassin, we are to find the assassin and kill them."

"Sounds simple enough." She stood up, "Miss Voerman is…?"

"The Baroness of Santa Monica. Devout Camarilla."

"Of course…so I suppose that's why it seems so suspicious that she's hired an assassin."

"Perhaps. The assassin has been linked to betrayal of the Camarilla before, so her death is imminent."

"I see…" Tess said as they reached the ground floor of Ventrue Tower, "And your name was…?"

"Miss Rivers."

"Oh, that's right…are you one of the Prince's ghouls?"

She nodded as a taxi pulled up and stopped for them. Harper held the door open for Tess, who smiled and sat inside. Harper went around and got in, fastening her seatbelt when Tess continued, "That has been bothering me for quite a while now…"

"Hmm?" Harper asked.

"Are you two…?"

She cocked her head to the side curiously.

"Dating…engaged…?"

Her face twisted with revulsion, "Oh heavens no…"

Tess chuckled, "I don't think he's as terrible as you make him out to be."

"You've…been working here for…what? A week?"

"Just about…"

"That's why."

Tess crossed her legs, "He's quite nice to look at. But, then again, I've always loved a man in a suit." She looked over at Harper, "A man of such power, no less."

"Mmm hmm…." Harper turned her gaze out the window. _Yes, definitely Toreador._

"How long have you been working for him?"

"Almost fifteen years…" She said quietly.

"Fifteen years?" She asked with wide eyes, "How old are you?"

"Ghouls don't age…I…" Her throat bobbed, "Started working, I suppose, at nineteen."

"Ah, that's why you're so pretty." Tess said with a smirk. However, when Harper didn't even bat an eye, Tess sighed, "How did you start working here…? So young, no less…?"

"Oh…it hardly matters…"

"I'm curious." She leaned in, "He certainly doesn't seem like the type to pull girls right out of high school and ghoul them."

"No…that certainly is not his….type…"

"So…then…?"

"It isn't very important."

"But, you're like…his right hand man…besides the Sheriff, of course…how did you do it?"

"I had too much to drink." She said quickly and lowly. Tess raised a brow before she continued, "I met Mercurio when I was growing up in New York." She said, "He was nice to me, he had me over and let me drink and talk…I grabbed his drink one night and drank it all…figuring he had the same thing I did…but…" She sighed, "I became a ghoul to the Prince."

"He was drinking the Prince's blood…and you drank some by accident…?"

"And became the Prince's ghoul."

"…did you not notice it tasted…odd?"

"When you're drunk, you don't notice things like that."

"…so you and Mercurio were friends with benefits…and-"

"No, we were not friends with benefits." She scoffed as the taxi slowed down and they got out, "We're friends. Coworkers. He had a lot of money, I didn't. I went to him to get drunk rather than going to a bar and spending money."

"That's a bit cruel…" Tess said as she followed Harper through the streets of Santa Monica, "Don't we need to pay the driver?"

"No, LaCroix pays for all my cab fare."

"…how do I get him to pay for all of mine…?"

"Work for him for over a decade…" She mused as she held the door open to the Asylum.

Tess paused, "I thought we were meeting Miss Voerman…"

"Yes, we are."

"…okay…" She said slowly as she walked into the bar, followed by Harper.

After bumping into a gothic teenager, Tess approached the bar and sat down, while Harper stood politely before the bartender.

"Whaddaya need, toots?" The hefty man asked.

"Access to the second floor, please."

"Stairs are right there." He pointed with a sausage finger.

"Access to the elevator, please."

"Can't do that."

"I think you'll consider making an exception in my case." She took out the distinctly labeled folder.

He squinted his eyes and leaned in to get a look at it, "I guess that is pretty official, huh…? Yeah, go ahead."

"Thank you, sir." Harper turned around and waited for Tess to get up before they went towards the elevator. Harper paused as it opened and took out her phone, "It's…the Prince…" She said nervously, handing the envelope to Tess, "Take this, give it to Therese. Wait for me to come up before you ask any questions."

Tess nodded as she took the folder and headed into the elevator, while Harper went outside where it was quiet to answer the call. It was an old elevator, it shook and rattled, almost making Tess wonder if this would be its last successful use. The doors slid open and she walked into the small foyer, listening to the sounds of grunts and screaming in the accompanying room. _I thought Miss Rivers said Therese was a devout Camarilla…_

She twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, seeing Dragomir inside, his pants down around his knees as he pinned Jeanette against the wall. Her arms were around his neck, legs around his waist, and head was resting on one of his broad shoulders. Dragomir was facing away from Tess, but Jeanette's eyes widened as she saw Tess walk in. Whatever she was going to say was cut off with a groan as her face contorted with ecstasy.

Tess swallowed hard, "Right…I…..suppose I'll come back later…." The door slowly closed as she stepped back and dusted herself off, as if it would clean herself from the sight of them. She headed back in the elevator and headed down, meeting Harper outside, who just finished the phone call, "She looks _very_ busy…"

"Yes, that's…what LaCroix just informed me with….he told me Therese is not at the Asylum…"

"Well, where is she? And who did I see…?" She asked the second question quieter.

"I suppose we're going to have to do our best to find her."

* * *

 **A/N:** Dragomir's having a fun night out in town, that's for sure. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to him at all… Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty-four! (Double upload!) Lots of anger, and lots of joy! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Killian's eyes peeked open as he heard his phone buzz. He held Anastasia closer to his chest as he grabbed his phone and looked at the caller ID, before picking up, "Damsel, what the hell do you want…?" He rubbed his eyes with one of his hands, "Where am I…? In bed…enjoying some post coital napping without you or Lark nagging me…" He yawned as he pet Anastasia's hair before his hand stiffened. He sat up a bit, "What?" His voice went from a sultry rasp to a clear and demanding tone. Anastasia heard Damsel's voice rambling on the other line, Killian shut his phone closed while she was still talking. He got out of bed and pulled his pants on, searching around frantically for his shirt.

Anastasia lazily sat up, rubbing at her eyes, "What happened?"

"Lark's dead." He pulled a sweatshirt on, "I have to go to the Last Round."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"I have to go to the Last Round." He said louder, "Damsel better be fucking kidding me or…" He broke off, clearly thoroughly upset. He grabbed his phone and keys as he slammed the bedroom door shut.

Heading to the parking lot of the apartment complex, he went into a gray Jeep and stuck his keys inside, revving up the engine before he sped down the road to downtown. The walk to the Last Round was far from slow, he nearly ripped the door off of its hinges as he walked inside. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Damsel, Skelter, Nines and a Toreador standing around on the first floor, Damsel crying into Nines' chest.

The Toreador looked up at him, "Killian…hey…uh…." He swallowed hard, adjusting his jacket, "Sorry…I'm here if you ever need to talk-"

"Move the fuck out of the way, Kent." He shoved Kent away and grabbed Damsel's shoulder, shouting in her face, "What happened?"

Damsel sniffed, her makeup smeared from the crying, "It…it was a Cammy…he came in here…and grabbed her…" She sniffed, "We tried to fight him, we really did…but he escaped…he fucking drained her dry, Killian….."

"…what…?" His voice was a whisper, "Who?"

"Malk." Skelter said, "Even if he wasn't going to frenzy, he was mad. He needs to be put down."

"Where is he?"

Nines shook his head, "Not even Skelter could track him. It rained a few minutes after he ran. We lost his scent down towards the Chantry."

Killian turned away, Kent grabbed his shoulder, "Hey, man, keep a grip on yourself. She wouldn't want you to get pissed or anything…."

"She's fucking dead." His hand engulfed Kent's face as he pushed him away and walked outside.

The light drizzle started to let up. Killian walked in the middle of the street, people blaring their horns at him.

A car stopped in front of him, the elderly man honking the horn at him. His grimace lit up like that of a monster's in the light of the high-beams, he bent down and lifted up the car, running with it. Drivers blared their horns at him, pedestrians on the streets dialed all sorts of numbers at him. As he made it to a traffic light, he threw the car at a line of others.

Screaming was heard everywhere as he created a mass traffic overhaul. Anyone who tried to run away from him didn't last, he quickly caught hold of them and pounded them to mush into the pavement. After at least the tenth person he mutilated, three police cars appeared.

He let out a feral growl as he felt himself get pelted with bullets. He booked it, running into an alleyway. Jumping up against the wall of one of the buildings, he crawled up to the roofs and jumped up on top of them. He made it as far as he could for as long as there were buildings, the police sirens just about drowned out.

Taking out his phone, he looked at the missed call from Anastasia. He picked up, "Anastasia." His voice was hoarse from all the screaming and growling, "We're done…I'm…I'm done….sorry…"

"Killian? We're…done?" Anastasia asked from the other end.

He held his forehead as he heard the sirens get louder, positive she had to hear them as well, "I don't have the time you deserve. I just can't…I just…." He growled as he punched himself in the head, "Why the hell am I here!? I should be fucking dead, what the hell do I have to do? What's the point of just living to fuck you and screw around with a bunch of idiots for a millennia!? I should have overdosed!" He looked over the edge of the building, "I should just…fucking…jump…..:"

"Killian, sweetie, look…we don't have to be together…but don't hurt yourself. Is…is what they said about Lark true?"

He sniffed and choked as he heard a whimper escape his throat, closing his phone. He grit his teeth and threw his phone as far as he could, looking out at the horizon. The sun was on the verge of rising, the clouds starting to clear. He jumped to the next building, getting lower and lower until he hit the street and started running.

* * *

Victor returned once again to the Skyline apartments. He had been getting increasingly desperate calls from Jeanette, and while a Tremere Magister was usually supposed to stay within the bounds of the Chantry to aid apprentices, he could use an escape or two to evade Jeanette's calls.

Genevieve wasn't kidding when she claimed that Milton was messy, apartment two was a mess, and it seemed abandoned as well. His only clue seemed to be a recorder. It helped him and Slade the last time, so perhaps it would help him again tonight.

"Mister Milton, you know who this is, and I do hope you realize that we're still on for tonight. Meet me at the agreed upon location across from the bar by the underpass. Bring your associate, Mister Durbin, as it is a two-man job I am proposing. With any luck you two are already on your way and I shall see you soon. Goodbye."

Victor felt a chill, nothing about that man's voice was remotely appealing. It sounded dark and creepy. Across from the bar? He could've meant the Last Round. Should he head there next? He had no idea, it was possible he could be walking straight into a trap.

* * *

Cadmus walked into the Last Round, seeing a handful of customers over by the bar, but mostly the place seemed empty. He cursed at his poor luck, he thought he would finally find her here.

He saw a woman peer over from the storage area. She walked forward, "Hey, no Cammies allowed, get the fuck out of here." Her eye makeup was smudged, a scowl tugged at her lips.

He crossed his arms, "You got a girl named Anastasia in here?"

Her fists lit up with Potence, "Oh hell no, you're not taking her! Go take your Malkavian diablerizing dog and leave before I get Jack to come and kick your ass into the next century."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb." She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down, "This is your last chance, shithead." She thrust him forward, "Leave or get fucked up."  
A frightening glare made its way onto his face, "Good one. I want to talk to Anastasia. I won't ask again."

She punched him in the face.

Cadmus staggered backward, holding a hand out, "You will lick the floor." A blue glow went around his hand. Damsel walked over to corner and got on her hands and knees, licking the floor. Cadmus then made his way upstairs, welcoming an audience with the rest of the Anarchs.

Anastasia dropped her cigar, her eyes wide with horror, "C-Cadmus…?"

"I finally found you." Cadmus said.

She swallowed hard, "Were you looking long?"

"Since the Camarilla came here…which was a year ago, so…yeah…I had a feeling you'd be here. A place like this sort of reminds me of you."

"What are you doing here?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Is it so illegal for me to want to see my sister?" He asked, "We haven't seen each other for at least thirty years."

"Hey, what the hell happened to Damsel?" Skelter asked.

Nines took his gun out and aimed it at Cadmus's chest, "Get out."

Cadmus raised a brow, "Nines Rodriguez, huh? So I guess you really are an Anarch. Never thought I'd see you guys in the flesh like this."

"Cadmus, you chose the wrong side." Anastasia clenched her fists.

"Wrong side?" He repeated, "How do you figure? You make it sound like it actually matters. None of this bullshit vampire stuff matters. I carved a path for myself that would actually let me kill the Sabbat bastard who took Elspeth away from me. What banner I'm under while I'm doing that means absolutely nothing to me, I couldn't care less."

"If that's how you should feel, you should join the Anarchs." Anastasia said, "We're actually _doing_ something to fight the Sabbat."

"Oh yeah? I guess that warehouse in Santa Monica that blew up was just a _decoration_."

"LaCroix had you guys blow that up?" Skelter looked dubious.

"Look, Vanderbilt, have all the family reunions you want, but not here." Nines said, "We just had a suspected Cam come in here and take one of us. No Camarilla allowed in here." His voice was firm.

"Well, after the welcome I got, I'm not surprised." Cadmus said, "Some red-haired bitch wouldn't stop yelling at me. She's licking the floor now, but whatever."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes, "I think you should leave, Cadmus."

"And then what, genius?" He snapped, "I'll just come back. I thought after all that time and our parents' divorce that you would at least be happy to see me. Not even a smile?"

"You're Camarilla and I'm an Anarch!"

"So literally this vampire bullshit is the only thing standing in between us being together again?"

"Just…just go." She swatted a hand, "Leave. Kill the Sabbat for us."

His eye twitched, "How can you choose all this Kindred nonsense over family?"

"You can't be a human forever, Cadmus. You have to learn to let it go."

"Pfft, let your humanity go. That's the stupidest decision someone could make. I hate being a vampire, but I'm not going to let it stop me. Just come with me." He held a hand out, "We can leave the state, and let the vampires destroy each other."

Anastasia took a few steps forward to deck him in the face.

Cadmus's eyes widened, a green mist surrounded his body and he went to punch her back, but she covered herself in a similar coating. They both punched each other in the face and it did nothing.

There was a pause, as they both slowly moved their fists back, "You maxed out Fortitude too?" Cadmus asked, "It's your best Discipline?"

Anastasia gave a sour nod, "I guess we really are brother and sister."

Skelter grabbed Cadmus's jacket from behind, "Alright, kid, it's great that you have a sister and everything, but you need to get out of here." He started dragging him away.

"Hey!" Cadmus wrestled to break free, "Put me the hell down! I haven't seen her in decades! Let me go!" It was a compete departure from his stoic routine, but as he glanced at Skelter, he doubted that he could Dominate him, he seemed too old.

"You got eternity to talk to her, the entire planet, and you chose to do it at the wrong place, wrong time." He said, "Now don't make me turn you to fertilizer, kid."

"Fuck you." He growled, "You've made it clear to me now…what I have to do to get her back…"

Skelter snarled and threw him down the stairs, "Get the hell out of here and leave her alone! She's part of us now, happy as could be. Ain't that all you need?"

Cadmus's eyes shook with anger, "I won't forget that. I'll be back."

He looked over at Damsel and pulled her off the floor, "Fuck off, man."

Back upstairs, Nines got a pack of cigarettes out, "Sorry about him, Anastasia…really, I wouldn't care having him around since he's your brother…but…" He shook his head, "Damsel's really screwed up about losing Lark. Any Cams coming in drive her nuts."

"No…it's my f-fault…" Anastasia sniffed, Lark's death already affected her enough, with her without her brother's involvement, "He's…such a stubborn jackass sometimes…like a bull…now he's gonna make our life hell…just because I'm here…it's all my fault…"

"Relax." Nines said as Skelter came upstairs, still looking peeved, "You should talk to him, just not in here."

"That…that's dangerous though…he and Miranda…they enforce the Camarilla…LaCroix's foot soldiers…and I'm an Anarch…that…that's kinda why I was hiding from him…"

"But he's your brother…" Nines said, "Think about what just happened to Killian. What if that happened to you?"

"No…no…I'm not gonna die…I'm too strong…the Cammies won't kill me…" She hugged herself.

"No, he means Cadmus." Skelter said.

"He won't die either." She narrowed her eyes, reminiscing about her brother, "He may be stupid but…he's as strong, if not, stronger than me…he'll live through all this shit…"

"Yeah…that's what Killian said after he Embraced Lark…" Nines muttered.

"What happened to Killian?" Skelter said, "We just saw him leave and heard a hell of a lot of sirens…"

"He…uh…he's dealing with…some issues right now…I told him to take care of himself…he'll be back soon." Anastasia said.

"He broke the Masquerade, didn't he?" Nines asked.

She swallowed hard, "It's possible…I…I heard s-sirens in the background…"

"Damn idiot…" Skelter shook his head, "Don't know what the hell kinda brain you got in that head to date someone like that…goes around like a gorilla and mashes heads in until someone shoots him enough…"

"S-Skelter…we're n-not…"

He raised a brow.

"Anastasia, you should just go home…get some rest." Nines said, "You need it."

She gave a quick nod, "I'm s-sorry about all this…"

"Don't worry about it. Just get some rest."

* * *

"Ah, Miss Frost." LaCroix sat up, almost too eagerly. "Can I presume Mister Vanderbilt is preoccupied due to his absence?"

Miranda felt a lump in her throat. Of course, she knew a question like this would be coming her way at some point during her report, but she didn't think it would be asked _first_ , "He…well…it…seems he's experiencing…emotional trauma…it…must be about his wife. He has…fits about it occasionally…it's for that reason that I decided it would be best to tackle the Elizabeth Dane by myself, free of distractions."

"Ah, I see." He said after a short pause, he seemed surprised, but masked it well, "I appreciate your efforts to handle the task unaided. Considering the fact I've only heard of one casualty since your departure, I thank you especially for taking such precautions."

"Yes, sir. I have the paperwork here as well." She flipped through it, "The…police report doesn't seem to report anything that we haven't already found out. And the ship manifest stated the sarcophagus, pottery, and a tiny unidentified box as its cargo. Here…" She handed the paperwork to him, "For your reading pleasure."

He chuckled softly as he took the paperwork and carefully set it in a different stack, "Thank you, Miss Frost. What was it that you noticed at the scene?"

"It didn't look exactly in mint condition sir. There was as much blood on the sarcophagus as there was on the Dane itself. The bloody handprints is what really caught my attention. Whatever's inside was most likely…tampered with."

"Tampered with…?" He asked, "As if someone had…?" He trailed off.

"It's a certainty at this point."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose before he looked back up at her, "Well, I thank you regardless. I would send you upon another task, but it seems I've assigned Miss Rivers to it already." He said, "Though, when she fails, I would like you to see it through to the end."

"See it through the end, sir?"

He nodded, "I've pinned her against an assassin Miss Voerman has hired. This assassin has caused problems for us in the past, and I have no inclination of repeating the past. I would like you to rid of her. She's a ghoul, it should be fairly simple."

"Yes, sir. Will you let me know…when…Miss Rivers is unsuccessful?"

"Of course. I'll either call or email, as per usual."

"Yes, sir." She bowed, "Was there anything else?"

"No, unless there was anything you had on your mind." He turned his attention back to his paperwork.

"One thing, sir. Feel free to dismiss it."

"Of course." He looked up, it seemed he wasn't expecting her to say anything, but he was still eager to listen.

"About Mister Vanderbilt's…dilemma…I think if you were to assign him to a new task…it should probably be for something…violent and murderous…and that you should leave the reconnaissance for me." She smiled, "I always extract the information you need without even raising the slightest of alarm."

He smiled back, "Of course. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've tried to set it up that way since my initial analysis of your personalities."

"Yes, sir. Anything for the good of the organization." She gave a bow, "I shall leave you to your work."

"Thank you, Miss Frost. Have a good evening…you're more than deserving of it."

* * *

Casually, a man strolled down the street, a shopping bag looped around his arm as he headed to his apartment. Or, tried to.

A man put an arm around his chest, another held a switchblade to his throat, "Gimme the food and you won't get hurt."

The man shuddered as he dropped the bag, "It's just jerky, man!"

"Fuckin' waste…" His throat was slit as his body hit the ground. The killer picked up the bag, fishing the meat out of the bag and sticking it in one of his pockets. His beady red eyes darted around before he drifted off towards the shadows and found a can-fire.

Two streams of smoke clouded the air around him as he closed his eyes slowly and leaned against the metal trash can. It almost felt like someone was pressing a burning brand against his back, the blazing can, but it was a welcome feeling in the desolate cold. A homeless man with wobbly knees hobbled over.

"Hey there, sonny…" A smile appeared on his cracked lips, "I don't know about you…I was hoping yesterday that'd be it…"

"Yeah…" His gravelly voice rasped as he took one last drawl on his cigar before he muffled it out on the pavement, "You'd think after two-thousand years puttin' up with all this shit, the world would get fed up of us and kick the bucket already…"

He gave a wheezy chuckle, "If only….if only…" He said, "You got any hootch?"

"Just enough for the rest of the night…" His dark eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't mind sparin' a lil bit for me? You're so young, you got a lotta life in you yet…"

He brought a flask to his mouth and held it above his head before he wiped his lips and sighed, "Ah, that was good."

The elderly man hobbled off.

The younger man closed his eyes again and leaned against the can fire, his back still burning. He wondered if maybe the heat would catch his hair on fire too.

He heard the sound of someone stumbling down the pavement from an alleyway across the street. He peeked an eye open and watched a tiny figure dressed in loose raggedy clothes. They looked both ways across the street before stumbling over, looking at him with wide pink eyes, glossed over with tears. She held a fist over her mouth and coughed a few times, before wiping tears away.

He sat up a bit, "Hey…kid….you alright?"

She sniffed and nodded, "I'm…just….c-cold…." Another cough.

"C'mere. Thirty degrees out and you're standin' out there in the cold like an idiot. Come stand by the fire."

She shook her head, "It smells."

"Of course it smells." He barked, "You light garbage on fire and you expect it to smell good?"

She shivered and hugged herself, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He moved away from the fire and held his arms out, "C'mere."

She ran into his arms and closed her eyes, sniffling into his shirt.

"The name's Steadman." He said quietly.

She looked up at him, "Steadman…" She said slowly as she shuddered, "You don't look as old and smelly as the others…"

He snickered, "I used ta be a little brat like you not too long ago…you…get used to it." He said.

"…how old are you?" She coughed.

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen…?" Her eyes grew, "I'll…I'll never be that old…."

"Don't say that kinda shit." He pat her head, "You sick?"

She nodded slowly.

He handed her his flask, "Here. Have some. Just a little bit, alright?"

She took the flask in two hands, taking a sip before she scrunched her face up.

He snickered as he took it back, "It's hooch. Kinda…helps kill the pain."

"It's yucky….." She whimpered before she coughed again.

He sat down, she sat in his lap, "When was the last time you ate, kid?"

"Uh…."

"Here…" He reached in his pocket, taking out the bag of beef jerky. He handed her a strip, "Try this. Best stuff I've ever eaten."

She took it in her two little hands, nibbling on it with wide eyes. She then gulfed it down as if it was air.

He snickered, "Take it easy, there, killer." He handed her another piece, which she gobbled down eagerly. He pet her hair, "What's your name?"

She looked up at him, "It's a secret."

"Oh yeah?" He gave a grin, "You gotta come up with somethin' for me to call you."

"I dunno…something….something pretty." She said as she chomped on another piece of meat.

"Somethin' pretty?" He asked, "You're askin' the wrong guy…."

"Something pretty!"

"Alright, alright, jeez….I dunno…..what about…." He blinked, "Angel…Angelique? Fancy enough for ya?"

Angelique's eyes opened as she sat up in bed, rubbing her forehead. She looked around, then recalled that she was in Cadmus's room. The events of the argument came rushing back into her mind, so she stood to her feet and opened the door, cautiously heading to the hallway.

Cadmus was at the other end of the hallway. The way he looked, it suggested that he fought a lion, then a bear, and followed by a tiger. They held eye contact for a fleeting handful of seconds, then he just walked right past her, his shoulder smacking into hers as he headed for his room.

She flinched, then turned around, "Cadmus."

"Leave me alone…"

"I'm sorry."

He opened the door to his room, then he froze when he heard those words, "Why are you apologizing?" His grip shook, "If I had my way, I would've called Therese and your life would've ended…"

"Yeah, I know, cause I pissed you off. We…we both hate the Sabbat…" She muttered, "I have no reason to be pissy. We're not the same people, we're going to have different thoughts and opinions, but we should at least work together to take down those shitheads."

"Just because both our lives were screwed over by the Sabbat doesn't mean we'd make ideal combat partners."

"It's the Sabbat, it doesn't exactly take a match made in heaven to beat the shit out of them."

"That must be why they've been around for thousands of years then. As long as the Camarilla."

"Camarilla has strategy, Sabbat has numbers."

"Goodbye Angelique."

She narrowed her eyes and watched him go into his bedroom, "I'll be in the kitchen." She said as she headed for the stairs.

He whirled around, "You really don't get it, do you?"

"No, I've never been very good at social cues." She turned around, "That happens when you grow up in the Sabbat."

"I don't like you. You disgust me, and if you keep living here, I'll treat you like how I would treat any other stranger invading my living quarters."

"Why don't you like me?"

"I can think of a big list." He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, "Having my own ghoul sounded nice, convenient, especially so when I first met you. But now after a day I don't want any more of it." He said, "I don't trust you…or…maybe…the fact that we both have such giant trust issues is the main problem here…"

"I'm not sure what I should do about that besides listen to you."

"Or…just leave. I work better alone anyway."

"Are you sure…?" He almost heard a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah…I mean…I work with Miranda all the time…but…that really gets annoying…so…I thought having you as my ghoul would be different…but…no…it…it isn't…I can't coexist with anyone…I'm a vampire…who hates being a vampire…so…naturally both sides of the spectrum hate me…"

She paused, "I think…I think I'd end my life if I became Embraced…" She said slowly, "The fact that you have the courage to survive…to keep going…despite that disease…it's…." She looked up at him. "Inspiring."

"You're lucky."

"I know…" Her eyes teared up. "They tried to Embrace me…that was when I ran…" She said, "When…Steadman grabbed me like food…" She looked up at him, "I'm sorry…"

"Hey, don't cry." He walked forward and got to her level to wipe the tears out of her eyes, "Look, why don't you sleep here tonight? I…I haven't been thinking straight…a lot has been going on. I…I met my sister again, after so many years…thought she was freaking dead…"

She sniffed, her cheeks a bit pink, "Okay." She squeaked, "Can…I have more blood…?"

"Yeah." He slit one of his wrists, holding it out to her mouth.

She gently held his arm and brought his wrist to her mouth, gently drinking from it for a few seconds before she gently pulled herself away, "Thank you, sir."

"Just go rest up, okay? I'm not really gonna be the type of guy sending you out on suicide missions every other day or so. When we work, I'd like for us to work together."

"Okay…" She said slowly, since she just got up from bed. "Thank you, sir…" She headed towards the bedroom again.

* * *

A/N: Dawwwwww… well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty-five! Didn't think I'd make it, but what do you know…anyway, this is a very Harper-oriented chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Final Death sounded _excellent_ right about now. Maybe even just having him drain her dry and throw her corpse in the fireplace as she hung onto a thread of her life. Yes, she would prefer that to this.

"So where did you get that dress?"

Harper gave a slight sigh, poking her salad. The leaves were all dark green and wilted, most of them had brown and white spots on them. Tess still eyed it enviously, "It isn't a dress."

"It isn't?" Tess asked as she looked her over, "A coat…?"

Harper nodded.

"Where'd you get it then?" Tess smiled, "It fits you so well…"

"It was given to me."

"By who?"

"The Prince."

"….he bought you a coat like that?"

Harper nodded slowly, "Yes, he felt that I needed something with pockets."

"Pockets…hmm?" She asked.

Harper nodded as she looked out toward the dreary streets of Santa Monica.

"You must have been flattered."

"Flattered?" Harper asked.

"Well, it does draw quite a bit of attention to your hips."

She looked down at the slits of the coat, "I suppose. I don't think that was the intention."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" She laughed.

Miss Rivers looked extremely peeved, "Excuse me?"

"Men do little things like that as a hint." She said, putting on a mask of feminine wisdom, "He thinks you have a nice ass, so he got you something that accentuated that. And he certainly isn't wrong…" Her eyes drifted back to Harper's hips.

Harper stabbed her salad again, a prong of her plastic fork broke, "He is my boss. We have a strictly professional relationship." She said, before her eyes met Tess's. A sudden ferocity filled her chest as she spoke up, her gentle voice could have quite the hiss to it, a venomous flame to it that overrode her fear of Kindred, "I can guarantee you, you were not Embraced to join the romantic society of vampires that do not exist." She said lowly, her eyes darting to the elderly woman behind the counter, "Yes, you're eternal, yes, you're young forever, thrust into a plethora of depressing creatures who are also stuck in a restless, ageless, predatory, demonic state. I understand just how enticing that can sound, but you have no clue what is inside the minds of them at all. They are not humans, Tess. Especially the Ventrue." She sat back, "They cannot feel, they cannot sense damage, and they most certainly cannot love. Attraction is dead, caring is trivial. Profit and power is the balance that their mind is set on, nothing more." She averted her gaze and stabbed her salad as Tess looked amused, "You're a Toreador, you don't understand…you kept that sliver of humanity when you died. They didn't. It's you and the Brujah that…have that sliver of hope. The heart still beats in your mind. The other clans?" She looked up, "They can kill, they can lie, cheat, slander, defile, mutilate…" She stabbed her salad again, "And never feel an ounce of guilt. They don't feel…they feel fear, they feel anger, sadness, happiness…that's…it, at most."

Tess sat back, still smirking, "You really think so…?"

"Yes." She left her answer curt.

"Then what about fucking?"

Harper flinched, blinking, " _What?_ "

"Isn't that attraction? Lust? Something vampires can't feel? I've witnessed Ventrue, Malkavian, all sorts of clans put that on display."

"I believe I've already mentioned cheating, slander and defilement."

"Oh, I don't think it's defilement if both parties are willing."

"There is a difference between lust and adoration."

"I'll ask again." Tess leaned in, "Have you ever had a boyfriend? A special friend…?"

"I don't see where that ties in." Her eyes were as bored as ever.

She smirked, "A woman with an appearance such as yours couldn't pass as a virgin in my eyes."

Harper took a sip of her water, which tasted like dish soap, "He's long gone, it hardly matters."

"What was his name?" She asked sweetly.

Pushing her salad forward, she let her stomach roar and grumble, before she eyed the lady behind the counter, who was in the back doing dishes. She peered around for security cameras before she took out her blood bag and drank the entire thing. Rarely did she ever down the entire bag of blood so quickly, it usually left her nauseous or feverish. "Dalton."

"Dalton…a strong name…" Tess sat back, "Where did you meet him?"

She took a sip of her drink, "I asked him to Prom my junior year." She said softly, "And when he denied me…" She looked out the window, "I simply asked again."

"And he said yes?"

"No. I asked him every day for two years…." She said softly, "Before he said yes, on my birthday of my senior year." She crossed her legs, "We….were going to live together." She said eventually, "Before he went to the marines. I got a call that he was killed…and….spent the night at Mercurio's. The next day, I woke up as the Prince's ghoul."

"I'll keep it between us." Tess smirked.

"Yes…" Harper mused as she sat back, mentally reminding herself to ask LaCroix to wipe her memory at some point. She flinched as she felt her pocket buzz, then she took out her cell phone, "Hello, sir?"

"Miss Rivers." LaCroix's voice was as rehearsed as always, "Miss Voerman has returned."

"Has she? Very well, we will head out to meet her now. Do remind me to ask you a favor upon my return."

"Oh?" His voice didn't sound nearly as emotionless and monotone, "Ask _me_ a favor?"

"It isn't nearly as bad as it sounds…" She chuckled nervously, "Apologies."

"Hmm. Very well. I'll see you upon your return." There was a slight pause, "And…please…call if something happens."

His voice sounded so small and quick, like he didn't want those words to escape, "…of course…sir…good evening."

"Good evening, Miss Rivers…" He said. She didn't hear him end the call as he usually did, so she shut her phone closed and stuck it in her pocket, a bit weirded out.

"Are we off?" Tess asked.

Harper stood up, "Yes, we're…off." She said as they left the Surfside diner and headed back for the Asylum.

"So you're straight?" Tess asked as they walked inside.

Harper didn't bother dignifying that with a response, "Hello, sir." She approached the bartender, "We need to see Miss Voerman."

"Didn't you stiffs already go up there?"

"You see, it appears Jeanette was there, not Therese. We need to speak to Therese."

"…okay…" He said slowly, "Yeah, go on up."

Harper motioned for Tess to follow as she took the manila folder from her coat and they entered the elevator.

"Does…Therese look anything like her sister?" Tess asked.

"They're nearly identical. Well, Therese has a much more appropriate taste in fashion."

Tess crossed her arms, "What clan is she?"

Harper actually had to think, "I believe Therese is Ventrue, and her sister is Malkavian."

"Ah, I see…"

The short ride stopped as they both got out and Harper gently knocked on the door. After hearing a greeting, they both walked inside.

"Ah, Miss Rivers." Therese said with a slight smile, "Nice to see you again. And you are…?" She looked at Tess.

Tess did everything she could to keep her eyes off her exposed chest, "Tess Perry. Camarilla fledgling."

Therese held a hand out, "Very nice to meet you, Miss Perry. Therese Voerman. I am the proprietor of this establishment," She took the slightest pause, "With help from my sister, of course. Baroness of Santa Monica."

Tess nodded, "Pleased to meet you."

"Who was your sire, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mister Lorcan."

"Ah…" She said, an undeterminable look on her face, her black lips almost flickered to a scowl before she smiled again, "Well, it's always nice to see new members."

"I apologize for disrupting formalities." Miss River said, "But the Prince wanted me to give you this." Harper handed her the folder.

Therese took the folder and paused as she opened it, "What is this…?"

"I'm…not sure…" Harper seemed to panic, "I wasn't directed to look inside, I felt as though it is private information."

"I'm sure the Prince would be more than happy to address any concerns pertaining the document, whatever it is." Tess added.

"Very well…" Therese sighed as she folded her arms, clearly upset, "Is that all?"

Harper seemed hesitant about conducting the interview, "I hope you don't mind me asking something…rather…off the cusp…?"

She raised a brow, "I don't have time for games."

"Of course not." Harper insisted, "There's…just….been someone after me." She said quietly, as if she didn't want Tess to hear, "Someone who wants to gather the Prince's attention by erasing one of his ghouls from existence." She said. Therese was rapt with curiosity, any ill-will had fled, "I…I was wondering if you would be of any help…I can't bring this to the Prince's attention for obvious reasons…he would send some sort of fleet and get quite carried away…"

"So you're asking me because…?" She shook her head with confusion.

"Because you're…the smartest woman I know." She said, "And I'm not allowed to talk to Kindred outside of my duties…"

She looked at Tess, "You can't speak with her about this?"

"She's…a fledgling…"

"Of course…" Therese looked outside, "You're going to have to be very quiet about this. It's extremely unorthodox to even talk of such things, let alone bring them to an elder Kindred like this. A burden, I think, don't you?"

"Please…" Harper's pleading look was exemplary, "I…just want to live to see tomorrow…"

"Very well…I suppose fire can be fought with fire…" She muttered, "I know of an assassin you could very well work with….she's…" She sighed, "Inefficient, selfish and hasty…but…" She paused, "I'm sure given enough time, she could get the job done."

"Do you know where I might find her?"

"I do not. I have her email, I'll send it to you."

"That would be lovely…"

"Of course. But the Prince can not find out about this. He isn't entirely fond of this particular assassin."

"Of course. Thank you so much, Miss Voerman. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

She thought for a moment, "I would like you to gather a-hundred guests to visit Gallery Noir. It's been struggling to regain funds after the paintings have been decimated."

"Very well. I will do everything in my power for you."

She nodded, "I do hope to see you again." She said as they bid farewell and headed outside to the streets again.

"Are they twins?" Tess asked as they went outside.

"It's likely." Harper mused, "I never asked. She doesn't like to bring up Jeanette."

"Oh, how come?"

"She's an Anarch….it was strange how she mentioned sharing the club with her…Therese has managed that club singlehandedly for as long as I've been here…"

"Hmm…." Tess hummed as she peered over Harper's shoulder. Harper was on her phone, scrolling through emails. "There it is." She said, "We need to go back to Venture Tower."

"Why?" Tess asked.

"My laptop is there. I can trace the assassin from her email, find out where she is."

"I had no clue you were so tech savvy."

"Yes…I…" She crossed her arms as they started walking to the nearest cab, "Had a night off when Mister Golden decided to stop by and educate me…"

"Mister Golden…?" Tess asked quietly.

"Mister Gary Golden." Tess said, "The Nosferatu Primogen."

"Oh…the Nosferatu…yes, I've met one of them…" She said, "Do they all smell so offensive?"

Harper sighed as she shook her head and they entered the cab, "I…have a migraine…if you wouldn't mind…being quiet for a while…"

"Of course, I understand." Tess said. Rightfully so, it was silent on the way to L.A. It was silent when they walked to the tower, and silent when they entered Harper's room. Then it broke, "Your room is lovely."

"Thank you." Harper said as she walked towards the office and sat at her desk, opening her laptop and skimming through her emails. She began clicking around, digging for information about the assassin as Tess puttered around.

Out of curiosity, Tess opened her refrigerator, taking out a blood back, "Is this…LaCroix's blood?"

"Yes, it's for Mercurio. I have to deliver it when I find the chance."

Tess looked at it for a moment before she stuck it back in the refrigerator, "Do Kindred have blood types?"

"They have bloodlines, I'm not sure about blood types." She said, "I've tracked her down."

"Oh, good. Where is she?"

"Follow me." Harper said as she stood up, "Are you prepared for a fight?"

"As prepared as I ever will be."

She nodded, feeling the gun in her pocket out of nervousness. They headed out from the room, out of the building, and towards the street.

"Where is she?" Tess asked.

"The last text she sent was picked up from this direction."

"Ah, I see…" Tess said, "I suppose if I meet this Gary fellow, I'll have to thank him for teaching such valuable information to this mission….is he at least somewhat handsome?"

"He's a Nosferatu, Tess."

"What a shame…" She sighed.

Harper didn't bother digging into the fact that Tess didn't even know the man and was upset that he wasn't beautiful. She had decided to stop entertaining Tess's comments. "She's around this corner, I believe."

"Very well." Tess said, watching as Harper slipped a pistol from her pocket, "Isn't that a bit of a Masquerade Violation?"

"No. It's a criminal violation. One that can go on my record and LaCroix can pay off with ease. You on the other hand need to be more careful. No Celerity."

"Yes ma'am."

Miss Rivers decided not to let the authoritative feeling go to her head as she turned the corner with her gun and fired.

The bullet hit Angelique square in the chest, but bounced off due to her armor. She was carrying a shopping bag of food that was quickly dropped as she saw her hunters.

Tess stepped back with shock, "Bulletproof armor…?"

Harper grit her teeth nervously and fired at her head.

Angelique held a hand up and blocked that as well. She ran forward with two knives and staked Tess in the chest, knocking her to the ground and paralyzing her. She then looked at Harper, "Harper Rivers…"

Harper backed away into the street, people screaming bloody murder at the fight that broke out. She fired again at Angelique's face.

Angelique swerved out of the way, sticking her knife into the back of one of Harper's knees. She yelped and fell to her knees, before she heard the sound of a sniper fire. The echoing around the walls was resounding, as was the splitting pain in her left shoulder. Had her heart been pierced? Perhaps it had, because it was only a second later that she hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Angelique sneered and stepped on Tess's throat a few times, hesitant to leave a Kindred alive, but not wanting to kill any more Camarilla than she had to, due to her situation. She ran off with her bag of groceries.

* * *

The warehouse across from the Last Round was the epitome of monotonous and emptiness. That is until recently. As the rundown establishment was now characterized by a weak fire to the side, and a gruesome corpse that was not only headless, but gored through a metal beam. A bum huddled in the corner in fear. Shaking and paralyzed with fear, he only stood up when he heard the door to the warehouse creak open and then shut again.

"Ah…I see…" Victor's refined voice said as he entered the room, "I had pursued this path this far to see if I could aid that delightful fledgling Slade with his hunt or Muddy…but it seems his trial has now intertwined with my own to discover the identity of this serial killer…"

"D-D-D-Did you see it?" The bum quivered, rising only when he came to the conclusion that Victor would not harm him.

"I'm afraid I haven't. You wouldn't mind filling me in on the situation, would you?"

"He done tore him up. Right in two. Ripped him 'part like a rag doll." The bum recounted with horror.

"I see that." He clasped his hands together, "Start from the beginning."

"These two guys…the dead guy and the other'n…uh, they showed up. I been living here so I hid, I thought maybe they was owners or…or cops come to clean the place out."

"Ah. Two people. So there was a survivor?"

He nodded, "The dead feller called 'em 'Muddy'."

"Interesting. Did you get to observe what they were doing here?"

"Uh, they was waitin' on someone. They was gonna do some kind of job they was sayin'. But the person they was meetin', well he was late, so…the one guy leaves to find a phone and call him and the dead guy stayed. Well, that's when the killer…yeah, that's when he showed up."

He smiled, "You speak as if he didn't use the front door."

"One second he wa'n't there an' then he was; like out of the shadows he come up. Scared the shit outta the dead guy. I liked ta scream but I couldn't breathe."

"And then he killed him? I doubt conventional weaponry could've even _hoped_ to achieve what we see here tonight."

"Oh, that killer, he grew these claws! I swear it…I saw it. The dead guy went white, like he seen the devil, then the killer grabbed him around the neck an' lifted him up an' started cursing at the guy."

"What did he say?"

"Oh, I-I couldn't hear too good. Somethin' about revenge for what he did or what they did. T-The killer made sure the dead guy knew who he was, and then ripped him open…uh, just tore him apart. He did it real slow; made the guy scream."

"I see…" He took a few steps forward, it was doubtful that the bum ever saw someone examine something as gruesome as a murder scene with such grotesque and scientific fascination. Then he blinked a few times, as if he had forgotten something as an afterthought, "You will forget what happened here, and leave." He held a hand out as a blue glow came from it.

"Okay, okay, I will! I don't never wanna think about that again!" The bum ran off.

Victor examined the murder for a bit longer, finding nothing of interest aside from a key to the Luckee Star Motel. _Hollywood?_ He wondered, so the next part of his sleuthing trail led him to Hollywood, which was especially unfortunate because it didn't rank amongst the friendliest place for those of the Camarilla. He would have to be very careful if he was going to pursue this path, as he had got this far, there was no use in turning back now.

* * *

"…Harper! …Harper! …I need you to open your eyes, Harper…"

A groggy and slightly comforting sound filled her ears, but opening her eyes? Far too daunting. She can't say she didn't try. She gave it the normal effort it took to open her eyes, but once she could tell it was going to take a bit more than that, she quickly gave up. She was exhausted, and this darkness was nice.

But not as nice as the sound of the voice. She didn't like it, but at the same time, she wanted to hear more. She wanted to go back to a time when that voice wasn't as bad as she remembered.

"Embrace her or she'll die." She heard a rasp.

"No." The voice said, "That would go against her rights as my assistant. She made it clear she does not want to be Kindred without permission."

"Her funeral."

A prolonged silence took reign as she slipped into an unmemorable dreamlike state. Then a light. It was bright. Getting brighter, and brighter. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, her pupils dilating under the brightness as she faced a set of lights to her face, like that of a dentists, "There you are." A pretty nurse stood above her, "It's alright, just relax. You're in the hospital."

"Hospital…?" She asked softly, wondering if she was in Santa Monica. The last thing she wanted were the many diseases left on the hospital beds.

"Just relax. You have a guest…and after the visit's over, we're going to do an operation to repair your torn ligaments and fractured shoulder blade."

She gave a slight nod, which even then, was extremely painful. She left, and who else would replace her, but her boss. He closed the door and stepped in like a shadow, looking over her with concern, "I was sure you would perish…" He said softly. Too softly.

She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the look on his face, "That's what you wanted, isn't it…?"

"No."

"Please don't lie to me on my deathbed, sir…"

"You aren't on your deathbed." He said as she peered an eye open and watched him fiddle with the IVs.

"Yes I am…either I'll die in the next five minutes due to all the drugs I'm on since they hardly react with your blood…or you'll Embrace me…which I'm sure you're doing right about now…"

"I'm not going to Embrace you." He said firmly, "It was your wish to remain a ghoul, so be it."

"….then…why am I…?"

"I heard about the attack and found the pair of you lying in the street, surrounded by investigators. After I made them run off, I suppose, I took you here and left Tess for the others."

She closed her eyes again, "You saved my life…?"

"I suppose I did."

Flattered, sure. Uncomfortable? Undeniably.

"In five minutes, my blood will have you healed. I needed to take you here to ensure the press wouldn't pronounce you dead."

"…and…having me mysteriously heal…?"

"They'll think nothing of it." He said with a smirk.

"You're Dominating an entire fleet of doctors and nurses…?"

"Do you think I am unable to handle such a task?"

"…I think you're an idiot for going through all this effort for _me_ …"

"I think of you as a very worthwhile cause." He said, after a short pause he added, "I would do the same for any of my experienced members in the Camarilla…"

She swallowed hard. Maybe the Prince wasn't all bad. Sure his mouth was loud and his temper was short and he could be heartless, but deep down, he had good morals. Or at least enough to save a person's life when they've just about been serving as his slave for over a decade.

"Thank you sir…" She squeaked.

He chuckled softly, "Miss Perry's performance was poor, I suppose?"

"Yes…I…I would like you to wipe her memory….I told her too much…"

"Is that so?" He asked, "Consider it done."

"Thank you…" She gave a sigh of relief.

He looked at his watch, "And since there's still two minutes, I'm sure an explanation is needed pertaining what she was told.

"I just…told her about Dalton…" She said softly.

"….Dalton…?" He raised a brow.

She shook her head, "My…boyfriend…before he was killed…"

This was definitely new information, but he played it off as if it was familiar, all tied together with a nice neat bow of his expressionless face, "Ah, of course. I suppose someone of her…loquacity should not be trusted with such information."

"No…" She said, "Is she…?"

"Dead?" He finished, "No. She survived. The assassin left her alive for…whatever reason."

She let out a small sigh of disappointment, but again, it was small, "And the assassin?"

"Miss Frost is handling matters as we speak."

* * *

Angelique dropped her bag of groceries on the table and let out a long sigh, combing her fingers through her hair before she started putting the food way respectably.

Cadmus looked up from the book he was reading, or, what he was _trying_ to read. It didn't look like he was making very much headway, "Back again?" He smiled, then it faded as he saw the look in her eyes, "Did…something happen?"

"Day one and the Cammies are after me…"

"…what…?"

"They're trying to kill me. Two of them. The Prince's ghoul and some random Toreador…"

"Shit…already? Maybe you should stay here so we can sort this-"

Miranda barged into his room, "Cadmus, I need your help killing an assassin ghoul…" Her big, galaxy eyes froze, "You…you have Angelique Luna… _in_ your room?"

"Miranda, wait-"

"We saw her at Santa Monica?" She narrowed her eyes, "Why didn't you just kill her there?"

"I'm not killing her, and I'm not letting anyone near her."

"It's the Prince's orders now. You have no choice."

"Screw the Prince."

There was a pause as her eyes widened. She raised a hand towards Angelique.

Cadmus stood up with rage, "Don't you dare try to use Suicide on her."

"What is the meaning of this, Cadmus?"

Angelique nervously backed away and stared heading towards the door.

Miranda's eyes slid over to her, she ran up and tackled her down, drawing her blade and shoving it towards her throat.

"Get off of her!" Cadmus snapped.

"She needs to die." Miranda said.

"Why? LaCroix can have thousands of ghouls scuttling around like insects, yet I have _one_ and it's a huge problem?"

Miranda looked bewildered, looking into Angelique's eyes, "She's your ghoul? For how long?"

"Well…not really yet…it…it's complicated…"

"Her?"

"Just get the hell off of her."

She blinked slowly, stepping off of her. "She needs to die though. I cannot return to LaCroix empty handed."

"Pfft…he can bullshit around with Harper and a bunch of other ghouls and that's a-okay?" Cadmus asked as he helped Angelique up.

"What…what do you mean by that…?"

"Come on, Miranda…you saw the way he was holding her face…I don't think they were just chatting about missions and the lovely Camarilla, do you?"

"No…no…that's not, no. That's not true. You're lying…you're trying to distract me…from my mission…"

Cadmus blinked, "Uh…sure…" He said, surprised at seeing her freak out over this.

"Look." Angelique said, "What if I just…'die'….?" She asked.

"No, Angelique, I don't want you to die." Cadmus looked worried.

"Miranda just killed me. I died." She took her belt off, "Angelique Luna isn't a real name anyway." She said as she started pulling her suit off, "Someone give me something else to put on and a pair of scissors."

"Angelique…w-what are you doing…?" Cadmus backed away and shielded his eyes.

As Miranda watched, her eyes got bigger and bigger.

She threw her heavy armor to the floor, in nothing but her undergarments as she grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and cut her hair off short, "Someone get me something to wear already, it isn't exactly warm in this vampire cave…"

Cadmus and Miranda exchanged a glance, "Do you want a kimono or do you want a bunch of leather?" Cadmus asked.

She looked from Cadmus to Miranda, cutting off another lock of hair, "I won't fit in the dress…I'll take the leather."

Cadmus went into another room to get some of his clothes, while Miranda raised a brow, "So…we're going to fake your death, essentially?"

She nodded, "A lie to the Prince won't matter when he's swimming in an ocean of his own." She said as she looked at her reflection in the microwave, slipping the leather jacket and jeans on as she slid her fingers through her bob, "Glasses would be better. Contacts too, but I don't know if we could find a safe colored contacts in L.A…" She muttered.

Cadmus felt a lump in his throat as he saw the new Angelique.

"Well, she certainly looks like your ghoul now, alright." Miranda said, "Very well." She looked at Cadmus, "For you, I will lie to LaCroix, but you know her history. It's why I was even sent here in the first place." She remarked as she turned to leave the room.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful."

She turned around to look back one last time, this time with a smile, "It's interesting to see you care about someone else so much like this. Very cute."

Cadmus looked to the side out of embarrassment as she left, "Pretend you didn't hear that." Then he turned to look at her, "So what should I even call you now?"

Her cheeks blushed, "My name is Fleance." She said, "But…just…call me Starr…it's my last name…"

"Right…Miss Starr…" He looked away, "So…if…if you don't like my clothes…I…I could buy you some new ones…"

"I could buy some." She said, "I don't think you would buy the right size." She said with a smirk before she blushed, "I…have to wear a lot of child's sizes…"

He looked back, "You're right…" He said, "I…probably would screw up and buy the wrong size…"

"I'll do it later…this is fine for now." She said as she adjusted the jacket, "Miranda…what's her last name?"

"Uh…pretty sure it's Frost."

"Frost…" She repeated, "Alright. Just…for future reference…" She muttered, "I'm going to nap."

"Alright…just…be careful the next time you go out…or…or take me with you…okay? I…I don't want you to die…"

"Of course." She said with a smile, before she paused, "Can I…have a drink…?"

He took a knife out, prepared to listlessly cut his wrist, then he froze, "Angelique…this…this is number three…"

"Uh huh. Forgive me if I pounce."

He walked forward after cutting his wrist open, holding it up to her mouth. She gently held his wrist and started drinking from it. Again, she was very reserved, drinking a few sips before she gently pulled herself away. She cleared her throat afterwards, dusting off her coat. "Thanks."

"No problem." He said, "Go get some rest."

She hugged him, "Okay, sir."

He paused, blinking a few times before he finally accepted the hug and squeezed her back.

* * *

 **A/N:** Daw…is it just the blood bond, or is it something real? What'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty-six! Wonder what happened to all LaCroix's anger about Tess and Harper failing…

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

"You've returned." LaCroix's face was completely unamused.

"Apologies, sir." Tess said as she closed the door behind herself.

"I'm going to be curt with you." He said as he looked up at her from his desk chair. His head didn't move as he met her eyes with his. He pulled something out of his desk, setting it down on the surface. It was a keyring. "You are a disappointment to our company. Not only were you supposed to kill a mortal, _a mortal_ , but you were supposed to protect my ghoul. You failed both tasks."

"Sorry, sir…" She swallowed hard.

"Take these." He gave a bored sigh as he flicked the keys in her range, she was lucky to catch them, "Your room in Ventrue Tower has been taken, your items have been packed away."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"You will forget Miss River's private information."

Her head fogged with a bluish color for a moment before she blinked, "Yes, sir."

"Your room is room four in Skyeline Apartments. I believe it is inhabited, though I have Ventrue currently managing the affair."

"Of course, sir." Her voice was soft.

There was another knock on the door, "Come in." LaCroix called.

Miranda peeked in, cautiously stepping in, "I don't mean to intrude."

"Of course not." LaCroix sat back, instantly at ease, "Miss Perry, please leave."

Tess gave a shaky nod, tears in her eyes as she turned towards the door and left.

The Prince rubbed the bridge of his nose, "The assassin?"

"She's been taken care of." Miranda said, "She won't be troubling the Camarilla anymore."

"Excellent." He smiled, "A relief to hear sound news, for once." He raised his brow before he continued, taking out a folder of payment, "I think some well-deserved time off should find its way onto your agenda. Oh, and perhaps visit Mister Vanderbilt. It has been a good while since I've last seen him."

"If you'd like, sir. I can bring him up here to you."

"No need. So long as he's alive and well. I've meetings to attend anyhow, I doubt I'll find much time for him."

Miranda gave a small bow, "I shall return to my quarters, if that is all."

"Yes, unless there were any concerns you wanted to bring to my attention."

"None, sir."

"Very well. Good evening, Miss Frost."

* * *

"Hey, hey, don't snuff that out on the table like that." Skelter's amber eyes met with Damsel's bloodshot eyes, "You'll leave marks."

"I don't give a damn." She muttered as she flicked the cigarette aside.

He sat back, wondering if Damsel had _ever_ had someone she cared about die.

Nines turned his head towards the window, "Who just came in?"

"Dunno." Skelter muttered.

"You think Jack's back yet?"

"Let's hope."

Sure enough, Jack walked upstairs, "Hey, kiddies." He said as he ruffled Damsel and Anastasia's hair, "Sorry, got caught up…somewhere…"

"Somewhere, eh?" Skelter asked.

"You didn't leave any footprints?" Nines asked.

"Nope." He said, "Not a trace. Don't you worry about that." Jack pulled a chair over, then looked at Damsel, "What the hell happened to you?"

She sniffed and shook her head.

"Don't even get her started…" Skelter muttered.

"We lost someone." Nines said softly.

"Oh yeah?" Jack's smile faded, "Kent?"

"I wish." Skelter muttered under his breath.

"Lark…" Anastasia said quietly.

"Yeah, where is she? She move out with her brother or somethin'?"

"She's dead." Nines said.

"Aw, hell." He said, hardly looking phased, "What happened? Sabbat?"

"It was a fucking fascist lunatic!" Damsel snapped, "He killed her, Jack!"

"Damn…" Jack sat back and pet his beard like a wise sage in consideration would, "You know where he went? What happened to her?"

"Lost her scent after he blazed out of here like a bat outta hell." Skelter said, "Bastard was lucky it was raining."

"Well, shit. How do you know she's dead?"

"She hasn't been back." Nines said.

"So…maybe she was kidnapped?"

"Don't keep our hopes up…" Damsel sniffed.

"What else did I miss?" Jack asked.

A slight pause, "Anastasia's brother came by for a visit."

"Oh yeah?" Jack smiled again as he looked at Anastasia, "Didn't know you had a brother."

"Yeah…" Anastasia said quietly, her eyes listless. Cadmus made it pretty clear that if he wasn't an enemy of the Anarchs before, he was now.

"She alright?" Jack looked at Nines.

"Her brother's a Cammy." Damsel said quietly.

"Oh…." Jack said in an awkward deep voice, "That sucks."

Anastasia felt a chill, "Damn it…why…why out of all sides did he choose them?" She took a shaky sigh, "At least we both hate the Sabbat…"

"Hey, I mean…" Jack crossed his arms, "Nothing's black and white."

"Made me get a damn splinter in my tongue…but…" Damsel looked up at Anastasia, "I guess I can forgive him…"

"What, did you lick the floor or somethin'?" Jack asked, "Why the hell would you do that? You know how much shit is on these floors?"

"He made her do it." Skelter said, "Guess he didn't want nobody stopping him from finding Anastasia and Damsel was just doing her job."

Jack's smile faded, "Dominate…?"

"He's a Ventrue, Jack." Nines said.

"Son of a bitch…" Jack clenched a fist.

Anastasia couldn't stop tapping her foot, "So, I wonder what all of those CDC guys are all about…"

"Yeah, they've been pissing me off too." Whether or not Skelter could sense her nervousness or was just dense was hard to tell. "That and the fact that I've drank two tramps now that made me sick."

"I have noticed that…" Nines muttered, "I'd hoped it was nothing to do with Kindred, but…it's likely something the Sabbat did…."

"So wait…there's actually like…some kinda sickness going around?" Anastasia asked.

"Sure felt like it." Skelter said, "Tasted like shit. And _I'm_ saying that."

Damsel sat back and crossed her arms, "Paul's been acting kinda funny too…coughing…"

"That new ghoul?" Anastasia asked, "Holy shit…I had no idea this sickness was…spreading so much…"

"Guess so…" Jack muttered.

"Doesn't seem to affect Kindred." Skelter said, "Or I'd be sick too."

"I might go check on Paul." Anastasia stood up abruptly, "Look into this mess before it's too late."

"Anastasia." Nines said, a slight pause before he looked up at her, "Don't go alone."

"It's just a little checkup." She turned away, "What? Am I too weak to even do that? Why do you all constantly doubt my strength? I'm fine."

His intense gaze hardened, "I'm not doubting you by any means. I don't want something to happen to you, and it's at least two times more likely to happen if you go alone. Just go with someone, someone that can get backup."

"I could go with you if you want, Anastasia." Skelter said, "Two Gangrels are better than one." He added with a smile, perhaps trying to cheer her up. "'Sides, maybe I could teach you a thing or two when we're out there."

Anastasia thought for a moment or two, "…'Kay…" She said, turning back to the group, "Anyone know where Paul lives?"

"Skyline Apartments, right?" Damsel asked, "Apartment, what? Five?"

"Yeah, I think so." Skelter said.

The Gangrel pair left, it was going to be a long walk towards their destination, "Jeez…why the fuck is The Last Round so out of the way of everything?" Anastasia asked.

"Ask Nines." He muttered, "I thought it was dumb too when he showed me."

She shook her head with a smile, they entered the Skyline apartments and Anastasia pressed the number five button, crossing her arms and standing back as the elevator rose up through the floors. Skelter had to admit the back-to-back misfortune of losing Lark and running into Cadmus practically transformed her into a different woman.

"Hey…uh…" He scratched the back of his head as he crossed his arms. He hated this. He hated everything about this question. But he hated the most easy-going person he ever met acting like this even more, "You alright?"

"I…I don't know…" She sighed, as the elevator doors opened, "Why does all this shit have to happen now? All at once?"

"I have no idea…" He muttered, "I'm sure everything with Cadmus will patch itself up soon enough…the Prince ain't gonna be around for long…neither will the Camarilla. He'll have a handful of choices then, I can't see why he'd turn you down."

"But…Lark…don't you miss Lark?"

"Yeah…I…." He looked at the floor, "I guess."

"You guess?"

"Death doesn't really faze me anymore." He grumbled, "I didn't know her nearly as well as you did either."

She faced forward as they walked inside the apartment, "Okay…why is it unlocked? That's…weird…"

"It is kinda weird…someone else here?" He asked as he sniffed around.

"Paul?" Anastasia called, repeating it a few times, then she tripped and fell, "Ow!" She swore under her breath a few times, "Damn it…" She winced and felt her ankles as she stood up, "What the hell did I trip over…" She looked behind herself and her eyes widened, "Shit…"

Skelter walked over, "Goddammit, Paul…" He muttered as he lifted up Paul's arm and dropped it, "He's dead." He looked at Anastasia, "You good?"

"Yeah." She nodded, "So…so that means the…plague is real…"

"Guess so." He crossed his arms, "You're still upset, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." She frowned, "I…I didn't think the Camarilla was gonna hit us this hard…"

"Look…" He muttered as he peered around the room, looking around for something, "I've never been one for all that…." He waved a hand in front of her, "Emotions kinda stuff…but…I don't think it's very good to harbor that kinda stuff in here." He lightly pounded his chest twice where his heart would be if it was still beating, "You gotta look on the bright side. And if that doesn't work, just don't let the dark stuff eat you up like that."

"Yeah, I know…" She muttered, looking around the apartment for any sort of evidence, when she eventually pressed a button on an answering machine.

"Hi, Paul? It's Hannah. Just callin' to see how you are. I hope I didn't give you what I've got. Ugh, I feel like crap. Actually, I need to ask you a favor. Could you pick me up some cold medicine at the store? I hate to bother you, but…I can't seem to get out of bed. The code on my door is one, two, zero, three. Hey, listen, I, uh…had a really good time the other night. Maybe we could do it again sometime? Sorry…I'm rambling. Okay, bye." A sickly feminine voice said from the other end.

Skelter's brow furrowed as he thought, before he looked back up at her, "You're just gonna brush me off, huh?"

"No, when I did I ever say that? I need time to get over all of this shit." She said, "I can't just, magically feel better with the wave of a wand. Look at Damsel, she's still crying about it."

He grunted, "Cause she's Brujah…" He muttered as he crossed his arms, "I just don't get it…being sad isn't gonna bring her back…" He headed towards the door, "Let's go find this chick's room."

They eventually discovered that Hannah lived in apartment six, Anastasia froze when she saw the keypad, "Damn it…I already forgot what the code was…"

He chuckled, "You're lucky I got a good memory." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder, gently moving her aside so he could punch in the numbers. His hand was surprisingly gentle on her shoulder.

The door unlocked and they walked in, Anastasia looked around, "Jesus Christ, don't tell me _she's_ dead too…"

"I sure hope not." He muttered, "Kinda suck if all our evidence was dead."

When they didn't see a body, living or dead, on the first floor, they ventured upstairs, eventually coming across her in her bedroom lying in her bed, "Hey!" She shouted, falling into a coughing fit afterwards, "Paul…is that you…? Wait…you're not Paul!" She coughed, "Who are you? What are you…" She coughed, "Doing here?"

"Uh…well, we're friends with Paul…so…yeah, we came to check on you." Anastasia said, considering that it wasn't much of a lie.

"Really? That's so sweet of him…how is he?"

Anastasia and Skelter exchanged a glance. Then, Skelter planted a firm elbow in her waist. She flinched and held her torso, "Uh…fine…he's fine…" She said, "He's…worried about you…if anything…"

"I…I feel like shit…" Hannah coughed, "I have a sore throat…a runny nose…a fever…I…I can barely move…I've…I've been in this bed for so long…what…what day is it…I don't remember…"

"So…uh…where…where do you think you got it from?"

"Probably from one of my clients…"

"Clients?"

"Uh…yeah…just…business…stuff…like…door-to-door…not anything fancy or nothing…"

She raised a brow "Right…okay…so…can you tell us about this client?"

"She saw one of my ads and made a call…I…I usually only do business with referrals, but…she was offering a lot of money…"

"Yeah, something ain't adding up. There aren't any diseases this powerful passed from some sort of delivery service. Lying ain't exactly the smartest way to crack this sickness." Skelter interjected.

"O-Okay…" Hannah coughed, "I'm a professional escort…"

"Alright, so who is this client you were with?" Anastasia asked.

"Her name is Jezebel…Jezebel Locke…you know…I'm not too good with names but…I can't get hers outta my head…" She paused, "You know…I'm not usually…into women…but I remember her being the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. The next thing I know…I have this horrible fever…you know, I have some other friends, who've worked with her…and…and they're not doing too hot either…"

"Jezebel Locke…" Skelter repeated, turning away and muttering in Anastasia's ear, "We're gonna have to track her down next."

She nodded, "Do you know where Jezebel Locke is staying?" She looked at Hannah.

"She's in one of the rooms on the Empire Arms Hotel…" Hannah coughed.

"Right, okay. Thank you, Hannah."

"Mmm-hmm…hey…is Paul okay…he's not sick…is he?"

Anastasia froze, "Paul's fine, Hannah…he's…excited to see you get better…"

"Aw, that's so sweet of him."

"Get some rest honey, then you can wake up and see Paul."

"I hope so…I really do…" She said, eventually she fell into a coughing fit. It got worse and worse until she couldn't breathe, convulsing slightly, until she finally collapsing on the bed, not moving, or breathing. Anastasia felt a chill, hugging herself.

Skelter sighed and stepped forward, closing her eyelids, "I know what'll make you feel better." He stood back and looked at her, an ambitious look in his eye that she recognized in a few of their previous battles with Sabbat or Camarilla, "Bashing in some whore-skulls."

She nodded, "The Empire Arms Hotel. That's pretty close by."

"Yeah, right across the street…do we just leave her here?"

"Yeah…the landlord will take care of her."

"Alright." He said as he walked downstairs towards the elevator, "What's your best discipline? Fortitude, right? Yeah, that's smart. Animalism must be your worst then."

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

He smirked, "Cause I never see you use it. It's always Fortitude or Protean. I don't see a problem with it at all, you pick and choose whatever skills you want. Just sayin', you should look into it, it's good for if you can't exactly get into the heart of the fight."

"I wanted to work on Protean. I want to make a full-body transfer like you. Right now I just sort of turn into a…hairy…ape…woman…thing…it isn't pretty…I'd rather turn into badass wolf thing like you."

"Oh, well, you're just about there, if I were to guess." He said as they entered the Empire Arms Hotel, "I'd say the only thing you gotta focus on is the rhythm."

She gave a nod with a slight smile, looking towards the attendant at the front desk.

"Yes? May I help you?" He asked.

"Do you have a guest named Jezebel Locke here?"

"Yes…Miss Locke is one of our more…popular guests…"

"Can we have a key to her room?"

"I can't do that. It's against hotel policy."

Skelter leaned in, "You let us in or you'll be the next homeless guy getting dragged off the streets and euthanized by the CDC."

"Right…i-in that case…perhaps I can make an exception." He handed them a key.

Anastasia smiled, "Thanks, hon." She said as they headed for the elevator.

Skelter leaned against the wall, observing his surroundings for a moment before he turned back to Anastasia, "So…if you don't mind me asking, what the hell happened with Killian?"

"Hmm?" She asked, "I don't know…I haven't seen him since he called me…I hope he's okay…did…did he ever come back to The Last Round?"

"No." He said, then he added, "I just thought you'd know since you two were…close…"

"What…? Oh…yeah, well…it was kinda just a bunch of flings…I don't know…he broke it off when he called me…I really hope the cops didn't get him…"

"Damn idiot shouldn't go around beating kids on the street in the first place, of course the cops are gonna hound 'em down. And he'll get screwed cause he was already pronounced dead."

She swallowed hard, they walked through a few winding halls and eventually reached the door that their key went to, "Alright, you ready?"

"Guess so…" He grumbled, "Even if she's not human, we'll tear her apart." He added with a smirk.

They walked into the room, confronted with Jezebel Locke herself, "Ooh, yeah…are you two believers, little morsels? Have you come for the type of enlightenment that Jezebel has to give?" She asked in a seductive voice.

"No." Skelter said bluntly as he crossed his arms. Clearly he just wanted to kill Jezebel.

"Oh, come on now…don't deny yourself the pleasure of Jezebel's talents. Come…just a few more steps and we can all be enveloped by the sweet darkness I carry…"

"Take it from me, sweetie." Anastasia narrowed her eyes, "You're just ugly, on the inside and out. To both sexes."

"I'm afraid the people of Los Angeles see it differently." Jezebel smirked, "But who better than prostitutes to carry the dark gift I bring? Will they not share it with all who revel in the pleasures of the flesh?"

Anastasia growled, clenching her hands into fists, "You're just…sick…" She spat.

"You cannot escape me…one way or another we will intertwine our beings into the Ninth Circle." She heard her arms out, "We will all spread our darkness until both kine and Kindred lie spent upon the altar."

"What the hell is this Ninth Circle bullshit?" Skelter demanded.

"Oh, I cannot control my hunger any longer. Come, come with me, it will ecstasy little morsels. Sweet ecstasy!" Jezebel drew a knife out, her crazed eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

"Shit…" Anastasia said, coating herself in a green mist and turning into a more bestial form. She took her heels off and darted at Jezebel.

An orange glow came from Jezebel as she started slashing at Anastasia. Anastasia growled as she was hit, but she was able to claw Jezebel back too. Skelter jumped back and held a hand out, a pair of blue wolves with glowing red eyes jumped out to attack Jezebel Locke.

Jezebel flinched as the wolves mauled her, not able to handle both them and Anastasia at once. She spit a bit of blood to side, then gave a savage roar, running at Anastasia and grabbing her shoulders, trying desperately to feed on her.

Anastasia gasped, sinking her claws into Jezebel's flesh. The two woman tumbled to the ground, and started wrestling for control. A beetle came buzzing in due to Skelter's command, aimed right for Jezebel's chest.

Jezebel loud out a bloodcurdling scream as the beetle burrowed its way through her. Anastasia eventually wrestled for control in the tussle. She pinned Jezebel Locke down, clawing at her exposed flesh where the beetle left a hole, when that was over, she punched Jezebel in the face over and over again. Jezebel feverishly tried to fight back, slashing at Anastasia's arms and her chest.

"Break her neck or somethin', I can't get in there when you're on top of her!" Skelter called.

Anastasia grit her teeth, wincing as the scars on her body were starting to add up. She gave one more definitive strike at Locke, and she died and turned into ash. Anastasia panted and stood up, her green mist and bestial features faded, "Hot damn…"

"You're tellin' me…" He muttered, "Good job. I woulda helped, but I didn't want to get your hurt." He said as he pat her back.

"Yeah, that Animalism is pretty cool." She smiled, "Very handy. I guess it was wrong of me to just…ignore it."

"I mean, if it wasn't for your high Fortitude, you probably would have taken a lot more damage. It's higher than mine, that's for sure."

She smiled, then it faded, "Man, I'm starving now…"

"Tell me about it." He muttered, "Eating tramps is out of the question, we'll have to get some rats."

"Or I could stop at Confessions."

"Confessions…?" He asked, "You have a bunch of blood dolls there, don't you?" He smiled.

"Well, in a manner of speaking." She smiled back.

"Mind sharing?"

She slipped her shoes back on, "Not at all."

* * *

 **A/N:** Seems those two are getting along…Let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty-seven! Lots of fancy talking in this chapter, be prepared :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Without a knock, Genevieve's door clicked and opened, a horde of men in suits that all looked rather similar filed in. Tess and one of the taller men in a suit stepped forward, "Miss Desrosiers?" The man asked.

Genevieve hissed at them and pointed her chalk at them, like it was some sort of magic wand.

The landlord came in next, though even he looked rather unnerved by all the men in suits in the room, "I told you this would happen…Miss Desrosiers…you should have listened to me…"

"We don't want to have to use force, ma'am." The man said as he adjusted his glasses, "But our associate, Miss Perry, has gained access to this room." He said as he motioned to Tess, "If there's a problem with this, ma'am, you can always bring it to the CEO of the LaCroix foundation, he would be more than happy to discuss matters."

"The jester prince…?" Genevieve whispered to herself.

"Please…I'm so sorry…gentlemen…" The landlord bowed in front of them, "I'll have this place all cleaned out…of lipstick…or everything…it'll be completely refurbished. Free of charge, obviously. I…I just had no idea how much of a _lunatic_ lived here!" He pointed a finger accursedly at Genevieve.

"You will pay." Genevieve snarled, "Number two, five, and six have all died…and number one will be next!" She said, "Then your heart will dry out like an arid desert and you'll die in the corner where no one can see you!"

He shook his head, "See what I had to deal with for the last four years?"

"Clan of the Moon…" The man in the suit muttered, "This is your last chance, ma'am."

"I promise the streets aren't that bad, sweetheart." Tess's eyes raked over Genevieve's body, "And I'm sure you'll do especially well."

Genevieve glared at her, "Juice pouch, you will do better off wilting like a flower. Unseen and unheard from others."

Tess scowled, "I can't even understand her…"

The man in the suit held a hand up, a blue fog clouded Genevieve's face, "You will leave this room and never return."

Genevieve's face went blank, and she left the room.

* * *

Being skittish wasn't very usual for him, but there was something in his chest that felt different. Something so different that when everyone drove by, he flinched. He kept his burning gaze on his shoes, his ruined shoes that still squelched with the sewer water. Or maybe it was Santa Monica's rain water. Either way, he felt bad for the cab he had to take whose car interior probably stunk to high heavens afterwards.

" _The two-faced mask will cling to you…"_

" _All sides will hunt your blood for your sins…"_

" _Your solace is dark now…revitalize it…take it…take it!"_

His gaze lifted up as a car pulled over and honked the horn at him before the window rolled own. It was a limo, an unfamiliar face inside, "Hey…kid…who are you?"

He sniffed the air. _This man smells like Tess._ "Who would like to know?"

"Lorcan." He said eventually, "Who the hell are you?"

"A shadow and a half."

"Yeah…" He said slowly, "Alright…" His eyes grazed over Dragomir before he rolled the window back up and floored it, splashing him with copious amounts of dirty street water.

Dragomir held a hand up to protect his face from the water, grumbling to himself as he continued his path down the sidewalk, wiping the water drops off of himself. _"Keep on this path. Keep on this route for the sake of your solace."_

He saw a blond woman in predominately black clothing sobbing at the sidewalk. She stuck out on her own, sure enough, but it seemed Dragomir's insight was calling out to him the second he spotted her.

After a short pause, he approached her, leaning in a bit, "Well hello, little girl…"

She looked up, peeking through her fingers with her wet green eyes. She hugged his legs close, "They took my shell!" She sobbed, "They took my shell from me!"

His eyes widened, holding onto her shoulders and stumbling forward to help them stay balanced, "It's alright, dear…" He said as he steadied himself, then pet her hair. It was addictive as a drug, petting her hair, since it was smoother than silk, "Who?"

She pet his back in return, "The jester's dogs…they…they brought a Juice Pouch with them, it seems…"

"Jester's dogs…?" He asked quietly, gently taking her hands and lifting her to her feet, "They took your home?"

She nodded, bursting into tears again and crying on his shoulder, "Without my shell…I'm cold…and sad…all of my research is gone…"

He held her close, gently rubbing her shoulders, "Stay at my father's mansion with me. There are countless rooms for your research."

"N-No…your father terrifies me…"

"Yes, yes, I…can see where your fear stems from…" He muttered, "I'll protect you."

"I…I don't know…" She pulled away, quivering, "You…you had the devil's dessert…it's inside you…I can feel it…"

"Oh…?" He raised a brow, "I do hope Jeanette didn't do anything to me…" He grumbled under his breath.

"No…" She took a few steps back, "Kindred…is not…food…"

His concern faded, "It…it isn't? I was under the impression blood was blood…" He said softly.

"N-No…what you did…is the blackest crime we can commit…"

"Is it…?" He asked, sounding more annoyed with himself than terrified, "Damn, if only I had known that a few hours ago…what is my penance?"

"Have you whispered of this to anyone else?"

"No. You're the second person I've met since the attack."

She shook her head, still shivering, "The…the jester's Camarilla, will hunt your blood…the rebels won't like you either…since you drained one of theirs…"

"Yes, that's what the voices have told me…" He mused.

"You're going to be hunted…everywhere you go…"

He began to look worried, "I…I didn't…..I didn't mean to…" He whimpered.

"Your abode is in Hollywood, isn't it, Dragomir?" She held him close.

He nodded, "Yes, the mansion and the apartment with my friend…"

"Perhaps we should fly to your apartment."

He cracked a smile, "I think a taxi would be a bit less effort, dear."

"Exactly. The taxi will fly us there."

"Ah." He nodded as he pet her hair, "And your name is…?"

She smiled, "Genevieve."

"Genevieve…" He purred, "Absolutely beautiful…"

* * *

The doors of Isaac's jewelry store swung open as Killian stumbled in, two Anarchs holding him by the shoulder as they pushed him inside, "Isaac." One of them said, "Here, take the idiot."

Killian sneered as he looked down at the floor, he was completely covered in blood, none of it his own.

Isaac waited for the other Anarchs to leave, only then did he look up from his paperwork, "I heard about what happened to your sister."

He crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall.

"I mean." He folded his hands, "Now the entire town knows. Even the mortals know now."

"Yeah." His voice was soft and short, clearly lost from screaming.

"Surely you knew that inflicting terror on California's kine wasn't going to bring your sister back."

"That wasn't what I was going for."

"Oh?"

His eyes looked like thundering storm clouds as he looked up at Isaac. At first he didn't say anything, then he blinked away tears and grit his teeth, "I just…get so angry…there's nothing else I can do that takes it out but kill…" He looked up again, "These people have it so good, they're alive, they have a purpose, they're safe and dumb like they should be, and they still kill themselves, they still do drugs and waste their lives away because they think it's too hard. I want to do drugs, I want to waste my life away until it's over, but I can't, because I'm a fucking immortal monster that can't even have any source of happiness anymore! I can't even fucking talk to my sister, talk to someone who gets it. No, because that's too much to ask for, they just have to throw another curveball at me, another pile of shit on top of the mountain I already have to deal with. And I can't even get high and pretend it isn't there. I'm completely alone, a complete waste of space with no purpose. What the hell am I supposed to do now, Isaac, huh? Keep pointlessly fighting for the Anarchs? When is it going to end? _Never!_ " He roared, it seemed his voice came back, "How the hell do you people not fucking kill yourselves!?"

"Do you know what death means for us, Killian?" He raised a brow, "When we die it isn't all sunshine and roses. It doesn't end. The eternal fire and damnation only begins for us when we meet Final Death."

"Pfft, what, you saying we go to 'hell'?" He snickered, "Heaven and hell aren't real, you can't actually believe that. What happens when you kill a dog? Does it go to heaven? No, it's dead. It's just over. Darkness. Release. Same thing for us, it's just over."

"The point is, Killian, if you want to die, just go somewhere alone and do that, don't tear the rest of the Anarchs down with you." He said, "That's to your little stunt, I've had the Camarilla at my throat night after night. Each innocent person you killed proves their point more and more. That Kindred need order. That Kindred needs the Camarilla to wipe their noses and tie their shoes for them. You gave them a fantastic victory. LaCroix will push for your execution. He hasn't made a declaration _yet_ , but, I can already see it coming now."

"Good, then maybe he can take my head off and give us another point."

"So your sister dies, and you want to be our martyr?"

"Tch." He looked away, "Whatever, you don't get it either. Not that I expect you to."

"I don't think she'd want you to follow her to death so quickly. Am I so wrong in assuming that?"

"No." He mumbled.

"I think she'd want you to keep going. To move on."

"And do what?" His voice was drenched in bitterness.

"Whatever you'd like." He said, "That's what we stand for anyway, freedom."

He grunted, "I've already made too much money from selling shit, filled my apartment and Gallery Noir, I don't know what else to do with my time."

"So is the struggle that every Kindred face. We don't have to eat, we can't exist in daytime society, and we have to keep our nature hidden from the kine we share the streets with." He said, "Well, being who I am, art is going to be one of my only original suggestions, unless you don't mind being a shock troop against the Sabbat."

He grunted, "Whatever…if I stop killing people, are we cool?"

"That depends on how much the Camarilla will hound me in the ensuing nights."

"Look, I'll talk to Nines." He said, "He'll cover me again. Beat the shit out of the Ventrue Primogen last time, that seemed to work." He turned around, "I'll just tell him to beat the Toreador Primogen or something…"

There was a pause, then he let out an amused chuckle, "That would actually be quite the show…"

"I'll stay out of trouble…" He rubbed one of his eyes.

"Alright, take care." He said, right as he went for the door, Isaac added, "We're all behind you."

* * *

Slade headed towards his apartment, bewildered by the Hollywood building. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in here. He entered the room, figuring that he would be welcomed by quiet and darkness. But he saw his television blaring on, with Dragomir sitting at the couch watching it, as well as a woman curled around his lap, sound asleep.

"Dragomir?" He asked.

He was petting her hair like someone would pet a cat, "Hello Slade."

"I…I didn't think you'd be here…" He said, "It's been a while since I've seen you."

"Yes, the mansion was…unsafe…according to my solace."

"Uh…right…" He said, as Genevieve started to stir, "So, who is this?"

Genevieve sat up and rubbed her eyes, then she looked at Slade. She got nervous and hid behind Dragomir.

"It's alright, dear." Dragomir gently squeezed her, "Slade has always been there for me…through life and death…"

"Greenhorn?" She timidly held a hand out.

Slade blinked a few times, "Uh…yeah…my name is Slade." He shook her hand, "Who are you?"

"Genevieve." Genevieve said.

"She's the same clan I am." Dragomir said, then he snickered, "Tess will like her, won't she?"

"She's a Malkavian?" Slade asked.

"Yes, that's right." He said as he pet her hair again, "The Prince kicked her out of her home, I haven't yet placed why…"

"Really?" Slade asked, sitting on the couch with them, "That…that seems messed up…jeez, I'm so glad I have a break from working with the bastard…"

"He doesn't like me after I sat on his desk and called him bad words."

"Jeez…I didn't know you did that…you need to stay away from him…or else he'll have you do work like Tess and I."

"Yes, apparently he and the Anarchs want my blood, I'm going to have to stay in the shadows for quite some time. At least I have Obfuscate…"

"What? How did you piss off two of the four sides?"

"He had the devil's dessert…" Genevieve said, listlessly laying on Dragomir.

"The…the what?"

Dragomir gently pet her hair, "I drained a Kindred dry…that is very illegal…"

"You…you drank from a _Kindred_ …?"

"Yes." He said, "I didn't mean anything harmful, I was about to frenzy."

Slade looked a little nervous, "And…and it's that illegal…huh?"

Genevieve nodded from where she lay, "It has stained both his blood and his spirit."

He swallowed hard, "Maybe I'll ask VV about it. See what she knows. I won't use your name, of course."

"Dolly should know a lot about it."

"At least I'm here, right? They didn't catch me when I ran." He rubbed one of Genevieve's arms as he sat back, "I'm sticking around no matter how badly they'd like to see my ashes."

"Damn it…" Slade shuddered, "It really sounds like you screwed yourself here…"

"You'll…stay by my side…?" He asked, a worried look on his face, "I can go if you don't want the trouble of my sins…"

"No." Slade said, "We've been together since freaking elementary school. I'm…I'm not going to just…abandon you. I'm going to get whatever information I can from VV and we'll tackle this together."

A grin nearly broke his face in half as he gave a hearty laugh, "I should never have doubted you!"

"Yeah…" He said, remembering what VV had told him the night he broke down. _"You have a heart of gold in a sea of darkness…don't let the darkness take you over."_

* * *

Edgar threw the rat carcass on the ground as he licked his lips. _Hmm…that's weird, I thought Barabus told me that secret stash of treasure he lost was over this way._ He kept aimlessly hobbling around the sewers, a sledgehammer strapped to his back. _Dear me, I have no idea where I am, I lost my bearings._ He found the nearest exit and climbed up the ladder, prepared to arm himself with Obfuscate in the event that he would be surrounded by people.

He looked around as he moved the manhole cover, surprised to see that there were hardly any people around, he looked at an old hospital nearby him. _Hmm, is that hospital abandoned?_

Curiosity got the better of him, and he ran into a man with black hair dressed in all navy blue, his navy blue jacket said 'Haunted L.A.' on it. "Help me!" He screamed, then he froze once he took a single glance at Edgar, almost looking as if he wanted to run the other way now.

"Hey, what's wrong there, chap?" Edgar asked.

The other man screamed, "Don't hurt me! Please!" He cowered. Edgar was about to say more, but he ran off.

Edgar looked back as the frightened human ran off, "Jeez…the nerve of that man." He said as he started snooping around the hospital. Although Edgar himself was far from a beautiful sight to behold. His sledgehammer probably didn't help matters either, "I wonder what got him so creeped out in the first place…" He muttered to himself. "It's just a broken-down hospital…"

He saw a computer in the next room, about ready to sit down and hack it, but it turned out to be video footage, of a man being dragged to his death, "Oh dear…" Edgar mused, "It looks like there _is_ something causing a stir down here…"

Evidently he had to snoop for quite a bit, brushing his way through wreckage and debris, seeing a tripod or two here and there. _Damn…how far did these humans get down here?_ He eventually saw another video feed, this time of a girl being dragged to her death. _Something's happening to all the people in here…but what?_

He hopped down a couple more rafters, getting deeper and deeper into the abandoned hospital. His eyes widened when he saw how red everything was from here on out. Every room and fixture was absolutely coated in blood. "Wow…" Edgar said, "This is…this is begging for something supernatural…the question is…where is it?"

He heard the distinct sound of a man screaming in pain for his life, and then a rippling crunch, specifically a strong set of jaws sinking into their designated target.

"Ooh…" Edgar let out a delightfully spooky giggle, "How evil…and ferocious…come out, come out, wherever you are!" He called.

He hobbled lower, seeing a few doors that were so old that they were sealed shut, including one that had a man banging onto the door in pure fear. He let out scream after scream, but he was soon replaced by a bloody explosion as he died. Edgar blinked a few times, the curiosity was more than just getting the better of him.

He crawled through one last pile of debris, eventually seeing a woman, or what looked like a woman, pinning a man down on the table. He gave a roaring scream of agony as she tore his heart out with her teeth, the cracking of his ribs could be heard as she stepped back and looked at Edgar. Her entire mouth and chest was covered in blood, even splotches of it on her tattered green dress. Her voice was one of the deepest Edgar had ever heard on a woman, "I had thought I was not alone."

He blinked, "Wow…let no one say that you're wasteful…when it comes to these things…"

She gave a soft chuckle. It was brief and fleeting, something told Edgar it was the first time in decades she had laughed, and she almost felt bad about it. "Are you frightened?" She asked eventually.

"Curious."

"If it is of any assurance, you and I are closer than you and it were." She said, her bright white eyes and pupils locking onto his as she reached into the hole she created in the corpse and pulled out something, (perhaps a piece of lung?) before she ate it, all her teeth were pointed like daggers.

"You're…not like any of the other Kindred I've seen before…"

"Drinking blood to sustain your death, you are damned, yes? What if, besides the blood of the living, you had to eat pounds of their flesh to maintain that thin façade of life…what would you call it? Twice damned?"

"Hmm…well, it seems there's another clan who has a curse as wretched as my own."

"This perspective is uncommon. The multitude see my kind as demons and are no more reluctant to kill us as they would an unwanted child."

"The multitude don't even _want_ to see my kind."

"An internal ravishing beast can be far grimmer than an external mask." She said as she grabbed the arm of the carcass and snapped it off, throwing it over in a pile of left over limbs, bones and body parts in the corner of the room.

"Eh, I guess…we can at least gain extra nutrients from rats, so it isn't a total loss…"

"I've met many of your kind that take the damnation so close to their heart, they deny any strengths that derive from the weaknesses. A wasted life, I've concluded, to expel time to the unfeasible past."

"I do take it so close to my heart." He said, "But then I met you, so it sort of put things in perspective…"

She took out the rest of the lung and ate it as he was talking, licking her lips before she said, "Glad to have enlightened you." She said before she looked up at the ceiling as they could hear footsteps above, "The kine upstairs must be brought down. He has seen too much."

"Oh, you mean the bloke who just ran right past me?" He smirked, "I suppose having an entire camera crew in your little secret hideout would be…inconvenient."

"Inconvenient for the Masquerade, yes. Not so much for my appetite."

"Ooh, are you going to eat him?" He snickered.

"Eventually."

"Alright, then I shan't keep you waiting!" Edgar cackled as he crawled up through the vents and out of the hospital.

He would have sent the reporter down, but he couldn't find him anywhere. _Where the devil did he go?_ He snooped around for a bit, eventually finding a tiny black business card. "Hmm…Simon Milligan…Haunted L.A…apartment one…well, I suppose that's my next stop then…"

He snuck through the sewers and went in the Skyline apartments. He broke into apartment one and looked for Milligan, eventually finding him hiding in his closet.

"You! You're that monster!" Milligan pointed, "Don't…don't kill me!"

"Yeah…sorry, pal…but…I'm going to have to kill you…" Edgar got hos sledgehammer out.

Milligan screamed and started running around in circles. Edgar rolled his eyes, not even bothering with Potence, he instead just bashed him in the side of his head, either knocking him clean out or killing him. He then started dragging his body out of the apartment. _Damn…probably not the best idea to just…drag him through the downtown area…ah, luckily there's a sewer exit in here somewhere._ Edgar traversed through the sewers, then through the hospital, as he entered the strange vampire's lair, tossing Milligan's body onto her makeshift table, "There he is…sorry…had to kill him."

"He would have to succumb to the silence eventually. If a man walks into a tiger's domain, it may result in him being devoured. And so it will."

"Well, it was no problem…miss…uh…"

"My birth name I tell no one." She said as she met his eyes with her eerie white ones, "But you may address me as Pisha. It was the name of my companion and lover in a time before my death, two hundred thirty years ago. She has no need for it now."

"Pisha…huh?" He eyed her over, "And…and you _just_ enjoy women…?"

She raised a brow, "I'll devour man woman or child so long as they have enough flesh."

"Uh…yeah…right…" He gave her one more futile glance, "I guess I'll just ask someone else to marry me…" He headed for the vents, "Enjoy your meal, Pisha."

She chuckled again as she understood what he was asking, "Courtship is fruitless in the land of the dead. Especially when demons reside in us."

"You stick to your thing. I'll stick to mine."

* * *

 **A/N:** Poor, poor Edgar… Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty-eight! Apologies if we took so long to update, or if the updates are coming en masse, we're having trouble connecting to the website.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines. Also Tess exists.

* * *

"You're back late." Julius closed the door and hung his hat on the coatrack, turning and facing the couch.

"Yeah, sorry." He said as he walked around the couch and sat next to Tess, "You know me, I get distracted pretty easily."

"Mmm hmm." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"What, did you just nap or something?"

"Mmm hmm…"

"Damn, even in death, you're a heavy sleeper."

She rested her head against his chest, "You smell so good…"

He smirked, "French cologne at its finest." She unbuttoned his shirt a bit more and sniffed him even more, before he stood up, "I'll be right back, alright?" He untied his tie and threw it at her, "Lemme get a drink."

"Okay…"

He went into the kitchen, (an elaborate one at that), and approached the counter, seeing a martini glass full of blood. He paused and turned around, calling over his shoulder, "Hey, did you make a drink for me already?" When he heard no response, he sniffed the blood before he drank it all and walked in, "Was that you?"

She draped her hands over the back of the couch, her head on top of them, "I don't remember putting anything out…but maybe I did…I was pretty sleepy…"

"It was good, thanks." He said as he combed his fingers through her hair and sat next to her.

"Mmm hmm." She said as she cuddled up close to him again, "I'm thirsty too, you know."

"Yeah?" He grinned before he leaned over and kissed her hungrily. She crawled closer to him and perched herself in his lap, grinding against one of his thighs. His hands ran up and down her back, sending chills down her spine as his tongue made it deeper and deeper inside her mouth.

A sigh escaped her lips as he pulled himself away, then she gave a disappointed whimper. After hearing that, he started kissing and licking her neck, especially careful not to draw blood.

Her nimble fingers began to work at the buttons of her blazar, then they fluttered over to his dress shirt, unbuttoning that as well. A cocky grin appeared on his lips before he leaned in and kissed her lips again.

She let out a sigh, her eyes closing slowly, before one of them opened and she gently pushed him back, licking her lips, "Blood…?"

He blinked a few times, putting a fist on his chest as he coughed a few times. Drips of blood leaked from his lips, his nose, and even his eyes.

Tess's eyes widened with horror as she pushed herself back, "Julius…?"

He gave a shaky wheeze as he coughed up a mouthful of blood on the couch, "Oh god…it burns…." He clutched his chest and hacked up more blood, wiping the blood from his eyes, "Help…" He whimpered.

Tess stood up and looked around hopelessly as he convulsed on the couch, then her gaze shot over to the front door as she heard a snicker before it closed. She quickly turned to him, "What do I do!?"

"Tess…" He choked, opening his eyes to give her a miserable look before blood streamed down his chin and his eyes closed. Slowly his body burned away until nothing but ash was left.

Silence took claim over the room. Her eyes welled with tears as she grabbed her phone and Julius's keys from the coffee table, rushing downstairs to the garage. Sticking the keys into the ignition of Julius's limo, she pulled out of the garage with unforgiving speed and floored it to downtown.

After swerving around traffic, (as well as she could in a limo, at least), she parked it in the parking garage, her steps hurried as she made it to Ventrue Tower. She put her hands on the desk and leaned in, "I need to see LaCroix, it's an emergency."

The security attendant did their best to keep their eyes off her chest, "Uh…." He swallowed hard, "Sorry, missy, he isn't expecting you…"

"Please…" She sniffed, "I promise I won't hurt him…my name is Tess Perry, I work for him, there's an emergency, I promise…"

He looked from her tears to the computer screen, "Tess Perry, look at that. Alright, go on up missy." He said as he pressed the button and let her up to the elevator.

Tess was shaking as she leaned against the wall of the elevator. It felt like years before the doors opened and she tumbled out of them, opening the doors to his office.

LaCroix looked up from the report he was reading, before he folded it in half and put it down, "Miss Perry." His voice was dry, "What is it?"

"Julius just died." The three words flew out so fast, it was nearly incomprehensible.

The unamused look on his face faded, "How?"

"I d-don't know…" She stammered, "I was in his house, and we were…" She shook her head, "He just started coughing up blood…and crying blood…and it was running from his nose…"

LaCroix sat back in thought, "I have heard of a plague on the streets…but those were not the symptoms I was told of…What was the last thing he consumed?"

Her eyes darted around in thought, "A glass of blood that was left on the counter…I don't remember putting it there, and he didn't put it there…"

"So he drank it…?"

She nodded.

He shook his head, "Then his demise is his own doing. Poison."

"Poison…can't affect us…can it…?"

"I'm sure the right tonic could."

"I don't understand…" She sniffed, "What are we going to do?"

"Elect a new Toreador Primogen."

"But what about Julius?"

"What about him?" LaCroix asked, his face went back to looking unamused.

"He's dead!"

"Yes, he is. As his childe, you can handle the costs of his funeral services, if you do wish to hold any, that is." He turned his attention back to his paperwork, "His house will be sold, I'll handle matters."

She looked away, her sadness quickly burning away and being replaced by anger, "You lost an employee…no…a Primogen….and your only concern is replacement?"  
"Survival of the fittest, Miss Perry. He wasn't much older than you were."

She sneered and turned around, slamming a fist on his desk, "He was loyal! He was going to serve the Camarilla for his entire life, and you just give up on him so easily!? What about the murderer? Do you even care?"

"There's only one person I know who has access to poisons like that in our company."

"So you know who the murderer is…?"

"And frankly, I'm surprised he didn't commit the crime earlier. It will be handled, Miss Perry."

"You're disgusting." She said through clenched teeth, "You don't even care about him."

His diamond-like eyes met hers, "It will be handled, Miss Perry. Please, return to your room."

"So what, if I died, would you care?"

"Miss Perry-"

"No, that's it." She spat, "You don't care that you lost a loyal member of the Camarilla, let alone that you know the murderer, and don't care in the slightest that he was killed. You tried to kill me with that previous mission as well, didn't you? It was a test for you, wasn't it? Survival of the fittest. Fine." She spat, "Then I'd like to formally resign from this company."

He chuckled and shook his head, "The only way out for you at this point would be in an urn."

Her eyes narrowed, "So be it." She ran towards the windows.

LaCroix eyes widened as he stood up, "What in damnation are you-"

She shattered the thick glass windows, jumping off the edge.

LaCroix's jaw dropped as he ran over to the hole she left, watching as her body fell. He turned away and rubbed one of his temples, "Not…how I had that planned…."

* * *

Tumbling waves of smoke flew up into the crisp air, dissipating until there was nothing left. Snuffing out the cigarette on the rough gravel of the roof, Nines' attention turned to Ventrue Tower.

It was rare he sat on rooftops of skyscrapers, hard enough for him to get there, and hard enough for him to leave the Last Round with Jack in charge. But tonight was different. He couldn't place why, but he felt something was off. The air was too clear, the traffic was too light. So he did the only thing he could think of doing, keep an eye on Ventrue Tower. And what a better place to do that than from a rooftop from a building right next to the tower. He just had to be careful he wouldn't be spotted, which was quite easy with all the vents.

The dark windows were impossible to look, but he figured it was better that way. He'd drive himself mad if he could see through the glass, watch what the Camarilla did on a day to day basis.

Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking rang out in the otherwise silent night air. His gaze hardened as he watched the figure fall from the top level of the tower. _Someone jumped from the penthouse…?_ He watched as they started getting closer to him, then his heart lurched. He had to do something. With Celerity on his side, he ran forward, jumping off the edge.

* * *

All she could hear was the wind roaring in her ears, the feeling of the air whirling around her figure. _At least Slade and Dragomir will be happy now…_

She closed her eyes as fear bubbled up in her chest, letting her fingers comb through the air. Her last moments might as well be enjoyable.

Impact wasn't nearly as painful as she imagined. Or warm. And she was sure it wouldn't smell like smoke and a bit of rum. And why did she still hear and feel the wind around her?

Her eyes opened to see that her face was pressed against someone's chest, muscular arms wrapped around her back.

They were still a reasonable distance from the ground, so that wasn't what frightened Tess the most anymore. It was the momentum of them flying towards Ventrue Tower. Since the savior had more or less tackled her out of the sky, they were headed towards the glass windows of the tower. She thought they would smash right through them, before the savior tightened his grip around her and kicked off the glass windows, launching them in the other direction, and breaking the window as well.

She gasped and dug her nails into his shoulders, wondering how they both hadn't died yet. But, with the added weight of her savior, they were approaching the ground quickly. And the wall of the skyscraper beside them.

Rather than kicking off of that one, the savior grunted as the momentum was shattered. Tess peeked her eyes opened and looked up, seeing that one of his arms was still tightly wrapped around her back, the other grabbed a rafter sticking out from the side of the building. She held onto him tightly, looking down to see they were still hundreds of yards from the ground.

"I can't carry you forever, kid…" The man grunted, "Mind grabbing on?"

Her eyes met his bright bluish green eyes, it felt like her heart would start beating again just from looking at his face. She quickly grabbed onto the rafter, separating herself from him.

He looked down, cursing quietly before he looked back at her. She thought he would say something heroic, give a plan of their escape, but instead he said, "I didn't really think this through…"

She felt a laugh escape her chest, "Can we break the window there and jump into the building?" She asked.

He looked down to the window beneath them, "You think you could make it?"

She nodded.

He swung his feet back and used them as a mallet to break the glass of the window before he jumped inside. Tess swallowed hard and did everything she could to aim correctly and use the correct amount of momentum.

The savior grabbed her legs as she jumped in, gently setting her down. He then turned around and looked around the room, seeing as all the lights were off. It was an office building, with cubicles and desks everywhere, "Damn…" He cursed silently, his eyes locking on a security camera that buzzed by, "We gotta go."

Tess dusted herself off, taking a good look at her hero, "Where?"

He took her wrist as they wormed their way through the cubicles, heading to the elevator. He pressed the button, but it seemed it was locked for security reasons. "Shit."

Tess reached in her top and pulled out a lock pick, kneeling in front of the keyhole and trying to unlock it with no avail.

"Here." He gently put a hand on top of hers, "Let me."

She backed away and let him take the lock pick. In about three seconds, a click was heard, he handed the tool back to her. The doors lit up, then opened. They both walked inside, Tess pressed the ground floor button. "The security in this building could use some improvements…" She mused softly.

"Security cams already have footage of us." He said.

"I didn't even notice…" She mused as she turned to him, "What was your name?"

He looked around for cameras in the elevator, then turned to her, "Nines."

"Nines?" She asked, "Tess…"

"The hell were you doing jumping from Ventrue Tower like that?" He asked.

Her eyes teared up, "It's…a long story…I'm not wanted there any longer…"

"LaCroix try to kill you?" He asked.

She nodded slightly, "He's…he's evil…"

"Yeah, he is. Got the entire city wrapped around his finger too." He turned back to her, "I'm sure he's told you about me."

She nodded slightly, "I…think I recall your face from Slade's trial…"

The doors slid open and they left the building, Nines looking around wearily before he looked back at Tess, "You have somewhere to stay or did he take that too?"

"I have an apartment…" She said softly.

"Good." He said, "Go home, get some rest. When you get the time, come to the Last Round. And if anyone gives you trouble, give them this." He took one of his necklaces off, handing it to her.

She held the necklace tightly in her hand, "Thank you Nines…"

He nodded, "Stay out of trouble." He turned away and slunk off into the shadows.

* * *

Seeing how the doorknob was stuck, Dragomir sighed and turned a corner, walking down a corridor in another direction. _"Bring the flesh-shaper's arm to the flesh-eater."_ It was the same voice he heard over and over again, it made no sense to him, but when he voiced it to Genevieve, she told him of the 'hollow hospital'. So, he assumed a little visit to the hospital was overdue. But he had no clue locating the creature inside would be so difficult. His Auspex wasn't very good, but it was high enough for him to see a figure in the next room, a figure he needed to bring Gimble's arm.

He found a hole in the wall, nibbled away by rats, most likely. He pushed himself through the hole, looking around at the room Pisha had claimed as her own. She tore a strip of muscle from a spine before her eyes locked with his. She was about to speak before she took a step back, almost seeming frightened, "Hold your ground."

Dragomir stopped and stood back, "I wish you no harm…I know of my…cursed aura…"

"You drink Cainites…?"

"With no intention."

Now she simply looked perplexed, "How is it you drink the blood of your own without intention…?"

"I wasn't told it was bad in my earlier days."

Her eyes wearily looked him over again before she approached her table then, "How misgiving it would be to change your mind."

"Indeed." He said as he pulled the arm from his pocket, "I come bearing gifts."

She looked at the arm, taking it before she turned back to him, "Who told you of me?"

He tapped the side of his head.

Pisha seemed perplexed, "Insight of Malkav?"

He nodded, "Correct."

"…Mmm hmm…." She turned to the arm, "Where did you obtain this…?"

"A dark man who should have died a long time ago."

She put the arm down on her table, which looked more like an altar at this point, "Very well."

"What is your name, pretty flesh-eater?"

"You may address me as Pisha."

"Do you take dry corpses?"

"Blood and flesh are necessary for my survival."

"So…no…?"

"No."

"I quite like you, Pisha. Like a little wilted weed growing in a garden of roses. How do I help you grow…?"

Her eyes looked away to the floor, "My stay in this city is transitory." She looked back up at him, "The predominating aura of Gehenna has become nothing but an addendum for my motives of fleeing."

He snickered, "So you feel as though the end is approaching?" He asked as he circled her like a shark, her jaded eyes following him as he travelled. "And if it does, you don't want to be there?" When she nodded, he snickered again, "Then what, little flesh-eater…" He asked as he stood over her table, licking some blood off of his fingers, "…will you do when you leave? What will you do when the Prince opens his pretty little box and wakes an Antediluvian? What will you do when the devil comes out and kills us all…? Will distance really matter…? Would you really want to prolong the inevitable…?"

She seemed extremely unnerved, "Perhaps it will be stopped before it could make it elsewhere."

"By who?" He asked.

She didn't offer any sort of response to his question, rather she said, "Tell me, is this insight or curiosity?"

He stepped back and licked his hand, "Curiosity. My other half his much more blessed with insight of the future. I myself have quite a bit of my sanity about me, and the Brujah blood in my veins grounds me considerably as well."

She seemed to relax, infinitesimally, "Even if we were to die, this would not be a suitable resting ground."

He had a good loud laugh, which seemed to irritate her, "What, would you rather be consumed under some lovely willow trees by a pond?" He cracked up, "You're quite the funny one, little weed." She took a bite out of Gimble's arm, irritated with how old it tasted. "Tell me." He turned to face her, "How are you so sure the box is evil?"

"A presence can be felt from miles away, especially a presence so powerful."

"…have you ever heard of the placebo effect?" He asked, playing with one of the ribcages on the ground, "I studied it exponentially when my heart was beating. I wonder if Kindred can suffer from it as well." She took another bite of the flesh as he continued, "Because I think such an idea is preposterous." He turned back to her, "I think that a dark and ancient Kindred cannot awake from torpor and kill everything in its path within moments. I believe the sun is our only killer."

"That is an ambitious and foolhardy notion."

He snickered, "I like to think those two words sum me up very well." He said as he leaned over her table again, "I suppose I should be going then, flesh-eater. I will miss you."

"Mmm."

"It would be a tragedy for fear to strike you dead. Keep your mind open more than your eyes."

"Very well."

He looked around, "So…is there a faster escape route…?" He asked, before he followed her finger towards a vent in the ceiling. "Ah. Thank you." He bowed as he made his escape.

* * *

"Can I get you something to eat?" A sugary sweet voice jolted Killian from his reverie as he looked up and saw a girl with a flaming red wig and tiger striped lingerie.

"Nah, I'm good." He swatted her off with a hand.

She set a tray of drinks down, "You look so sad…would a private dance cheer you up?"

"No, thanks…" He reached in his back pocket and handed her ten dollars, "Here."

She seemed surprised he just handed it to her, she gently took it before she pecked his cheek and walked off.

Wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, he felt someone poke the back of his shoulder (someone with very pointy acrylic nails). He turned his head back, "VV, what's up?"

"Come to my room…?"

"I guess…" He muttered as he stood up, preparing himself to listen to whatever sort of lecture she was going to give him.

She sat on her sofa and crossed her arms and legs, "I don't think Anastasia would like you in my club unless she came along."

He rolled his eyes and looked away, then clenched his fists. One reason was because he was angry she brought up Anastasia. The other was because he knew that was definitely something Anastasia would ask him to do if she got bored. "I'm not an idiot, V."

"Then why did you kill fifty three people?"

"Huh…it was fifty the other day…"

"Killian."

"Cause I was pissed, alright? No big deal, I'm not gonna do it again."

"You said those very same words when you lost your humanity." She said, "What happens if you lose something else, Killian?"

He sighed, "Fuck off, VV."

She tiled her head back ever so slightly, "Why is it that when you suffer, the whole world has to suffer alongside you?"

His grimace was far from attractive, "I said, fuck off about it, VV."

"How do you expect to make it anywhere in this life without having a meltdown?"

"Don't you think I had enough from Isaac?" He barked, "Fuck off!"

"No, I don't think you had enough from Isaac at all." She said. "He likes to go soft on the people he cares about."

"You think he cares about me?"

"You're a childe to him, Killian. He sees you that way, at least."

"Tch. Shitty sire, then."

"Better than you birth father."

"Don't pretend you know anything about my parents." He spat, then he paused, "You knew my parents, didn't you?"

"I knew your father because I had to escort him out of my club on multiple occasions."

He gave a bitter sigh as he sat down on the ledge of the pool of water, "I've just…tried everything I can to take a different path…"

"I think you've had marvelous success. You don't look at women with insatiable hunger."

"Depends."

She smirked, "You know _when_ to look at women with insatiable hunger."

He put his face in his hands, "What the hell am I going to do, V…?"

"You miss her already, don't you…?"

He let out a strangled sounding sob, "I was such a dick to her…we all were…" He sniffed, "We were still hazing her…"

"Was she happy?"

"I don't know…" He whimpered.

"I think she was. I've only met her once…pretty isn't the word I would use to describe her…she was beautiful. Her smile could light up a room and her frown could send everyone running…she was at home with the Anarchs. When she was Embraced, I saw life in her eyes that I'm sure she never felt when she was alive. She was able to meet people with real history, meet people who viewed life the same way she did. And I think that life was so full and enriching to her, her death wasn't a tragedy at all."

He looked up, tears dripping down his pale cheeks.

She smiled at him, "She looked up to you a lot, Killian. You were the one who raised her in life and in death. She needed a figure like you to rely upon. You need to show her that you can still be that figure, even in her absence."

"How do you do it…V…?"

"Hmm…?"

"How do you carry on…all alone…?"

She leaned in, "This sounds very familiar to a conversation we've had before."

He crossed his arms over his knees and rested his head on his forearms, crying again.

She stood up and gently closed the door, "I'd say this is the first time I've seen a grown man cry, but that isn't quite true." She turned around and walked forward, gently petting his hair, "She wouldn't want you to be upset, Killian."

"I know…" He whimpered, "But I never do what she wants…"

"…that's almost sweet…" She turned, "In your own twisted way…" He looked up at her again, watching as she turned her attention back to him. "Come here…" She held her arms out.

He was tempted to ignore her, before he stood up and hugged her tiny frame close to his chest, holding her head against his shoulder as he let out a silent sob now and again.

She gently rubbed his back, "Anastasia's safe…?"

"Yeah…" He sniffed.

"I think you should go to her, Killian. Confide these feelings to someone you can trust."

He held her closer, "But…I trust you…"

Her eyes widened, "Killian…infidelity isn't a game you should play-"

"We broke up, VV…"

"…I don't want to be your rebound, Killian…"

"It isn't rebound when I never loved her."

She pulled herself away and looked into his eyes, her eyes were nervous looking, "Then why did you lead her on?"

He bit his lip to try and hold his tears back, "Because I needed a fuck, VV…I'm not different from my old man at all…"

She looked away before she hugged him again, "I can't be the only person you trust…."

"Who else do you want me to…to….to cry on...?" He said, as if the word was a sin itself, "Jack? Ash?"

"It's alright, Killian." She rubbed his back again, "I'll be here for you no matter what…"

He sniffed, leaning in a bit so he could press a kiss up against her cheek.

She closed her eyes and faced away, "I….I need time to think…" She gently pushed him away, "Please…"

"VV…"

"Just give me time…" She gingerly rubbed one of his shoulders, "It's all I'm asking…please…"

He sniffed and gave a little nod as he stepped back.

"This won't make your broken heart heal…"

He headed for the door before she caught his arm, "What…?"

She pulled him a bit closer, grabbing a tissue from her desk and dabbing the tears from his eyes, "Please take care of yourself."

"When can I come back…?"

"A few days…" She said softly, holding her hands in front of her chest as she looked around and thought, "I just need….a bit of time…"

He nodded wearily and sulked out from the VIP room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks as though someone's allegiance is shifting. Let me know what you think with a review! Thanks for reading!


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** Here's chapter twenty nine! BIG chapter, sorry if you like to binge read these and this chapter is so fat that you have to take twice as long…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

Since she wasn't on the ground floor, Slade let himself up into the VIP room, seeing VV sitting on her couch, a man standing in the corner and smoking a cigarette. At first he had no clue who this intruder was, then he recognized him from a movie Tess had been watching one night when they were still human. He remembered her calling him Ash Rivers.

"Slade." VV smiled as he walked in, "How are you sweetheart?"

The man who either was Ash or his lookalike stared down at Slade with a scrutinizing look.

"I'm fine, VV." Slade said, "Everything okay, here?"

"Of course…" She said, "This is Ash." She motioned with a hand, "Your Uncle, I suppose."

"Ash Rivers?" Slade asked, "No way. I'm Slade." He held a hand out.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone knows." He said with a quiet and deep voice, nothing like the voice he used on screen.

"Shake his hand, Ash."

Ash gave a burning look to VV before he shook Slade's hand, "Can't help but feel pity for the next generation of nightwalkers that came into the world through a twisted set of morals."

VV narrowed her eyes, "Perhaps you should see your way out, Ash."

"Why, because I'm right?"

"Ash…"

He sighed and sulked out of the room.

"I'm sorry about him." VV said after he had left, "As you can imagine, being Embraced wasn't exactly the highlight of his career."

"Eh, it's better that he's gone." He sat on the couch with her, giving her some space, "I had a question for you…that…would be better if only you heard…"

"Mmm hmm…?"

"So…Kindred…drink the blood of kine…"

"Mmm hmm…"

"…have any of them ever drank the blood of other Kindred?"

"Have they?" She asked, "Yes…it…it is possible…" He sensed a strange tone in her voice.

"Is it?"

"Mmm hmm…so…why has it piqued your curiosity…?" Her voice was laced with nervousness.

"I heard a few punks talking about it…" He said, "It…made me curious…seeing as how no one told me about it before…does it actually have a benefit? Or is it just, the same as drinking from a human?"

"Oh no, it's very different…I should have told you earlier." She said, "It's called diablerie, the draining of a Kindred by another Kindred…usually it's done in haste by the Sabbat, or performed by power-thirsty young Kindred to an older Kindred." She said, "If the consumer drains the Kindred of all their blood, as well as their soul, then they gain the disciplines of the late Kindred, they gain the power of the late Kindred, and they share a piece of them in their mind…." She said, "So…for instance…if I were to diablerize a two-hundred year old Malkavian, my Auspex would be extremely powerful, I would gain the ability to use very powerful Obfuscate and Dementation, but I would develop insanity."

"Hmm…interesting." Slade said, "It almost sounds too good to be true."

"Of course…there are many downsides." She said, "In the perspective of kine, it would be considered the same as cannibalism…if the moral misconduct isn't enough, it is illegal and punishable by death by the Camarilla. The sin goes without hiding as well. Any clan with Auspex can see the aura of a diablerist is a different color than the aura of a normal being. They are usually hunted and killed if they are young, and if they're older, they're feared."

"Jeez…" He swallowed hard.

There was a slight pause, "I'd like to ask again…why is it you need to know this…?"

"I was curious. I overheard a few punks talking about it while I was doing useless bullshit for LaCroix. They were probably Sabbat then."

She gave him a look as if she was about to call him out on it, before she smiled, "That's a relief. How have you been, Slade?"

"Fine…LaCroix wants me back to work tomorrow though…so…there's that…"

"You poor thing…" She said softly, "When you get the time off, you can always come here…I have blood and room for you to rest."

He gave a small smile, "Thanks VV."

"Of course." She rested her head against the wall as she closed her eyes, "Did LaCroix say anything about a Mister Fitzroy?"

"No, but I haven't seen him in nearly a week, so…I'm arguably out of touch with him…"

"Please do tell me if he has plans…Mister Fitzroy is an Anarch…a close friend of mine…and he's responsible for numerous deaths recently over the loss of his little sister..."

He nodded, "Right. The second LaCroix reveals anything to me, you'll know."

"Thank you, Slade…" She wrapped her delicate arms around his waist, "Keep paving the road clear…my shining North Star…"

"Of course." He gave her a light hug back, "I'll do my best."

* * *

Clutching the necklace close in the palm of her hand, Tess slowly opened the door to the Last Round, feeling bombarded by the loud grungy music.

She saw people standing around towards the bar, buying drinks and laughing at old jokes. She headed towards the staircase, but was caught by Damsel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Her eyes were like venom, "Who the hell are you?"

"T-Tess…" She said nervously, then showed the necklace, "Nines…he wants to talk to me…"

Damsel's eyes turned to the necklace, surprised, "Where the hell did you get that…?"

"He gave it to me so I could go upstairs…he said I should use it if someone gives me trouble…"

"Gives you trouble, huh…?" She asked, then she marched up stairs, "Hey, Nines!"

Tess followed her upstairs, relaxing a bit as she saw Nines leaning up against the wall, and didn't sense any heartbeats from the people on the second floor.

Nines' attention turned to Damsel as she kept yelling, "What the hell is this about?" She took the necklace out of Tess's hand, "If someone gives her trouble? Is it bad that I give the capes trouble? Want me to welcome them in here, give 'em a cup of tea or something?"

"She's a friend, Damsel." Nines said.

She scowled, "You'd go and befriend the Prince too if he didn't look the part, wouldn't you!" She scoffed, "Why the hell are you going around bring Cammies over here for?"

"She isn't a Cam." He insisted before he looked back at Tess, "Right?"

She nodded once, swallowing hard, "Y-Yes…"

"She's lying." Damsel said lowly.

"Just go back downstairs and let us handle things from here." Skelter said.

"Fucking bastards!" She roared as she went downstairs.

Nines sighed and turned back to Tess, "Sorry about that."

"It's quite alright…" She said slowly, looking around at everyone before she walked closer to Nines, "Why did you save me…?"

A slight pause, "Anyone who would jump out of a hundred-story tower just cause of the Prince is a friend of mine."

"But…I don't understand…why? Why didn't you just let me die…?"

"Do you want to die?" He raised a brow.

"No…" She said softly, "I just…never expected anyone to care about me so…selflessly…"

"That's what happens when you get spoiled by the Cam." He said, "You don't know what good is anymore. Being a Kindred isn't about sucking up to your elders and following some bullshit set of laws, it's about standing up for yourself and taking things into your own hands." He said, her eyes widened like a child in awe, "But I'm not going to stand here and give you some kind of speech about how high and mighty we are."

"How long have you been here…?"

"The Anarchs…?" He asked, "That sounds like something Jack would know. I didn't create the Anarchs. I'm not in charge, I don't run anything. We're just a group of Kindred who know right from wrong. Seems like a foreign concept to them, upholding the Masquerade and keeping our morals about us at the same time without someone holding our hand along the way."

"Then…why does LaCroix act like you're the Prince of the Anarchs?"

"Keep your voice down. You say shit like that and you'll get your head clobbered in. There is no Prince of the Anarchs. The Prince brings up my name for two reasons." He looked out the windows, "Because I'm not afraid of taking what's ours and sticking it to him, and cause he needs someone to blame. He needs someone in charge of the Anarchs. Someone to blame for all our 'mistakes'." He looked back at her, "He can't handle the idea of equality."

She nodded slightly, "I…suppose I have noticed that."

He stood away from the wall, "I have to go handle something, kid. You take care of yourself."

Tess nodded again, reaching out and taking his hand as he started to leave, the other Anarchs looked on with either amusement or confusion, "Wait…" She said, "Can…can I come…?"

He turned over his shoulder, "Tess…maybe…maybe next time, alright?"

She nodded as she let go of him, then she turned around to the others, looking a bit frightened. She was about to leave before Skelter grabbed her by the arm, "Look, if no one else is gonna say it, then I am." He pushed her up against the wall, her eyes wide with terror as her head thumped against the rough wooden surface, "We don't let measly fucks like you work with us. You say you can't make up your mind, you say you're thinkin' about killing the Prince, well all that's bullshit. You think we don't know how you Toreador bitches work? You're just gonna stab us in the back, and I ain't gonna sit around and let that happen."

"It's fine, Skelter, let her go." Anastasia said.

His eyes darted over to Anastasia before he let her go, "You're lucky she said something, lick, or I'd have your ashes ground into the floorboards."

She shuddered and hugged herself, looking at Anastasia with wide, thankful eyes.

"What'd you say your name was again?" Anastasia smiled.

"Tess…"

"Right. I'm Anastasia." She held a hand out, "Nice to meet you."

Tess smiled and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you too…"

Jack snickered, "Where the hell would we be without you, Anastasia?" He said as he pat her back, "We oughta call you 'Stasia the Mediator."

"Hey, I'm welcome to it." Anastasia laughed.

"Hey, guys!" They heard Damsel's voice, "Nines found the guy who killed Lark!"

"What?" Anastasia said, heading down the stairs first.

Everyone flooded after her, even Tess ran after them to help.

They ran down the street into an alleyway, Dragomir stood against Nines, an unconscious prostitute crumpled on the ground in the corner. Dragomir had a few bullet holes in his flesh that were slowly healing. He adjusted his sunglasses, "Ah, there are the reinforcements…"

"Dragomir?" Tess's eyes were wide.

"Hello, whore." He snickered, "What brings you to my alleyway?" She shook her head with a mixture of hopelessness and amusement.

"Why don't you let me handle 'em?" Jack asked. Nines put his gun down and stepped aside. Jack cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward, "So, you killed Lark, eh?"

"Yes, I killed your little birdie. So sorry."

His fists lit up with an insane amount of Potence before he dashed forward with the speed of lightning and smashed his fist into Dragomir's chest, pinning him up against the wall. The cracking of his ribs was heard as he coughed up a mouthful of blood onto Jack's coat, his head hanging limply.

"Huh, look at that." Jack stepped back as Dragomir fell to his hands and knees and wheezed, "You're the first sucker in a while that's survived a hit like that."

"Dragomir!" Slade said as he ran over, clenching his hands into fists, as he drew both his swords and stood protectively in front of Dragomir.

Jack stepped back, "Looks like we're not the only guys with reinforcements…huh?" He had a good laugh.

"You want us to handle him?" Skelter asked.

"Nah, you kids go back to the Last Round." He swatted a hand, "I'll handle things from here."

"By yourself? No fucking way." Damsel said, "We know you, Jack, we know you'll let them go."

"Nah…c'mon….I wouldn't…do that…" He scratched the back of his head.

"Enough of this." Skelter's body transformed as he lumbered forward to slash into Slade.

An orange glow surrounded Slade, he did what he could to sponge some of Skelter's attack as he stabbed both his swords into him, "Ganging up on the poor guy? Jeez…how fucking noble…if I didn't know any better I'd say you're all glorified bullies…"

Skelter gave an incomprehensible grumbling sound as he kept slashing at him before Jack pulled him away, "Oh, c'mon man, kid's got a point, leave him alone!"

Slade coughed up blood, looking back at Dragomir, "Dragomir…you…you need to get the hell outta here…I'll…I'll take care of this guys…" He spit more blood to the side, glaring at Tess, "I should've known that you orchestrated this entire thing…just…conducting in the background…"

"Clearly that's what's going on." Tess crossed her arms.

"It is. Don't bullshit me." He snapped, "If you want to prove me wrong, get on my side instead of theirs. Don't just…abandon who you were as a human at a drop of a hat. We…we went through high school together…you really want to team up with a bunch of strangers to take Dragomir out that badly? To take us both out?"

"This isn't about Dragomir!" She spat, "This is about the Prince letting Julius get murdered by someone in the Camarilla! I'm not working for a company where its own members kill each other!"

"Mmm, sounds fun." Jack snickered, Nines rolled his eyes as he watched Skelter pull from Jack's grasp like a dog on leash.

"Pfft…you hump partner died…what a shame…" Slade coughed, "You made the Camarilla sound like the most wonderful thing in the world yesterday…just goes to show that you don't know any better than me about any of this shit. You can't tell a good vampire from a bad one, and if you're naïve enough to blindly follow whoever gives you attention for five seconds, then they're really giving it to you."

She chuckled, "Like you know what you're doing? You'll die before I will Slade, because you have no clue what subterfuge is, you don't know how to deal with people, how to get power and survive. You follow your morals like they'll lead you in the right path, but the world doesn't work that way. Maybe as a child, that's how it was, but this is reality. Look in these dark streets, look at the corpses and neglected. Do you really believe a good set of morals will get you any further than they are?"

"Yes."

She chuckled darkly, "I rest my case."

Slade looked back at Dragomir, "You need to run. Now. I'll give you a window." He said, the Anarchs had no idea what he was talking about, as the quarters were tight and he was outnumbered at least ten to one. Slade's Presence was renewed with a bright orange glow, and his eyes glowed red, he dashed at Tess, with a Celerity just as fast as hers. Slade gave a battle cry, as the blood in his body pumped drastically to give him a boost in his strength and muscular physique. He slashed at Tess with both swords, slamming her into the nearest wall.

The Anarchs stepped back at the sudden outburst. Dragomir pounced and bounded out of the alleyway, grabbing Slade by the back of the collar and running off with him like the madman he was.

"God dammit!" Damsel screamed as she started chasing them. Skelter bit Jack's hand and tore after them as well.

Nines sighed as he watched them run, "Damn idiots…"

Meanwhile, Dragomir turned over his shoulder and screeched as he saw they were being followed. "Slade, where the hell do we go?" He barked.

"You go." Slade looked back, "I'll stay. I'm on a roll."

He gave a nervous nod and picked up with considerable speed, scampering off into a different alleyway. Damsel skidded back and fired countless shots at Slade's head, where Skelter caught up and jumped forward to pounce on Slade.

Slade darted around, avoiding their attacks, "Bet you regret letting a little shit like me live, huh?"

Skelter snarled as he tried to pounce again. Slade then realized that Protean was just harnessing the Beast inside to follow competent commands, but even then, it seemed Skelter's actions were compelled by the Beast itself.

Damsel stepped back as she reloaded, "The hell are you taking advantage of us for, you fucking rat?" She asked, "You wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for us! So why the hell are you doing this!?"

"Oh, I'm so thankful that you guys have me working for LaCroix now. Really, it's such an honor. Such a pleasure." He narrowed his eyes, "Dragomir is my friend. So if you fuck with him. You'll have to kill me. Go on. Try. Kill the person you wasted time saving."

"Your friend killed our ally because he's a fucking loonie!" She exclaimed, "Haven't you ever heard to shoot Malks in the head before they get like that!? It's for their own good!"

Skelter stepped back and held out a clawed paw, a pair of blue wolves jumped out to sink their teeth into Slade.

Slade stumbled back, coughing up more blood as he tried to fight of the apparitions, "Oh, great, you guys are fucking racist too." He struggled to get up, "I refuse to believe that he just…killed someone for no reason. And if you tell me that's what happened, then you're bigger liars than the Camarilla."

"We're not lying!" She spat, "He came into our bar asking for blood, when we told him we didn't have any, he went batshit crazy and chickened out of there with Lark!" She fired a few more rounds at his head.

Slade felt weakened, like his blood pool was vastly shrinking and that his time for using his enchantments were just about done. Nevertheless, he looked livid. "How dare you lie to me anyway, you piece of rotten filth. Pfft, I guess I shouldn't expected as much from a bunch of roaring savages masquerading as boy scouts. Can't even kill a bumbling fledgling." He used the last of his blood to power Celerity and escape into a nearby manhole entrance to the sewers.

She growled as she kicked the top of the manhole, "Fucking Cammy douchebag!" She screamed, before a car slowed forward and honked at her. She turned to the car and aimed her gun at the windshield, "What the fuck do you want, prick?"

The car beeped before the driver cut the wheel and drove off, leaving screeching skid marks on the road. "Yeah…that's what I thought…" She spit on the ground and turned around, sulking back to the Last Round. Skelter put his Protean down and eyed the streets one last time before he followed after Damsel.

* * *

The scrutinizing glare from the CDC workers was far from comforting as Tess stumbled forward, an arm around her ribcage as she limped down the sidewalk. If her clothes weren't so expensively tailored, she was sure they'd grab her and throw her in a body bag. She felt a light wheeze escape her lungs as she sat down against an iron fence, closing her eyes and resting her head against the posts.

She heard the sound of dress shoes walking across the pavement, opening her eyes to see a man standing before her with a concerned look on his face. He was wearing a gray dress shirt with a beige vest, a golden chain peeking out from the pocket of the vest. A very dark brown tie was tucked into the vest, pinned with a pristine golden clip. His khakis fit just right, and his sleeves were rolled up slightly unevenly at his elbows. He held a hand out, a few dazzling rings on his fingers. If his extensively pale skin wasn't a sign that he was Kindred, his eyes were.

As she stood and faced him, he gave a handsome smile, his glowing amber eyes framed by golden-rimmed glasses softened a bit as he met her gaze. He combed his nimble fingers through his black pompadour. "Can I help you, miss…?"

"Miss Perry…" She said softly. He was attractive, of course, but there was something missing. The allure she felt when she spoke to Julius was gone, any sort of humanistic connection was absent. "I…" She lowered her voice, "I need blood."

"Ah, I see." He said, his voice was naturally low and quiet, the type she imagined a librarian would have, "I have some I would be willing to share, seeing as you're in need…"

"Please…that would be wonderful…"

"Of course." He said as he started walking, "Do…you need me to help you make it there?"

"I should be fine…" She stumbled forward, "So long as it's in reasonable walking distance."

"It's just around the corner." He said as they started walking.

Tess scoured her mind as she tried to remember what sort of apartment complex was just around the corner, then her eyes widened as he gently knocked on a green door of a rather large looking building. _This is an apartment complex…?_

The door peeked open just a hair, enough to see a bright ruby eye and the brim of her hat. "Leonardo, no visitors."

"She needs blood, Delilah."

"No visitors." She said as she looked at Tess.

"Please, Delilah."

"I'll tell the Regent."

"Fine. I would rather deal with punishment then watch her wither away on the streets."

Delilah's eyes narrowed as she stepped back and let Tess and Leonardo inside. Leonardo closed the door and gently took Tess's hand, "I'll take you to my room."

Delilah gave a slight chuckle as she walked down a hallway to another room.

Tess followed Leonardo upstairs, her eyes wide as she looked around, "What is this place…?"

"The Tremere Chantry." He said as he opened the door and let her in.

Slowly stepping into the dimly lit room, she saw the walls were painted bright purple, the floors covered by abstract but colorful rugs, mostly made up of hues of green. The reddish wooden ceilings almost seemed supported by bookshelves that lined the walls, only spared where there was a small bar to the side of the room, with three barstools. Beside a black armchair was his desk, with stacks of books on it, as well as a candelabra and laptop. In the center of the room, there appeared to be an alchemy station, with a huge stone cauldron and ancient pedestal lined with smaller white candles, their wax dripping onto the red and white marbled floors that occasionally peeked from under the rugs. There was a book on the pedestal, open to a page of text Tess couldn't read in the slightest. Next to the pedestal were dozens of books the same size, with different colored bindings. There was a couch to the side near the windows that were covered by velvet curtains, the material looked soft and was a dark emerald shade. Finally, his bed was tucked away in the corner, large enough for two people and covered in red satin sheets.

Her deep purple eyes scanned the room as he picked up a few books and stuffed them into a shelf, "Apologies for the mess."

"Oh, it's quite alright…this room is fascinating…." She said as she sat on the sofa.

"Why thank you." He approached the bar, opening a mini-fridge and taking out a blue blood pack. He brought the bag to Tess and handed it to her, "If you need more, don't be afraid to ask."

She took the singular blood pack, wondering if it would be enough as she gently sunk her teeth into the bag and drank from it, closing her eyes as she realized how filling it really was. Her injuries started to close up and she gave a soft sigh, releasing the bag only once every drop was cleared out. "I've…never had blue blood before…"

"I can tell." He chuckled lightly as he sat in a chair across from her.

"What was your name…?" She asked softly.

"Leonardo." He said, "But…I suppose you could call me Leo, if you'd like."

"And you're a Tremere…?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I haven't met many Tremere before…are you rare…?"

"Rare…?" He asked, "Well, I think that is a rather foolhardy question…that's like asking if polar bears are rare in California."

She let out a relaxed giggle. At least he had a sense of humor. Some of the tension in the room seemed to be lifted as well, "I suppose California isn't really much of a place for scholars…"

"No, you'll find more Toreadors or Brujah in California. Hence why the Camarilla struggles with numbers…clans we rely upon such as the Tremere and Ventrue aren't usually Embraced in areas like these."

She let out a soft sigh as she looked out the warped glass windows, "The Camarilla…" She said softly, "My sire died…the Prince didn't have a care in the world…I'm not even sure I fit under that title any longer…"

He seemed perplexed, "I had no clue you associate with the Camarilla…or associated, I should say."

She nodded, "I planned to climb my way up the ladder…but…"

"Who was your sire?"

"Julius Lorcan."

"The…Toreador Primogen…?"

She nodded, "And the Prince didn't care…"

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Well, the Prince doesn't necessarily represent everything the Camarilla is."

"…he doesn't? I thought he was the representative…?"

"The Prince of L.A. He's just that. That's where his power is limited." He let out a small chuckle, "What, did you expect the Prince to be the Prince of the entire Camarilla? That's far too much power for someone so smallminded…"

"I suppose so…" She smiled, "So…I can be Camarilla…and…disagree with the Prince's approach…?"

He looked like he wanted to add something, but he kept his idea silent, instead he nodded.

She sat back in the armchair, "Perhaps I'll have a word with him, then."

"The Prince?" He asked, "What a sense of courage you must have….I stepped foot in his penthouse once when I was sired…I thought I was going to be killed…never again have I made it to the upper floors of Venture Tower…"

She stood up again, "What was your surname?"

He looked a bit nervous, but told her anyway, "Lockheart. You aren't going to…tell him about me, are you…?"

"Of course not." She said with a smirk, "I just wanted to hear how the name Tess Lockheart sounds. I like it." She handed him the empty blood bag as she left his room.

* * *

LaCroix looked up as there was a gentle knock on the door. "Come in." He didn't need to see who it was, "I was under the impression you've formally resigned."

"I'd like to…revoke my resignation."

He looked up at her, a look of unadulterated amusement on his face, "Just who do you take me for…?"

"What?" She asked.

"I am not a blind Prince sitting upon a throne of money, Miss Perry."

"…I don't see…where…-"

"My Nosferatu have seen your… _affiliation_ , shall we put it, with Mister Rodriguez."

"Mister…Rodriguez…" She asked quietly, "He…he saved my life…"

"Yes, it seems he has." He sat back from the documents he was reading, something about mummies, it seemed, "So much so that he has charmed yet another fickle mind into making a regrettable decision."

"Sir, I am not an Anarch by any definition of the word." She insisted.

"Oh, is that so?" He asked, before there was another knock on the door. "You may enter."

Slade walked in, looking a bit confused at seeing Tess in the penthouse again after the big speech she said against the Camarilla. "Uh…I…I think my reprieve is over sir…I…I just wanted to report back…"

"Yes, of course." The Prince stood up and paced back and forth a few times before he turned back to face them, "Have either of you met or heard of the Malkavian Primogen?"

"Uh…Primogen?"

The Prince chuckled slightly, "I suppose I'll chalk that up to Miss Rivers giving an inaccurate summary of how we operate…" He said mostly to himself, "The Primogen are Camarilla representatives for each Clan, responsible for keeping order over members of their clan, handling political affairs, other such matters. Just a few hours ago, I held a Primogen meeting, but it seems the Malkavian Primogen has gone missing as of late." He said before he turned out the window, "Either he's forgotten how to answer the phone, or has gone missing." He turned back around, "I need you both to find whichever bed he's chosen to hide under and report back. But do be careful, he's been on a bit of a paranoid bent recently. I wouldn't want two of my fledglings to suffer any sort of…defensive means of his…whatever they may be."

"We just have to find him?" Tess asked.

"Yes." He turned back to Tess, "And if you do manage to…redeem yourself with this task, I'll consider allowing you to operate under my Camarilla."

Slade gave Tess a look, no doubt he wasn't exactly thrilled to work with her, nevertheless he turned back to LaCroix, "Alright. We'll do it immediately. Where does the Malkavian Primogen live?"

"In a secluded mansion in Hollywood hills, is where you will find Dr. Grout. Do be careful."

"Yes sir." Slade nodded.

"Very well. I wish you the best of luck."

Tess turned and followed Slade, a shallow sigh escaping her lips as she trailed after him.

* * *

"I didn't know you played janitor, Nines." Damsel said as she sat in a barstool, leaning back onto the stained wooden counter.

Nines grabbed three more empty bottles of beer that the kine left on the counter, "Shut the hell up." He muttered as he threw them into the recycling.

She winced as she watched his aim, "Good thing you don't play basketball, huh?" He threw one of the bottles at her, she laughed and barely caught it, "So about your little girlfriend Tess…?"

"What is it?" He faced her as he crossed his arms.

"Jeez, you don't have to fucking lecture me…I was just gonna say something's up with her."

"Yeah, I think there's something up with everybody. Some people are just better at hiding it."

"C'mon, don't give me any of that deep bullshit. She's a Cammy, Nines. A little lost, a little frightened, but when that little frightened puppy gets their tail lobbed off, they'll run home. She's not going to come _here_ when that happens, you know that, right?"

"Why wouldn't she? If she were smart, she'd know we'd take better care of her than any of them would. I thought she'd figure that out after they killed her sire."

"Would the puppy stay in the streets if their mommy and daddy at home beat them? No, they'd still go home. You have to think about instinct, and the instinct of a Cammy can be picked up from miles away. Besides, she's a fucking idiot. What the hell would she know about picking sides? Hate to break it, Prince Charming, but half the Toreadors we get are here cause of you."

His gaze flittered out the window, "What the hell is all that noise…?"

She rolled her eyes, "Ugh, ignore me as you always do, lazy asshole." She laid back on the barstools, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only smart person here! You just go around welcoming in every other Joe out on the streets, Kent spends any of the money we get on shoes, Skelter breaks some sort of alliance we have every day over and argument about fucking paperclips, Anastasia would let someone rob the place cause she's too damn easy-going, and Killian's ass hasn't shown up once since Lark's died. I'll be damned if he ever shows up again…"

"Damsel, c'mon, there's something outside." He said as he headed to the door.

"Ugh, and don't even get me started on Jack. You think _you're_ a pessimistic dreamer? That fucking airhead's got a sense of 'justice' so corrupted, he could fucking bring an entire goddamn horde of Cammies in here and not give a fuck! As long as they ain't Ventrue!" She said in a false deep growl.

"Damsel!" Nine snapped.

"What?" She sat up with a scowl on her face, "Truth hurt, Nines?"

He opened the door, giving her his usual cold glare, "I'd kill to slap some sense into you right now, but I don't think now's the time for games."

She looked out the door, "….the hell…?"

A horde of bikers were driving right past the Last Round, gunning people down indiscriminately, before they sped off.

Nines checked his belt for his grenade before he started running, "C'mon!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" She said as she grabbed a shotgun from behind the counter and ran after him. The wild goose chase eventually led them to the exterior of some kind of meeting hall in a back ally.

"Sister Esmerelda!" One of the gangsters yelled as they dismounted from their bikes, "Some Kindred tailed us here!"

Esmerelda gave a loud cackle, crossing one leg over the other as she was sitting on a mound of dead bodies. The corpses didn't look as though they had a painless death either, they were all riddled with dirt and disease, "Ah, I see mister Nines and miss Damsel have finally come to join our communion within the Ninth Circle!"

"Ninth Circle…?" Damsel asked.

Nines took out his Desert Eagle, "What the hell is this all about? All this disease?"

"It is the end of the world, Rodriguez." She snickered, her eyes beginning to glow a sinister red color, "Now, of course, the famous question comes as to whether you'll die from my gift that I spread throughout the masses, or through some lead poisoning."

"Not another fucking lunatic…" Damsel growled, "You think they're connected?" She looked up at Nines.

Nines ignored Damsel and put his gun down, "What gift?"

"Why, the festering relief of leaving this world, of course." She pulled out a pistol of her own, "What are your choices, sweetie-pies? Communion? Lead?"

"I'll leave the choice to you." Nines pulled his jacket aside so she could see his grenade, "Life or death is a little cleaner cut than any of the bullshit you're playing on me."

Esmerelda scowled, "Kill him!" She shot at Nines.

The distinct sound of Uzi fire was heard next, as her gang opened fire, using their motorbikes as coverage. Damsel held a hand out before Nines grabbed his grenade, "These are a bunch of shovelheads, Nines, save it for something that matters!"

He nodded and grabbed his Desert Eagle instead. The pair stood back to back, Nines aiming clearly for their heads, Damsel aiming for the chest as she fired her shotgun at them. As numbers dwindled, Nines put his gun away and dashed around at an incomprehensible speed, his fists lit up with blue static as he punched them around.

"The Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle will not fall!" Esmerelda screeched, unable to properly aim for Nines, she aimed at Damsel next.

Damsel grunted, "Fucking bitch, come at me!" She gave a completely unfeminine screech, running at Esmerelda with her bare fists. Esmerelda grit her teeth and held a corpse up to shield Damsel's punches, trying to shoot her in the head. Damsel grabbed the body and threw it at Esmerelda like it was nothing, then tried to claw her eyes out.

Esmerelda stumbled back, landing on her bum and firing more shots at her, scooting back each time Damsel got closer. Damsel grunted with each shot that hit her, kicking at her with feet coated in lightning. She screamed in pain, convulsing and coughing a bit before she stood up. She reloaded briefly before firing again. Her Auspex certainly wasn't making any of the shots less painful.

Damsel grunted and fell back on the ground, her hat tumbling off to the side. She moaned and held a particularly painful shot in the shoulder. One of her eyes peeked open before she saw a shadow grow over her. She covered her face and cowered a bit, before she looked past her hands and saw it was Nines. He aimed his Desert Eagle at Esmerelda's face and fired without hesitation.

Esmerelda flinched and coughed up blood, firing at Nines. He grimaced, then reared a leg back to kick her in the chest. She caught his burly, lightning-infused leg, shaking with pain. With her free hand she kept firing off at him.

Damsel let out a growl as she saw Nines struggle for balance, so she grabbed her empty shotgun and reared back to hit Esmerelda over the back of the head with it.

Unable to take both sides of the attacks at once, she collapsed and turned into a pile of ash.

Damsel panted and combed her fingers through her hair, "Where'd my hat go…?"

Nines picked it up from the ground and tossed it her way, "You alright?"

"Uh huh." She put her hat on and adjusted it properly, "Damn, that bitch took forever to die…"

"I thought Skelter and Anastasia already wiped out the plague bearer.."

"There must be more." Damsel said, "Question is, how many more?"

"No clue. It was lucky enough we ran into one in the first place." He said as he looked around the area, "We better get out of here."

"Yeah…" She grabbed her shotgun and followed him back to the Last Round, "So…I guess we'll have to get Skelter and Anastasia to keep sniffing around."

"Yeah, if they're up for it."

She looked up at him, "You don't _like_ Tess, do you?"

He cocked a brow.

"You know… _like_ …"

He shook his head, "Do you think I have time for that kinda shit, Damsel?"

She snickered as she reached up and wiped a bloody scratch from his cheek, "I didn't think so." Her voice was slightly soft, "She'll lose interest as soon as she figures that out…don't invest anything in her, alright?"

He seemed to be considering her words, "Alright."

"Hey, I know it's hard." She elbowed him, "Not everyone's as perfect as you are." She smirked, "Especially her. She'll use you if you let her."

He simply nodded as they entered the Last Round again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Lots of Anarchs in this chapter, wonder if that'll last… Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought with a review!


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty! Originally the plan was to finish Grout's mansion…but…guess plans get thrown out with window when you slap Dragomir, Tess and Slade in the same scene…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines

* * *

The taxi ride was silent on their way to Grout's. Slade looked out the left window, while Tess looked out the right. Eventually Slade spoke up, "I have to admit, the last place I'd expected you'd be in would be in the Prince's office."

"I…thought the very same thing…until I learned that the Prince's values and the Camarilla are very different." She said softly, "I'll gladly represent the Camarilla, but I'd love to attend his funeral."

"Took you long enough to finally figure out that he was an asshole."

Her eyes drifted from the window to Slade, "I…miss our dinners at you apartment…"

His gaze softened, then it hardened again, "Yeah. So do I. Too bad I was nearly murdered by a flesh-eating demon and then turned into a vampire, right? Not the good kind either, like you. You have paperwork, you had a by-the-book sire. You had legitimacy. Me, I'm just riff-raft. I'd just get in your way. A useless old vampire like me has no place in your little society, does it?"

She looked at her hands, folded in her lap, "Don't take advantage of her like I did. Forever isn't a long time, not in this world…you don't realize how much something means until you lose it…the same goes for your sire, however much anger you might reside for her…"

"Pfft, that's rich. Coming from you. I thought you told me I needed to be a backstabbing whore in order to get anything accomplished in the Jyhad."

Her gaze fell out the window, "Take my words for what you will, Slade, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Why do you _always_ have to act like you're some sort of mentor to me? Like everything that comes out of your mouth sounds like a lecture. Do you really think you're that much better than me?"

"No, it's because everything I say to you I say from experience." She said, then she added softer, "Because I don't want you to be hurt the same way I was."

There was a long silence after that. Enough for minutes to pass by, then Slade just started laughing hysterically, "Why…why does he hate you so much Tess?" He asked, Tess at first wondered what he meant, "Did you…take your shirt off in front of him or something? Because…I hate to be the one to tell you this…but that doesn't just…work on everyone…"

"I'm Julius's childe." She said, "That's the primary reason. He and Julius were never very close. And yes, I suppose I was a bit too charismatic, but I never flirted with him." She smirked, "I'm not _that_ dumb, Slade."

"Pfft, whatever…" He muttered, gently tapping the cab driver's seat, "Hey, can we stop here for a second? I gotta pick something up at my apartment."

"Certainly." He hummed in a rich voice.

"Should I stay here?" Tess asked.

Slade shrugged, "You can come if you want."

They entered the Hollywood apartment that they all once shared, seeing Dragomir and Genevieve sitting on the couch, watching TV, "Hey guys." Slade said, "I need your help."

Genevieve looked over at Slade and Tess, hiding behind Dragomir when she saw Tess, as well as giving a frightening hissing sound.

Slade blinked, "What…what's wrong? That…wasn't how she greeted me when we first met…"

Dragomir hugged Genevieve, glaring at Tess, "Well, I can't blame her. My psyche boils as well when I see her whorish mask."

"Yes, wonderful…" Tess rolled her eyes, "This your pet?"

"I'd like to skin you alive right about now, throw your ashes into a pot of boiling water and dump them on the head of your dearest lover."

"Well, he's already dead…so…"

"Oh, the backup one?" He leaned in, "And what about the one after that? And the one after that? And the one after that? Oh, you don't know him yet. You two are two birds of a feather, a collective gathering of infertile soil that bears nothing but rotting fruit of malady."

"She's the Juice Pouch." Genevieve pointed, "She took my shell from me…" She shivered, "She…she…she…" She teared up.

"Oh jeez, let me guess, Tess was a giant racist and threw you out of your house…" Slade shook his head.

Dragomir lifted Genevieve into his lap and gently wiped her tears away, gently quieting her and rubbing her back.

"LaCroix gave me that room." Tess insisted, "I would have loved to stay in Ventrue Tower, but he kicked me out."

Genevieve played with a lock of her hair, "Her dead juice pouch drinker drank from her while she was still entwined with Dragomir…"

"Jeez, why does that not surprise me?" Slade muttered.

"Because she's a whore." Dragomir said, then he turned to Slade, "You must have thought a real monster of me when I came here weeks ago and beat her to a pulp."

Tess rolled her eyes and flipped her hair back, "Are we going to stand around and throw insults at each other or are we going to go to Grout's mansion and find the son of a bitch?"

Dragomir's eyes widened as he sat up, "Pardon me, dear, what is it you're doing exactly?"

"We were informed to go to Dr. Grout's mansion and find him…he's been skipping meetings and ignoring calls."

"He's fine." Dragomir said, "Perfectly fine. Go back and tell Princey-boy he's fine."

"We can't do that, we have to find him."

"Listen." He leaned in, a terrifying scowl on his face, "You aren't going to lay a finger on my father. He's twisted and broken enough. His mind is a wasteland of hurt and isolation, something you could never understand. I can fix him, I will fix him if you give me the time." He sat back and rubbed a hand over his buzz-cut, "No one works well under a timer."

"That's why I came here." Slade said, "LaCroix told us that he's the Malkavian Primogen…so, I figured you guys would be experts on the subject."

"You're asking us to come along?" Dragomir asked, "Gladly."

Tess rolled her eyes and rubbed one of her temples.

"Only if Juice Pouch doesn't steal anything else from me." Genevieve said firmly.

"Yeah, I'll watch Juice Pouch for ya." Slade said.

"I'm not a kleptomaniac or anything." Tess spat.

Dragomir stood up, gently moving Genevieve aside, as he put his entire hand over Tess's face, her purple eyes wide beneath his hand, "You going to listen, little girl, with your ears, not your breasts. And you're going to behave. If you open your little whore-trap and spew venom at her…I can't promise you your little Prince will ever see your face again."

She stiffly nodded in his hand.

"Wonderful." He dropped her face and turned to Slade, "Let us carry on then."

The ride to the mansion was fairly quick, since they were in Hollywood to begin with. At the front of the mansion, they were met with a familiar figure leaving through the front door.

Slade frowned and grabbed the handle on one of his katanas, "Nines?" He asked.

His eyes darted all over them, something about his posture was off as well. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Dragomir raised a brow, "Well this is _interesting_ …"

"Nothing, we're just on a mission." Slade said.

He slowly bared his teeth and shook his head, "No."

"Yes." Dragomir said, "Ooh, I like this game."

"That…wasn't really a yes or no question…" Slade said.

His eyes darted around, "This place is bad news. You should just leave, it's too dangerous." He looked around, "Uh…pardon me." He pushed Dragomir aside and walked off with a quickened pace.

"She smells bad." Dragomir grumbled under his breath as he dusted off his shoulder.

Genevieve's nose twitched, she sniffed the air for a while, then she turned around and sniffed where Nines was headed, looking at Dragomir and making a face as if she agreed.

"Yeah, all the Anarchs smell like shit…let's get going." Slade said.

They walked inside, seeing the iconic checkerboard floor and white walls. A person was standing huddled in the corner, either laughing, or crying. It was hard to tell.

"Hey." Slade patted their shoulder, "You…you know where Grout is?"

The person turned around and let out a hiss, stabbing Slade in the gut. Slade stumbled back.

Dragomir ran over and put an arm around Slade, then pushed Slade aside and eyed over the ghoul, "Christ…what the hell has he done to you since I've been gone…?"

The crazed ghoul reared back to start stabbing Dragomir.

He caught his fist, his eyes welling with tears, "Damn it…if the others are as lost as she is, we're going to…" He sniffed, "We're going to put them all out of their misery, am I understood?"

Tess looked beyond creeped out, "I can see why LaCroix asked us to go here now…"

Dragomir reached forward and grabbed the ghoul by the neck, jerking his wrist to break his neck. As the body fell to the floor, Dragomir let out a shaky sigh, "When we find Grout…please…allow _me_ to do the talking…"

Slade gulped, giving a frightened nod.

Before they left the room, Genevieve bent down and took the ghoul's mask off, closing her eyes, then she skipped along with the rest of them.

"Flying one…" A raspy voice rang out as a ghoul limped over, her leg drenched in blood, a needle sticking out of it, and some of the flesh hacked off of it. She grabbed onto Dragomir's shoulders, her eyes were beyond bloodshot, "I want the life-juice….he's…he's been dead…our life-juice maker…no…no…no…not dead….no…stolen…"

"Stolen…?" Dragomir asked, his eyes frantic, "What the hell are you talking about?"

She gave a moan of agony before she continued, "Our heads…they're rotting away…without his life-juice…his torment was long accepted…for the life-juice…but now…" She moaned as she clutched her head, "I want to fly…as you have…fly…fly to the other side…"

He bared his teeth and gently held her head before he twisted it and she fell to the ground like a sack of bricks, "So…he hasn't gone missing just to the Camarilla…he's gone missing to his own test subjects as well…"

"But why does he have these things?" Slade asked, gasping as they walked into another room. A test subject ran at him. He was so frenzied he had huge claws. While Slade fought him off, a few more came to fight the others.

"Kill them quickly, don't make it more hellish than it is!" Dragomir ordered.

Tess screamed as one grabbed her from behind, she made a big effort of kicking it in the head as many times as she could, "What the hell are these, exactly?"  
"His test subjects." Dragomir growled, "His ghouls."

"Who let him have ghouls?" She demanded.

"Who let you breathe, Tess, is what I'd like to know." He spat.

"Damn it, guys, we don't have time for this!" Slade shouted, even he was having trouble fighting the ghoul off, "Since they're ghouls, they're going to be tougher than ordinary humans!"

Dragomir's fists lit up with lightning, it was tinged a purplish hue as he ran around and punched the ghouls in either the head or the chest, wherever he could to ensure a quick death.

Slade blinked a few times, "Damn…thanks for the help…" He said, as Genevieve scurried around to close all of their eyes.

He nodded and rubbed his fists, "This is quite worth the aura…"

Tess cocked an eyebrow, clearly confused, "This place feels like a maze…"

"It is." Dragomir said, "My father loves puzzles. So much so that he built his home like one. I can navigate around it with ease."

"Should…should I even play this…?" Slade wondered aloud, hitting 'play' on a recorder.

"It is quite peculiar the happenings I've been made to witness from my supernatural longevity. I'm thinking of one unfortunate phenomenon in particular of unique interest to my station, both as a professional and as a sufferer of this Vampiric condition. It seems the stream of time has begun to erode the moorings of my chosen course of study, for the methodologies that gave birth to psychology are slowly disappearing. I find myself in an era that overlooks the physical component of psychological pathology, time and again in favor of the sophistic practices of Freud. Phrenology, Dactopindalism, and the rest of the old guard is fallen by the wayside, its champions all silenced in death with my unique exception. Would that I could make my voice heard again, although it may be suspicious should I return to popular medical discourse fifty years after my apparent death." Grout said over the recorder, "No, better that I continue my studies into the psychosis in secret. One day I may hold up my own cure as validation of the methods. I am confident no cure for my condition, or that of my beloved wife, lies within our figurative minds, waiting to be unlocked by the correct combination of memories recovered from our childhoods. And I'm most certain that it has nothing to do with the relationship between myself, my parents, and my…genitals. Sorry, Sigmund, but I choose to stay my course. In time, too, may your star fade and disappear." The recording clicked off.

Slade blinked, "Huh…he sounded pretty…" He paused, about to say 'normal', but he realized how offensive it sounded, "He sounded pretty laid back…"

"That wasn't the same recording I heard him make…" Dragomir said, "He had one upstairs, I heard…his mind wasn't nearly as green as it was here." He said, pacing in small circles, "He's taken to these devices due to the loss of his wife, but…" He sighed, "Why else…why would he leave them on display like this unless he _wanted_ us to play them…?"

"I'm sure we'll figure it out later." Tess said, "Let's just try to find him."

"I have no clue where he could be, but I know where he isn't, at least." He mused as they walked into the next room.

The next room bore semblance to a library of sorts, there was a lone test subject playing with a candlelight level, chuckling to himself.

Slade held a hand up, sneaking forward by himself and eventually impaling the ghoul with his katana, Genevieve then quickly ran over to close his eyes. He then noticed another recorder, playing it.

"Another unfortunate casualty to tide of time: Insane Asylums. I lament their loss not only as brokerage houses for the breadth and depth of human psychoses, but also I shall mourn the disappearance of that peculiar environment present only in an insane asylum. That palpable atmosphere of blistered brains and churning bowels, the odiferous mélange of freely flowing bodily humors, that gently rolling cacophony of distant sobs and screams, the muttered cursing of perceived enemies and the blissful gurgling of the lobotomized. Like a newborn babe discovering the sky." The recording said, "I shall still find test subjects as surely as I find bloody sustenance in the night but this climate, I fear, may never be replicated."

"What a psychopath, he _likes_ insane asylums?" Tess asked.

"Yes." Dragomir brooded, "I recall having a conversation with him about his…adoration of them when I was Embraced. He's made his own asylum of sorts in this very building…" He sighed, "One always takes the things they love to their grave, I suppose…"

"Damn it…it feels like we're going around in circles…" Slade said, eventually squinting as he picked up a small, green reed, "Hey…what is this?"

Dragomir walked forward and looked at it, "No clue…keep it. It's important for something."

After a long grueling attempt at trying to figure out Grout's puzzle to leave the library, they were greeted with a new room. This one was the first room in which the number of ghouls outnumbered them. As before, Slade tried to attack the clawed one first, as they were known to deal more damage. Tess dashed around and kicked them, not doing much damage, while Dragomir ran around and used Potence to bash their heads in.

Genevieve shivered as one headed towards her. She held a hand out, a purple mist spreading from it. At first, the laughing and the buzzing wings looked like Dragomir's technique where he made the victim fall into a laughing fit. But Genevieve's attack made the target drop dead instantly.

Dragomir panted, then looked over at her, "How…how did you do that…?"

Genevieve panted as well, brushing hair out of her face, "One needs to contain the madness for a while to do that…"

Slade looked exhausted, covered in some pretty serious gashes, "Alright…we should…we should keep going…"

Dragomir gave a worried look to Slade, "Let me handle the next horde, alright?"

"Hey, don't worry about me…I'm fine…" Slade said, "Question is…where do we go?"

Once Genevieve finished taking all the masks off and closing everyone's eyes, she started at a candlelight lever for a while, pulling it. It revealed a staircase.

Slade blinked, "Alright, how big is this guy's mansion…?"

"Six stories at least."

"Christ…" Tess sighed, "I think we're all going to be insane by the time we leave this place…"

Slade lead the way up, which in itself wasn't very wise, as he was attacked by a ghoul. A few more ghouls rounded the corner towards them in the narrow hallway.

Dragomir pulled the ghoul off of Slade, his fists lighting up yet again as he hit them in the head. Slade fought the remainder of them along with Genevieve and Tess. The latter two giving swift kicks to the best of their ability.

Slade spotted another recording, hitting 'play'.

"Often I reflect with great regret on the missed opportunity that was my infector. Had I been conscious after the attack, I could have stopped the orderlies from locking her in the roaming pen. What I would give for just one interview, a few simple questions of the plague ridden woman who met her end that dawn." Grout said, "Of course there is no guarantee she would have been any more helpful than my current crop of test subjects…Mewling wretches! Few could be called 'enthusiastic'…Given the nature of the tests, I cannot expect the same fervor from all, but a modicum of cooperation would be appreciated…Animals. The one called 'John' went so far as to gnaw off his arm and escape into the floorboards like some feral rodent. I still hear him scurrying about at night, he must be making an atrocious mess in there."

Slade swallowed hard, scared out of his mind at this point. Of course, the handful of dead ghouls lying on the couch didn't help matters.

Dragomir chuckled softly, "I still wonder what the workers in his asylum thought when they checked the roaming pen in the morning for his sire and found a pile of ash…"

The next recorder simply had information as to his wife's illness, which confirmed what Dragomir was saying earlier.

"My studies proceed at a languid pace. I'm mired in a foul ennui as my wife's illness advances. My subjects grow restless without proper supervision, but I cannot pull myself back from this black depression. How many nights I've wasted now, gazing from the tower walk, pondering the frailty of existence?"

The next room had a good amount of ghouls in it too, and of course they were both mad and hungry. Slade went ahead first to attack who he could find.

Dragomir picked up a knife off the ground, flipping it in the air before he threw it right between eyes of one of the ghouls. He winced as the ghoul fell to the ground, shuddering.

"Damn it…" Slade kept slashing them down, "This…this is starting to get annoying…"

Genevieve would help Slade out at certain points, killing a ghoul or two without even touching them again.

Tess wiped blood from her heel onto the carpet, "Do you have any clue where he could be…any?"

"I don't know, use Auspex and tell me what you see." Dragomir snapped.

Tess's eyes flashed red, then she screamed as they returned to normal and she hugged herself, "Lesson…learned…"

Dragomir leaned against the wall and rubbed a hand over his face, "I need blood…"

"As do I." Genevieve said, "You need some too, Greenhorn." She said, "You'll have to sample from one of the captured."

"You mean drink their blood?" Slade asked, "Can…can we do that…?"

"It's risky." Dragomir said, "A good half of them are diseased from Grout's lack of cleanliness…the other half are fine, probably…"

In front of a fireplace, there was another tape, ready to be played.

"After decades of solitary study into this affliction, I have learned that it is by no means mine alone. Indeed, this city is home to an entire society of similarly afflicted individuals with whom I've only recently made contact. They are an understandably standoffish sort, by and large, but I have been able to confirm with them that the condition is indeed vampirism, which apparently comes in a multitude of strains, each with a spectacular set of symptoms such as invisibility and even a sort of lycanthropy." Grout said, "Through numerous official interactions with the governing body of this secret society, I have concluded that their fundamental understanding of the vampiric condition is woefully lacking and mired in suspicion and pseudo-religious dogma that would make a Turk balk for its strictures. Indeed, they seemed impressed with my studies and the eloquence with which I was able to present them. Apparently the typical sufferer of my particular strain of vampirism is far from the vanguard of the King's English. So impressed were they that they even offered me an office in their government, a rather high office, by the sound of things. I believe I shall accept. If nothing else, it should provide a lofty vantage point from which to observe the breadth and epidemiology of the affliction so that I may move more expeditiously toward a cure."

"So this was when he became part of the Camarilla…." Dragomir mused, "Interesting…how many more did he make, I wonder…"

"So wait…he was normal for a Malkavian…?" Tess asked.

"I suppose." Dragomir said as he eyed around the place, "Hence where I get my intellect." He tapped the side of his head, "He gave me a fragment of his strain. Like genetics, I suppose it is."

Genevieve looked a little sad, but Slade just said, "Alright, that's great and everything, but how do we move forward?"

Genevieve pulled a switch above the fireplace, and it opened, revealing a new room on the side.

"Cool." Slade went in first, "God damn it!" He said when the four or five ghouls prowling around started to run towards him.

Dragomir lit his fists up as he ran forward and battered most of them around before they could even get to Slade. He panted a bit and deactivated it, grabbing a ghoul that was hobbling around and apologizing profusely before he bit into his neck and drained him dry, gently laying him on the ground. "We'll…have to do a lot of cleaning…after this…"

"Were…were you able to drink his blood?" Slade asked.

Dragomir nodded, "Certainly wasn't clean, but it wasn't so bad that it was indigestible. These ghouls haven't been fed since they were on the surface."

He swallowed hard, "So…when was the last time you _saw_ your sire?"

He tapped his fingers quickly against one of his legs, "Hmm…" He thought for a moment, "That itself is a reasonable question. I suppose you can't blame me for needing a little fresh air."

The next room was the same library room, only this time they were on the second floor, so they indeed ascending and making some sort of progress. Slade played the next tape nearby him.

"I have accepted the role of 'Primogen' for clan 'Malkavian', the dreadfully winsome label applied to the particular strain of vampirism I suffer. So named for some supposed vampire father figure of old. More poppycock grown from a back-wood culture that seems interminably drawn to children's tales and the fiction of Victorian romance when it should concern itself with the science behind their suffering. No matter, for I have taken this office for no greater reason than the advancement of my research." Grout said, "I must make mention however that even among my would-be peers in this governing body of vampires, the level of paranoia and superstition is frightening! Their intelligence is not the question, no, indeed, as they courted me for this appointment, I had to suspect that their overtures were hand-tailored for what must be my obvious infatuation with reason, for the devil would do well to have such honey-tongued tempters. Even so, I could not help but notice the dressing of language these vampire leaders chose for their siren song. Whether it is born of habit, from addressing their unwashed, ill-educated subjects or from their own deep-seated beliefs, their linguistic flourishes belie a faith in superstition over the providence of empirical reason that must be an all-pervasive theme in this society of darkest night. Damn it all now, I'm doing it, too!"

Tess scowled, "I can't even tell what he's going on about…"

"I wouldn't say he's green and I would say he's rusted either…" Dragomir mused, turning to Genevieve, "You're alright?" When she gave a silent nod, he gave her a worried look and turned his head back towards the group, "Let us proceed."

They had to think their way through another puzzle. (As before, they mostly relied on Dragomir and Genevieve's help). When they entered the next room, there was a generator, unleashing powerful bolts of lightning in at least six different directions, with a few corpses of test subjects lying around.

"What the hell…?" Tess asked.

"He was a scientist." Dragomir said simply as he tried to slink forward, only to get zapped. He shuddered, "Perhaps…someone with a…smaller frame…would fare best…"

When everyone looked at Slade, he looked annoyed. He rolled his eyes and snuck under the lightning beams, gradually turning one after the other off. He eventually stopped to pick up a small beast's fang, "Hey…I found another…weird thing…here…"

"Excellent. You deserve it." Dragomir said, "Apologies…" He coughed up a puff of smoke.

On the other side of the generator, they pulled another switch, and it unlocked the door to Grout's inner sanctum. The horrors that awaited them in there, they had no way of knowing firsthand.

* * *

Pisha heard a smooth, clear voice descend its way into her quarters, "Ah, here you are." Victor said as he walked in, "You have left quite the trail behind you."

She raised a brow, for once, there was no corpse on her table, just an open book and a handful of artifacts, "And yet another one finds its way into domain…" She mused, her body cleaned of any blood it was stained with before, "We may only hope your intentions are as peaceful as my most recent company."

He raised a hand to his chin, "That all depends on your intentions." He said, "I believe that my chase for the serial killer Caitiff has gone cold, for now. It is moments like these, where I need to search for an individual, that I find solace in utilizing the sight of Auspex to see who and what lies beyond the fabrications of the mortal world. That is how I found you."

"I see…" She mused, "There is nothing of interest for you here. One does not blame the spider for making a web, one blames the insect for landing in the web. If it is missing persons you seek, then think of their disappearance as their own doing."

He gave a calm chuckle, stepping a bit closer, "A spider's web, hmm?" He asked, "I wouldn't figure myself as another insect. I would liken myself to…another spider…perhaps? One that usually observes. Or at least, he _likes_ to peacefully observe, in an ideal scenario, unless he's disturbed."

"Perhaps using the spider is incorrect." She mused, her eyes meeting his, "Mantis, is what I would refer to myself to." Her lips turned in the slightest smile, "Who likes to peacefully observe, unless disturbed." She turned her gaze to the book and flicked her delicate fingers across a page, "Or famished."

He got even closer, seeming to have no regard for her personal space, "No…" He started, finally to her relief backing away a little, "It simply cannot be." He pointed at her, "The True Black Hand. I had never thought I would see it in my entire life. I must say, it's rather captivating to see one of you with my own two eyes after only reading countless texts for years on end. I…" He held his hands out, "I feel honored."

She looked up from her book, "I either find myself made a monster of my peers, or that of a fascination. The former rarely survive to tell the tale, but there is enough hearsay to…dwindle our numbers significantly. I can't say I've found many of my kind in centuries. In the time of my Embrace, there were more, but it seems those of similar clans, as well as my own, have suffered under the pressure of such dominating clans."

"Of course I am fascinated, she of Clan Nagaraja. You are few and far-between."

She nodded, "Am I incorrect in assuming you are Tremere?"

He smiled as his gloved hand returned to his chin, "What gave it away?"

"I find that many scholars with your…vocabulary, as well as sense of the un-life reside to Clan Tremere."

"Ah, so my interest makes sense to you." He said, "I have never met someone with such a…refined knowledge…of the Necromantic arts…this truly is a treat…"

"Mmm…the art, as you call it, can always grow. Would you be interested in pursuing a task for me, seeing as I find difficulty dealing with Kindred and kine alike?"

"Perhaps." He smiled, "I will continue searching throughout the city or even the state to locate this confounding conundrum that is the astray Caitiff. I don't see what harm there would be in aiding a fellow Kindred with her pursuits, especially a bloodline as rare as yours." His smile grew.

"Very well. There is an item I am searching for. A few items, rather." She looked down to her collection of strange looking artifacts, "And since a previous artifact hunter of mine has gone missing, I am in search of someone willing to obtain these objects. I have a general understanding of their whereabouts, but these are artifacts, they may very well be located elsewhere. Your reward will be worthwhile, I can assure you."

"Yes. Do go on."

"The first item is a fetish, I believe it is located one of the local museums." She paused, "Soldiers on ships have been described to go missing, only to be replaced by these fetishes. The kine have no use for such an item, besides staring at it in numb curiosity through a glass pane. I feel as though there is something to be discovered inside, I'd like to discover the curse within." She said, "This item should be the…easier of the two, to attain. Of course, it isn't worth your Final Death over either of these items, simply to sate my curiosity."

"Of course." He said, "In a local museum, I'll be sure to look into that."

She nodded, "The second is a book, known as the _Voce de Morte_." She said, "Currently the book resides in the hands of the Giovanni, and I'm sure you can imagine, they are rather…bellicose with visitors, especially those who wish to gain access to their belongings. They use the book in their studies of Necromancy, and I wish to learn similar knowledge myself."

"Ah…Clan Giovanni…I've only heard whispers of their bloodline." He mused, "That may be harder to search for, than the fetish. Their clan does not visit California often."

"Of course, I do not expect instantaneous results. Though my stay in this city is temporary. If you cannot locate me, I assure you, our paths will cross again."

"Very well." He smiled, giving a small bow, "I will return as soon as I able, she of the Nagaraja Clan."

She chuckled softly, "You may refer to me as Pisha."

"And I am Victor." He said, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Victor. I do hope to see you again."

* * *

 **A/N:** Pisha isn't used to all this popularity, but certainly not dumb enough to turn down another ally! Well, what'd you think? Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought with a review!


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-one! Let's see how the Anarchs feel about some Blood Hunts…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines

* * *

"I'm…worried about how much longer we're going to have to be in here…" Slade muttered.

"There are always windows." Dragomir suggested.

"I think I'm going to have to take up that offer soon…" Tess sighed.

The first recording in Grout's inner sanctum went as follows:

"As I expand my dealings with the vampire government, I have encountered a disturbing new symptom of this affliction. Frequently, in conversation, I will hear voices emanating from other vampires. Voices that are not their own but which seem to have insight into their lives beyond what I could gather from simple conversation. These voices seem to echo from deep within my fellow vampires and I cannot be certain if this symptom belongs to my strain of illness or theirs, for the voices are various and inconsistent. I dare not mention this symptom to my vampiric peers, for they have proven themselves true predators to whom I could be loathe to reveal any sign of weakness. Indeed, these voices have counseled me against confessing their presence and until I can confirm their source, I will listen. The information the voices have given me ranges from curious to frightening. The latter is especially true of one powerful vampire whose name I shall not commit to recording in the interests of self-preservation." Grout said.

"He's falling…" Dragomir mused quietly.

"I can understand why LaCroix wanted us here…." Tess muttered.

"But which way do we go next?" Slade asked, looking at the varying paths, they went to the right first, immediately being greeted by the largest assembly of ghouls yet.

"Damn it!" Slade pulled his swords out, "That's it…" An orange glow came from him and he began to speed up, as he dashed around the room and started knocking them out.

Genevieve too nervously looked around the room, occasionally dropping a nearby ghoul just with her outstretched hand.

Dragomir dashed around with the same speed as Slade, hitting them in the head or the chest with his fists lit up.

Slade looked around the room, seeing all the bodies, "There's a…uh…freezer key here…should…should we look into where this goes?"

"Freezer…?" Dragomir asked, "I didn't know he had a freezer…"

Slade took the key to the adjacent room, opening the freezer and seeing a handful of blood packs, "Oh…this must be…his food…"

"Mmm, most likely." He mused, "I doubt he's down here…"

"Should we take some?" Tess asked.

Slade slowly reached out and grabbed a bag or two, "It wouldn't hurt."

"He won't miss them." Genevieve said, matter-of-factly.

Dragomir's discolored eyes darted over to Genevieve. He swallowed nervously before he took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Perhaps he's…further up…"

"Alright, let's keep looking." Slade said. Despite this, the only set of stairs they saw went lower. It led them into a dimly-lit creepy narrow hall, with tiny rooms to each side. Ghouls littered this hall, with some bursting out of their cramped rooms at every other minute. The lightning was so bad and flickered so often that it could almost cause craziness in perfectly calm people.

Slade screamed in fear, trying to fight off the ghouls as they came.

Dragomir defensively held an arm out over Genevieve, the other fist was used to hit the ghouls and try to kill them as quickly as possible.

Once the ghouls were cleared out, they traversed through a few dilapidated basements. Rats scuttled around on the floor, and by instinct, Genevieve picked one up and sucked the blood from it.

"Screw it." Slade sucked down another rat.

Tess grimaced, looking away, "This place is disgusting…"

"Surely more pleasant than your womanhood." Dragomir said with a smirk.

One of Tess's eyes twitched, she punched him in the chest. When it did nothing and he chuckled, she growled and stomped off towards another room.

"I hope she gets lost." Dragomir snickered.

Slade chuckled as he ate another rat.

The only way back up seemed to be up a few broken pieces of wood, and there was a ravenous ghoul waiting at the top.

Genevieve frowned and held a hand out, a purple glow coming from it. The ghoul died, "It's gone…the barbed-wire man is gone." She started climbing first.

Dragomir snickered and hung onto the rafters tightly as they climbed onwards.

The room at the surface had a recorder, which Slade quickly hit the button on.

"The voices have increased in frequency and direction of late. They have begun to stay with me long after conversation has ceased and are serving as quite a distraction. I fear others are beginning to notice my preoccupation at the vampire gatherings. I am thinking again of the particular vampire of whom I spoke of previously, who I dare not name for my growing fear. If the voices are to be believed, then my caution is warranted, for they speak of his blackest crimes both past and future. More than once I have seen the suspicion in his eyes and heard the distrust in his voice when speaking with me! The fear must register on my face for it is all I can do in these moments to keep from crying out in chorus with the voices!"

Dragomir's eyes widened as he played the recording again, then again, "This…this is the one I heard him making…this is the one I heard! When I met him, these were the words he said…"

"So…so maybe he's close by?" Slade asked.

"No, it means nothing…" Dragomir muttered, "This is when I met him, this level of sanity. He must have gotten worse…we need to see if there are more recordings that might hint at where he could be."

Lucky for them, the next room had yet another recording.

"I am no longer safe…I know it! The voices have proven themselves authentic, and I have withdrawn from the vampire society entirely. My absence will no doubt draw attention, but I could no longer hold my fragile composure around the ravenous eyes of my vampire peers, especially not around him! The voices compelled me to make what I fear is a Faustian bargain. But I had to, for their demands are constant and merciless. I have secluded myself within the mansion. I know he will strike out at me. He will go to any length to achieve his ambitions, and he knows that I know!" Grout said, "I have taken precautions to protect my beloved wife. A cure will have to wait until our immediate safety is guaranteed. The mansion was constructed with security in mind, but at that time I was not privy to the full range of vampire capabilities! The voices echo in the twisted corridors of my psyche, dark whisperings of a macabre and formless menace, the approach of which portends an end, an end to all of this!"

"So…he sees that someone is conspiring against him…" Slade said.

"Yes, indeed it seems he was right…" Dragomir mused quietly as he shuddered, before the door opened and Tess stepped in.

"I thought I heard your voice…" She muttered as she stood next to Slade.

"We have to start looking harder." Dragomir said, "I…feel as though the end is near…"

Slade shuddered, not following them at first, tears were in his eyes, "Why…why do Malkavians have to go through this? Why is this their clan weakness? Nosferatu…lose their looks…Malkavians…lose their minds…what the hell is my clan weakness supposed to be…I'm an artist…?"

Dragomir paused, "Your heart is your weakness." He said lowly as they started looking around, "Your thoughts, your emotions, your humanity…something…I envy…is your weakness…"

The next housed a woman in a glass shell. Surrounding her were commonplace items, as well as organs, locked away in smaller glass cases, as well as a record player.

"Oh my god…" Slade said.

Dragomir approached the glass, gently resting his hand against the surface. "Missus Grout…we meet again, dear…" He looked at her peaceful face, "Look how young she is…so much life left…locked away…"

Tess looked beyond freaked out, "He put his dead wife in a capsule…?"

"She isn't dead." Dragomir said, "She's sick. He…he preserved her…"

Genevieve played with the music player, once she got it going, it played an old-fashioned show for a minute or two. Once the song ended, the doors in front of them were unlocked.

Dragomir gently moved his hand away from the glass, giving her one last look, "I won't forget about you, dear, don't you forget." He followed the others to the next room.

The next room, the last room, was Grout's bedroom. But the only thing lying on his bed was a skeleton, both chained to the bed and staked in where the heart would be.

Tess swallowed hard and stepped back, "So I suppose we have an answer for the Prince."

Dragomir stepped forward, completely mystified. His eyes watered as he took his glasses off and looked over the corpse, "…...daddy…?" He whimpered.

A huge explosion was heard nearby, "What the hell was that?" Slade asked, they all ran out towards a balcony, seeing fire everywhere. Across from them on another balcony, was a man in brown old trench coat, black pants and black boots, brown hair in a ponytail, a rugged face, and a marauder's voice with a thick accent, "Grout, lay low and be cleansed by the flames!"

"What the hell is this about!?" Dragomir's voice was loud and explosive.

"Yeah…Grout's already dead…" Slade said.

"Grout is dead?" The man looked confused, "A pity it could not be my hand. No matter…soon, your self-made king's, and false prophets, and all those who wear the mark of the beast, will be washed from this Earth, for the coming of the Lord!"

"…a vampire hunter?"

The scowl on Dragomir's face made him look like even more of a demon as he grabbed a piece of flaming wood from the floor and threw it the hunter as hard as he could.

The hunter drew a machete and batted it away, "As you burn, tell them that it was Grunfeld Bach, who sent your damned soul to the lake of fire! All agents of Satan shall return to whence they came!"

Tess grunted as the flames got closer, "We have to leave!"

Dragomir wiped some of his tears away, looking away, "The entire place is burning…? Where the hell am I going to live?"

Tess yelped as the flames nipped at her leg, she dashed off with considerable speed.

"Let this righteous display serve as a promise to all who serve the archfiend LaCroix! I'm coming for you, LaCroix! By the power of the Lord, I will cleanse your black soul!" Bach preached.

"We need to be careful, fire is the eraser of all Kindred!" Genevieve said.

Slade looked around, the remaining ghouls in Grout's mansion screamed in agony as they were set aflame, "We gotta find a way out of here!"

"Follow me, I'll find the shortest route." Dragomir said as he grabbed onto Genevieve and lifted her up, running nearly as fast as Slade to the lower levels.

Slade's eyes widened, he followed after Dragomir's speed boost, slashing down any flaming ghouls that ran their way. Dragomir paused as a ghoul jumped on him, he kicked her off and stumbled onwards, part of his coat on fire. Genevieve skittishly looked at the fire on him, wincing at she pat it down.

"Here, through the window! It's our only chance!" Slade yelled.

Dragomir nodded as he bashed through the boarded window, landing on his back as he protected Genevieve from the landing. He gently pet her hair as he shuddered, "I don't think…I can get up…"

Tess raised a brow as they saw them land, "Took you all long enough…"

Genevieve smiled and stood up, heaving Dragomir up and helping him walk.

"Alright, I'm going to drop you two off at the apartment, then I'm going back to LaCroix with Tess." Slade said.

Dragomir held his forehead, "Alright…" He said softly, turning to Genevieve, "I…have enough blood for a ride to Santa Monica for some blood, if you'd like…or I could just…bring us a prostitute…I just don't think Slade would like one of those in his room…"

"What? No. Dragomir. If you want a ride to Santa Monica, I'll just pay the cab driver. We'll drop you off first." Slade said.

"But…isn't it out of the way…?"

"I don't care."

He ruffled Slade's hair, the look on his face still weary as he looked back at the burning mansion, then turned away towards the exit.

"Dragomir, you can always stay at the apartment. Remember that. Genevieve too. She can take Tess's spot, because…Tess is in the Skyline apartments now."

"Thank you Slade…" Dragomir wiped a tear away, "You're the best…" He squeezed him.

Slade hugged him back with a smile, the four of them eventually took a cab to Santa Monica and downtown respectively.

"Evening there." The police officer at the front desk said, "Ooh, something burning? Smells like someone burnt the burgers…"

"We have to see LaCroix." Slade said, "If you could let us up…"

"Sure thing…" The officer send the elevator down, muttering about wanting a burger with guacamole on it.

The Prince looked up from his desk, "You're back…that was quite efficient. Unless…something has happened."

"No, sir…well…Doctor Grout has…been killed." Tess said.

"Is that so…?" He asked as he sat down, looking rather troubled, "Have you found any evidence of his cause of death?"

"Well…there was this…hunter guy…named Bach." Slade said, "He burnt his mansion…he seems to know you too…"

"Grunfeld Bach…?" He raised a brow, seeming rather surprised, "Yes, he's a rather…pugnacious hunter I've…run into…it seems he is more determined than the other kine…"

"There was something else as well." Tess said, staring at the floor.

"Oh?"

"Nines was there."

"…Nines?" He asked, leaning in, "Nines Rodriguez…? This is a serious accusation, you do realize." He narrowed his eyes, they landed right on Tess's, she felt chills go down her back, "Look at me. Was it truly Nines Rodriguez?"

"Yes, it was Nines." She said firmly, "He was acting s-strange, but it was Nines."

He stared at his desk for only a moment before he looked up, "This…means a Blood Hunt, at the very least…" He rubbed at one of his temples before he sat back, "Very well, I thank the pair of you." He reached in his desk for two envelopes, "I suppose that's two new Primogen I'm going to need to hire…"

"Yes…about that…" Tess said softly, "…You're…sure it was a member of the Camarilla who killed Julius?"

"Yes. It will be handled, Miss Perry, I assure you." He said, "This certainly is not a usual occurrence, but it will be managed."

"Do you need us for anything else?" Slade asked.

"No, that will be all. Good evening. I will send emails when you are needed again."

"Thank you, sir…" Tess bowed.

"Consider this an act of charitability." He said bitterly.

"Yes, sir…" She stood up and left with Slade, taking an empty sigh as the doors closed.

* * *

"God motherfucking dammit!" Skelter's fist flew through the wall, "What the hell's next!? Is Jack gonna go back to sea or some bullshit!?"

"Calm down, assface, don't tear the fucking walls down!" Damsel grabbed Skelter's arm and tried to pull him away with no effect.

"He'll be fine, man." Jack said, "He knows what's good for him."

"What are we gonna do then?" Skelter asked, his eyes flaming.

"What do you mean?"

"We ain't shit without Nines!" He threw his hands in the air, "Sabbat come in here and they'll wipe the floor with us!"

"That ain't true, man, I'm here." Jack pointed to himself with his thumb, "We'll be _fine._ "

He shook his head and paced back and forth, crossing his arms in a huff.

"'Stasia the Mediator, looks like your time to shine, girl." Jack elbowed her.

"Jack's right, we'll be fine." Anastasia said, sitting calmly at one of the tables, "I'll try to see if I can find Killian, too."

"It was like this back in 'nam…" Skelter grumbled, "One would go missing…then another…then another…'no, it's fine, we have more soldiers, we'll be fine, just a few casualties'….bullshit…goddamn bullshit, all of it…"

"Look man, this isn't like 'nam." Jack rolled his eyes, "He's safe. He's out in the middle of the woods hanging out, getting some alone time. This is Nines we're talking about, he'll pull through. He always does."

"Out in the middle of the woods, yeah?" He asked, "The middle of fucking werewolf territory. He'd better thank his lucky stars if he ever get out of there without turning into dog food."

"Funny comin' out of you."

Skelter scowled and stepped over to Jack, "Listen here, you hairy excuse for an ape-"

"Skelter, don't." Anastasia wrapped both her arms around him, "Guys, don't fight. We're losing too many to be fighting amongst ourselves. Just…take a deep breath…or…don't…I mean, we're dead…I just thought it would…calm us down…"

Jack chuckled as Skelter turned and looked at Anastasia before he gently put a hand on her forearms, "Yeah…sorry…my bad…"

Taking out a cigar, Jack lit it and handed it to Anastasia, "Skelter, if you really gotta go burn off some energy or somethin', go kill some of the shits out in the back lurkin' around."

"Nah, whatever…" He grumbled.

Anastasia blew smoke to the side, "What I wanna know is who the hell even thought Nines killed the Malkavian Primogen in the first place…"

"Same shit who Nines dragged in here just the other night." Skelter said, "According to a Nossie I saw earlier."

"It was _Tess_?" Damsel asked.

"You think I'd be this pissed if it was someone else?" He asked.

"God damn…" Damsel seethed, "I warned him, I warned him right after we wasted that bitch! I said don't trust Tess, she's a pointless Cammie, and guess what!?"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it…" Jack sighed, "Whatever, man, Nines'll be fine."

Damsel sat at the table and combed her fingers through her hair, "Next time I see her…"

"You ain't laying a finger on her, she's mine." Skelter said, "I'm gonna tear her limb from limb and throw the parts in the motherfucking ocean…"

"Jeez…is was Tess?" Anastasia asked, "Aw, I thought she liked it here…"

"So did I…" Jack muttered, "Flying shame…she was a sight for sore eyes, that's for sure."

"That's all you give a hoot-n'-hell about, isn't it, Jack?" Damsel asked, "Got a nice rack, let 'em in. The not so fortunate? Eh, good luck on the streets. That how it is?"

"Damsel, if things were that black and white, you wouldn't even be den-mother."

"You fucking cocksucker-" She got up out of her seat to punch him.

Skelter grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "Now what the hell did Anastasia just say? Sit your ass down in that chair and behave."

She crossed her arms as she sat down, "Fucking bastards…all of you…"

"Yeah, heaven forbid I douse you with a lil' bit a' the truth." Jack snickered.

"Shut up, you cocky bastard!" Damsel snapped, her eyes darting around before she looked at her chest.

Skelter looked over towards Jack, "When do you think this'll blow over?"

"I dunno." He crossed his arms, "Few months at most. These things don't usually last long. It takes too long and they'll just get bored and find someone else to screw over."

"That's how the Camarilla works best…" Anastasia muttered, sitting back in her seat, "Them, the fucking Sabbat…man, it was hard enough when we were just fighting the Kuei-Jin…"

Skelter looked like he was about to say something before footsteps were heard coming up the stairs, "Miss me?" Jeanette walked in, twirling one of her pigtails, "Where's the Killer?"

"Nines?" Skelter asked, "Griffith Park."

"Griffith Park…?" She asked, "Why?"

"Whole bunch 'a political hoo-ha." Jack said, "Someone 'ccused him of killing the Malkavian Primogen. Which he would never do out of the blue. Now there's a Blood Hunt on his ass."

"That's awful…" She said, "There…there aren't even that many of us left anymore…there's me…and Therese…and that kid…"

"…what kid?" Damsel raised a brow.

"Oh, just some sweetheart passing by…I haven't seen him in a while…he told me he lived in Hollywood and was sweet as candy…he doesn't even have it that bad, you know." She said as a few people exchanged a glance, "But he told me he was doing a lot of hiding. I wonder what he did."

"What was he wearing?" Skelter asked.

Jeanette smirked, "Well he certainly wasn't as handsome as you are."

"Cut the bullshit, Jeanette. He have a cheetah print coat?"

"Leopard print. Yeah."

"Fuck, where was the last time you saw him?" Damsel asked.

"When he had me up against the wall. Then he left and I haven't seen him since…I miss him…"

"He must live around here…" Skelter muttered, "Maybe we get rid of one shithead, at least we can solve some of our problems…"

"Why on earth would you kill him?" Jeanette asked.

"Cause he killed Lark." Damsel snapped.

"What?" She gasped, "I had no clue!"

"Jeanette…wait…" Skelter narrowed his eyes, "Maybe we could use you."

"Use me…?" She asked, "Skelter, I had no idea you thought about me like that before…I'd gladly-"

"No, no, you can bring him to us." Skelter said, "You gotta get buddy-buddy with him. You corner him in your room, call us when you got him up there, and we go in for the kill."

"…but…he was so nice to me…besides, Therese wouldn't like that at all."

"Who cares about Therese? Fucking bitch."

"I care about Therese because she's my sister." She crossed her arms, "I love her."

"…when the hell did that happen?"

"Look, give me some time to think about it."

"Whatever. But when he comes for you next, don't say we didn't warn you." Damsel snapped.

Jeanette looked uncomfortable, "So when is Nines coming back?"

"Dunno." Jack said, "Soon as he can."

"Maybe I can ask Therese to call of the Blood Hunt."

"You could do that?" Damsel asked.

"I said maybe." She said, "But you'd owe me."

"Owe you what?" Skelter asked, "We don't exactly have stacks of cash lying around."

"Mmm hmm…" She said as her eyes landed on Anastasia, "I wasn't thinking about cash this time…"

"Oh, hell no." Skelter stood up, "Look, just get out of here. You see Nines in trouble, help him out. We don't need your games, Jeanette."

"Where's Killian?" She asked.

"Killian?" Damsel asked, "He's gone crazy after Lark died."

"But where is he?"

"No clue."

She pouted, then turned back to Skelter as she backed away, "My deal still stands if you want the Blood Hunt called off. You have my number." She blew him a kiss before she walked off.

"Why the hell is she even allowed in here?" Skelter asked.

"I could have sex with her…if that's the problem." Anastasia said, "Especially if it's to get Nines back…"

Jack elbowed her, "Passing it up is a mistake." He hissed, "Just gotta make sure Therese doesn't try to kick your ass." He snickered, "Lesson learned."

"Man, c'mon…" Skelter's shoulders drooped, "You can't let her manipulate us like that…and who's saying Therese'll actually do anything? Since when did she listen to Jeanette?"

"I don't know…Jeanette made it sound like…she was so sure…that Therese would listen. It doesn't sound like they're fighting right now…at least…" Anastasia said.

"She's got a point…" Damsel muttered, "I mean…if it's to get Nines back…"

"Yeah, and who's saying the Prince'll listen to Therese?" Skelter asked.

"You're making a big deal outta nothing, Skelter. If nothing, it'll give us a chance, at least. If it doesn't work, Nines'll be fine. If it does, he'll be in the clear." Jack shrugged.

He crossed his arms, "I don't like Jeanette bossing us around…" He grumbled.

"I've got nothing to lose, what, will she give me an STD?" Anastasia asked.

"I didn't get anything…" Jack muttered.

Damsel blanched, "I'm gonna go eat something so I can barf…" She stood up.

"Yeah…I'm…gonna have to join you on that one…" Skelter followed her out.

"If things don't work out, don't worry about it." Jack said, "Hey, and if you get bored, I'm here too."

"I guess my next stop is the Asylum." Anastasia smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** Not gonna lie, didn't expect that, but that's what happens when you have two people writing this at once. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-two! New missions, new game character introductions, and some Jeanette and Anastasia. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, and out of paranoia I should probably start mentioning that I do own these OCs.

* * *

" _You realize what this means, right? You failed…that's just great. Why don't you ever do anything? Why don't you ever care about anything, Anastasia? You are lazy. You think the world is just going to fall in your lap one day? No, of course not. You have to work for it. Your mother and I are tired of constantly bailing you out of these academic problems you keep having. If you screw up again, you're on your own, do you hear me?"_

 _Damn it._ She clenched her fists. _Why the hell am I thinking of this shit now?_ Things were in trouble and she knew it. Lark was dead. Killian was missing in action. And Nines, well, they may as well consider him dead too, considering the circumstances. Her only hope was _perhaps_ a sexual encounter with Jeanette, but who was she kidding? That was chancy at best. If it weren't for the fact that women got her off _slightly_ better than men, she would have no interest whatsoever. She figured she may as well give it a chance.

She half-wished she didn't take up the offer, seeing the other Anarchs' reactions to it. It made her feel dirty to say the least. Specifically it made her feel like whenever she had to deal with her father. Her _real_ father before her parents divorced and she was adopted by flower children. Their real parents hated her and absolutely _despised_ Cadmus. It could have been their abhorrent behavior is what spurred their parents to divorce in the first place. The dark feeling of hopelessness of her parents was always brought back whenever she felt alone, or, shunned. She closed her eyes. She _was_ a dirty girl. A very dirty girl.

"Baby girl, I saw you coming down the street and I started prayin' to the Lord to find it in his heart to send you to me and _Hallelujah_ if he didn't come through for me. Welcome to Fat Larry's Truck o' Mack! I am the proprietor and salesman of the month several years in a row; the ladies call me 'Oh, god!', but you can call me Fat Larry with a F-A-T 'cause there's mo' of me to love." A fat black guy said, he was in a yellow jersey and blue jeans near a truck, with sunglasses and a huge afro.

"I don't want your sex or drugs there, pal." Anastasia said.

"Aw, why you gotta be like that baby? You think I looked like them crack-smoking punks who makes them counterfeit tee-shirts at their momma's house? Nah, I'm the real deal, OG. Jeez, why you gotta be like that?"

"I'm not following."

"Well, then let me put it this way." He smiled, "Our motto is, everything's got a price, but I proally know someone who can get it anyway."

"What? Like weapons or something? I don't need those…"

"What? You trippin' baby-girl? These are the hard-knock streets of L.A. The school of hard knocks. More like school of hard fucks." He shrugged, "This is that middle-earth shit. Sometimes you gotta pop a cap in some punk, you know what I'm saying."

"I'll be fine."

He eyed or over, "You know what? On second thought…you do got a couple of pythons on ya, don't ya? Damn sexy too…after you're done fucking someone I bet you could beat the fuck outta 'em too. Like all hardcore black-widow style."

She didn't know how to respond to this. Flirting like this from Jeanette, or, well, _anyone_ else, was flattering. But from this guy?

"Say now, wonder woman. You up for a little action?" Fat Larry asked.

"Action?"

"Yo, I need a hardcore bitch like yourself to settle some bid'ness with me. And if you's as tough as they say, then you should have no problem. Still with me?"

"…maybe…"

"Now here's what's going down. I got a tip that the Chinatown Tong, and some local boys are meeting down the local parking garage to make a little deal. Now, I can't tell you what they's exchanging…but let's just say a certain client of mine is ready to drop some Uncle Sam sized bucks to acquire what's in briefcase number one. You get it for me, I'll not only give you a cut, but I'll roll out my special stock as well. Now how that sound?"

"How big is the cut?"

"Depends on what's in the briefcase, sweetheart."

"Alright, it'll kill some time."

"Now, that's what I like to hear." Fat Larry smiled, "Yo, baby, you sure you don't want nothing? I figure a good terminator gun or two will set ya up real good."

"Nah, my aim is crap anyway…"

"So, what, you gonna use your damn bare hands?"

"You let me worry about that."

He gave a confused shrug, "Alright, baby girl. See you with the briefcase."

Anastasia turned towards the parking garage. This was definitely a diversion from her original task, but, if it could get her money, than it wasn't a total waste.

She saw dozens of gangsters prowling around the first level. She coated herself in a green mist, figuring that since all of these thugs were going to die anyway, that the Masquerade wasn't exactly at its highest priority here.

She quickly grew into her bestial form as well once the thugs all began to notice her, and her claws packed quite a wallop. Her swats would either send them flying or rip holes in them like tissue paper.

It turned out, the 'local boys' didn't quite pack a punch really. In fact, they were even easier than she had first believed. They were armed with cheap pistols, baseball bats, and tire irons, so of course she shouldn't have expected as much, as with her high level of Fortitude she was completely immune to the latter two weapons and even the gunshots at certain angles. She made sure to leave the last thug to drain him dry, regaining the blood from when she first enacted her Disciplines. _Jeez…these bastards are way easier than that Jezebel Locke chick…_

She headed to the next floor, struggling to fight the urge to get on all fours as she reached the next floor of thugs.

Although having her body shredded to bits by Uzi fire wasn't entirely helpful. She growled and flinched, of course, the Fortitude mitigated some of the damage at least. _This must be the Chinatown Tong._ She thought. It was quite the step up from the native gangs, but she had fought Kuei-Jin for years, seeing that the Tong were practically their human foot soldiers, it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. As before, she drank from the last man she could get her hands on, and due to her upper-arm strength, this was simple. She panted for a few moments, heading to head down to the third floor.

The third level at least seemed to be a reprieve compared to the previous one. It was a return of the local gang, and in no way was that a bad thing for her. She tore through any opponent with her claws and shrugged off most the damage coming her way.

It was to surpass him, after all. That was the second reason she chose to partake in this madness. Her Fortitude may have been better, but his Protean was better than hers, and his Animalism easily blew hers out of the water. Having been a part of the Anarch cause for a decade or two, she constantly had to watch him, always be _one_ step ahead of her. Always have a lead. She wanted to surpass him. Or at the very least _catch up_ to him. She wanted to follow Skelter, the only other Gangrel warrior she had ever had the pleasure of witnessing in battle.

The fourth and last level seemed easy, at first. A lone Tong member was dispatched in a matter of seconds. But he was replaced by another thug, and another, and then another, until there was an entire flood of gang members from both sides. Some came in close, others opened fire from afar. Anastasia gave a feral growl, even with Fortitude up, she felt her vitality get shaved away with each bullet that whizzed through her.

She dove in and shredded through those immediately close to her, grabbing a few of the thugs and feeding on them. If she was lucky, the way she held them would sponge most of the incoming bullets, so she'd be protected and she would be able to feed. She hated to admit it, but Animalism would've at least made it a _tiny_ bit easier. Sure, increased defense and bestial powers were nice, but to cast an animal to go out and attack her foes, that would be extremely convenient.

She took out the entire mob and the last few stragglers. Her green mist faded and her bestial hair and claws shrunk back as well, and she looked like a beautiful, somewhat gothic, woman in black, as she had before. She picked up the briefcase and left the parking garage.

She looked for the parked truck that Fat Larry was standing near, "I got your briefcase."

"Outstandin'! Pass it over here, baby!" Fat Larry said, Anastasia giggled and handed it over, "Yeah, that's beautiful! Everything looks in order. Somebody somewhere got to be pissed off about losin' this!" He gave a sinister chuckle, "Too bad I sent my main girl here after 'em. Alright! Let me peel off a few bills for ya."

Anastasia flipped through the chorus of hundred-dollar bills staring back at her, she held a hand out, "More."

"What? Baby girl, why you gotta shake me down like that?"

"I had to kick a lotta ass down there, Larry. Come on." She rubbed her fingers together.

"Jeez…you're lucky you look so fine or else we'd be havin' problems right about now." He forked over a bit of a larger share, "I'll just drop this off to the new owner in the mornin'. Then I'm going to get me a big ol' steak. Not that domestic stuff neither. I'm gonna order up thirty-two ounces of Kobe beef…the _expensive_ shit. You want to come? On me?"

"Sorry…I'm _very_ busy in the morning." Anastasia said, then she smiled, "But…if you're ever in a pinch again, you can just give me a call." She shook his hand, "I'm Anastasia. Maybe in a night or two I'll drop my number off and you can just give me a call if you're ever having gang problems again."

His eyes widened behind his sunglasses, "Shit…girl…you gotta have the sexiest name in god's creation too? There a _mister_ Anastasia?"

"Nope." She said, almost in a more teasing way, if anything, as she strutted off into the night.

* * *

Victor kept working on his notes, specifically about the Voerman sisters. In fact, by now, half his room had Malkavian notes tacked here and there. He was only embarrassed about it when Iphigenia, or maybe Strauss entered the room, and of course, given his luck, one of them entered his room right this second.

"Mister Madison." Strauss greeted as he strode in, he then paused. He blinked in slight confusion at the notes, "To…what do I owe the sudden appearance of these…transcriptions?"

"Ah, they're just some…recreational notes…sir." Victor looked up from his desk and gave an apologetic smile, "You'll have to forgive me…I've been…straying from my initial studies…to…look at the Malkavians. I…I find them extraordinarily interesting. The sheer amount of madness they go through is varied ever so slightly, transcended throughout time itself."

He gave a chuckle, "Yes, of course, one could spend their eternal life delving into Malkav and his childers' psyche and barely scratch the surface."

"So my fascination is warranted then? If anything, I most likely received it from you."

He chuckled a bit more, "So, how was the Chantry in my absence?"

"Quite alright. I…did pick up a…rather peculiar scent…however…"

"A peculiar scent?"

"Yes…it was…quite feminine…"

"Feminine?"

"Yes, sir. And Iphigenia and Delilah's scent are all by common to my nose. They've been here for years…"

"Hmm…that does not bring comfort to this clan. I cast a ward to protect this Chantry each night. It's easily the safest place in the city. For what reason would someone infiltrate our Chantry? And more importantly, how?"

He shrugged and held his hands out, "I'll keep a more, trained eye, in case anything else suspicious comes up." He said, "And how was the meeting with the other Primogen?" He asked as he scribbled something else down.

"There are five Primogen now, rather than seven."

His pencil froze and he looked up from his notes. " _Five_ Primogen? What, did two of them just, up and leave the order?"

"They were both murdered."

"Murdered?" He mirrored, dropping his pencil, "Those Anarchs are getting…more pig-headed by the day. Or…was it the Sabbat? Or Kuei-Jin? Dear me, we've got a spiraling list of suspects, don't we?"

"I do not know. LaCroix has been…less than forthcoming, about who has killed the Toreador Primogen. Mister Lorcan, he is the sire of that new Toreador, Tess, I believe her name was."

"Tess?" Victor smiled, "She seems to be a reputable young member of our society. Have…you ever heard anything new about that Slade Lockwood chap?"

"I'm afraid not. But…his sire is an Anarch…so I wouldn't be surprised if he…does not follow our ways of the Camarilla. Velvet Velour, I believe it is."

There was a long pause. Victor wanted to pursue the issue about his Regent and Velour being an item, but he decided against it, "And what of the other Primogen?"

"Alistair Grout, the Malkavian Primogen, was believed to have been murdered by Nines Rodriguez…"

Victor's brow furrowed, the tiny frame of his body tightened, his face darkened. It looked like he was about to go mad, or scream, but instead a cackle escaped his lips, a slow one that eventually picked up both speed and volume as it went on, "Oh, mister Rodriguez…you may as well have put on a neon shirt saying 'I want to be murdered by the Camarilla's Elite.'"

"He is a rather capable member of the Anarchs…and yet a move like this has never come across any of my calculations." Strauss said, "His survival is more than a certainty, Mister Madison. You of all people should know how…tenacious…he is…"

"You're right." He said, "Oh, but I'm in much too good a mood. I would love to kill him myself, but I would happily see his ashes, no matter who the murderer is! Oh, I must say, all these travels I've been on, and I've learned so many new things. It's rather enriching, really. You should see who lives in the abandoned hospital. It's fascinating. Truly fascinating."

"Speaking of…sojourning away from the Chantry…"

"Yes, sir?"

"It appears there's…an Anarch ghoul…who has become a _very_ dangerous threat to the Masquerade. She supposedly is looking for her regnant, but, as most Anarchs are, this regnant does not stay in one place at one time for very long, so it seems she's stranded here. She is a…particularly…noisy…individual… and the last thing I want is LaCroix bringing her up in one of our consecutive meetings when I know that one of us here in the Chantry could have done something about it." He said, giving a polite pause, "Could you…dispose of her?"

A small smile appeared on his face, "We've been cleaning up Anarch messes since our arrival to the state, it seems. I suppose I should get onto it." He stood up.

Strauss held his hands out, "I appreciate your diligence in the matter, Mister Madison."

He grabbed his scarf from the nearby rack and put it around his neck, "Where can I find this ghoul?"

"She can be found most likely in that watering hole, Confessions…a contact had told me." He said, "It matters not how the deed is done, just make sure she no longer threatens the Masquerade."

He gave a small bow, "It shall be done, my lord."

The walk to Confessions was a long one, given how far away the Chantry was from it. The interior was actually put together better than he would've predicted. The red lighting he found enchanting, and the music was less blaring than it was at the Asylum. Overall, Victor preferred this place to most of the other clubs he visited. (And those were few and far in between).

He at first figured that finding this ghoul would be a bit harder than he figured, as Strauss gave him no information as to what she looked like or even her name. One girl caught his attention, at the bar, downing shots like there was no tomorrow, she had brown neck-length hair, a gray shirt and a black jacket, black pants, and black boots. Victor figured he might as well start with her and ask around.

"I knew you'd talk to me." She spoke up first with a smile, surprisingly, "I swear you are all, like, totally drawn to me. I'm surprised I don't know you. I usually meet all the L.A. vampires out on the scene. Not a lot of you out here tonight, which is weird, cause I don't know of any parties going on."

Victor tried not to scrunch his face in disgust at hearing her voice, as it was the most whiny, obnoxious sound in creation, "Whatever are you talking about?" He smiled.

"No, come on. It's totally cool. I'm Patty. Seriously; everyone knows me. Besides, I just wanted to ask you if you've seen someone."

"Yes? Who would that be?"

"His name is Kent Alan Ryan, he's a Toreador. _Really_ good looking, dresses _really_ well, like _all_ Prada usually."

He rolled his eyes. The bartender _definitely_ heard at least _some_ of their conversation by now, Strauss wasn't kidding when he saw that Patty was practically smearing the Masquerade's good name in the mud. "I don't know him. He must be deep within the Anarch community."

"Oh? Well, he's pretty powerful. He's probably like…too far behind the scenes for you to know about him. Maybe you know some of the people who work for him."

"Far behind the scene?" He raised a brow, "No, I don't think so. You'll have better luck asking someone else. Now, we need to speak about the Masquerade-

"No. I really need to find him. Really. Maybe you can ask around…" She whined.

"I don't care about your regnant, now listen-

"No! Look. I haven't seen him in days. He said he'd come see me again. He promised. I might age. He promised I wouldn't get thirsty."

"Did you ever think that there was maybe a _reason_ he dumped you here?"

"Well fine! You're just ugly fledgling asshole! I've hung out with way more powerful vampires than you'll ever know! I wouldn't drink your gutter blood if you were the last vampire on Earth!" She screamed.

His eye twitched, "Kent Allan Ryan, you said? I may know where he is…there was a…meeting about him…"

"You are totally awesome." She smiled, "It just goes to show you don't have to look cool or care how you dress to be an awesome person. So…" She leaned in, "Where is Kent?"

"At the bottom of the abandoned hospital. He's planning something there. What do you children call it…a rave? Yes. There…" He swatted a gloved hand behind him, "In the center of town, the broken down hospital, he'll be right there."

"Oh, that is totally Kent. He's _so_ like that. I better go find him. He needs my help to do anything. Thanks again!" She left.

Victor rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath. Of course, he could have just _Dominated_ her right there and ended her life, but the bar was a bit crowded, so it wouldn't have been such a wise move. He took another sigh, picturing Pisha eating her whole. That would be his only solace for now.

"You alright there, love?" The last thing he expected was a rather charming sounding voice with an English accent from the woman drying glasses behind the counter.

"Hmm?" He looked over, "Quite alright. Thanks."

"Could I get you anything?"

"Not necessary. Thank you."

Her purple lips curved into a smile as she leaned in, her chest bouncing a bit, "Any confessions?"

"Hmm?" He raised a brow, "Oh right, I had forgotten the name of this establishment. You want a confession? That girl who just left is dead."

She stood up and had a good laugh, "Is it bad if I want to thank you? You don't understand how harmful she was for business…"

"I can imagine her grating voice not being particularly useful for flooding customers in." He said, "She's on borrowed time, courtesy of who _actually_ lives down in the hospital."

"Someone lives there?" She asked, "Christ, this place is going down the drain, isn't it?" She wiped the countertop down with a rag, "What's next? Squatters living in my basement?"

"Oh, that's what they say at least." He gave a shrug, "So I thought it wouldn't hurt if I use that woman as a guinea pig."

She snickered, then put her hands on her hips, "You know, I've been waiting for someone like you to come in here. You see, I have a…contact who's been getting rather out of hand lately…and I need to inform them that they won't be getting paid this month. Interested?"

"Perhaps."

"The parking lot next to the Empire Arms hotel. Right out back that way." She pointed, "They'll most definitely be there…couple of guys…Russian accents, a bit thick." She said, "Simply tell them Venus doesn't have their money. That's it."

"Venus doesn't have their money?"

She nodded, "I'd rather not deal with any more types of…alternate payment methods. Not tonight, at least."

"Very well then."

"Perfect. Drinks on the house for a week sound fair? Two weeks?"

"Oh, I suffered a painful separation from the substance. Years ago. Haven't touched the stuff."

"Oh…sorry to…bring that to the surface…" She mused, "Cash then?"

"Also unnecessary. I'm simply passing along a message, right?" He smiled.

"Yes…" She seemed rather shocked, "Yes, yes…simply a message…you can run, right? Never mind, just…be sure not to…start anything and you'll be golden."

He gave a calm laugh, "You're going to send a tiny trim fellow like me out to deal with some Russians, how charming. I do hope I make it back, or else _you'll_ have something to be confessing about."

She leaned over the bar with a brow raised, "Do you think I'd own the place if I didn't have enough on my list?" She smirked, "Do you think I'd even be in any of this trouble if I didn't have some sins on my back?"

"No, I suppose not." He rested his hands in his trench coat pockets, "I'll be sure to settle this quickly."

"Good luck, love."

"Yes, thank you, dear."

* * *

Anastasia walked into the Asylum, smiling at the bartender, "Hey, can I go up to the second floor and see Jeanette? She's expecting me."

He took a swig of his own drink, "Nope, sorry, no visitors. Therese's orders."

"Come on, man. Jeanette said she wanted to see me…she's gonna get mad if I can't go up."

He gave a gravelly sigh, "Therese'll kick my ass if you're lying, and I can promise it'll be handed right down to you if you ever decide to show up here again."

"I promise, it'll be on the down-low."

"Alright, alright, go on…" He muttered as he pressed a button under the bar.

"Thanks, hon." She headed for the elevator and went to the second floor.

Just as she entered the foyer, a woman closed the door from Jeanette's room. She jumped when she saw Anastasia, "Apologies…" The mystery woman murmured as she eyed Anastasia over before heading into the elevator herself. There was certainly something jarring about her intense emerald stare, but Anastasia decided to shake it off as she went into Jeanette's room.

Jeanette was sitting in the vanity, fixing her lipstick. Anastasia could see her reflection in the mirror, she looked perplexed, "Anastasia…?"

"Well, well, well, if it the girl who had the audacity to flirt with me, yet was too shy to say anything to my face about it." She smiled, "Hi, Jeanette."

Jeanette gave a toothy grin, "It isn't every day I find someone so pretty they make _me_ feel shy…"

"No, and you can bet I can take that as a compliment." She smiled, "So…it was sex you wanted, right? That will get Nines back. I could just get you off if that's what your concern is. You don't really have to worry about me."

"Please, that wouldn't be any fun." She said, standing up and pushing her chair in, "Besides, there's no guarantee it will bring Nines back…it's not like a magic spell or something. I'll talk to Therese, and she'll talk to her little Prince in shining armor, but there's no saying if he'll be understanding." She said, as she stepped closer, limiting any sense of personal space, "I just thought I'd warn you…I wouldn't want to tarnish your innocence for no reason…" She played with a lock of Anastasia's hair, "Oh…but I think we both know your innocence has long since set sail…"

"Yeah…it…it has…" Her smile faded, _"Lazy, good-for-nothing tramp! You'll never amount to anything!"_

"You still with me?" She felt one of Jeanette's hands holding her face, her thumb gently rubbing her left cheek.

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine." She felt her forehead, "I just…leveled an entire parking garage for this one kine…I'm exhausted…"

She smiled, "We don't have to do anything tonight, doll, I can still talk to Therese."

"Really?" Her eyes grew.

"Of course….sorry if I kinda came off mean in front of all those guys…" She said, "They can be a bit of a tough crowd…I figured the only way to get their attention was to act bitchier than Damsel…"

"No, no, I'm sorry…I…it's not you…Jeanette…I really like you, and I _really_ like women. I just…the way the other Anarchs looked at me…when I decided that I would do it…it…it hurt me…broke my heart…"

"Cause they think any girl who'd do a girl is a whore. Well, besides Jack…but…he's a whole new level of fucked up. Damsel's still in the closet and Skelter's territorial…so…I guess that's why they kinda got sour…"

She closed her eyes, "I'm sorry…" She sniffed.

Jeanette hugged her and rubbed her back, "Just relax…it'll be okay, sweetheart…It's your body, your life, you do what you want to do with it."

"Mmm-hmm…" She gave a teary nod.

Jeanette held her hands and pulled her back towards the bed. She sat on the edge, still holding Anastasia's hands, "I'm no therapist, but I want to make all those tears go away…is there anything else that's bothering you…?"

"It's fine…they'll go away soon…" She blinked a few times to make them go away, "All this shit with Lark…and Nines…it's too much at once, that's all…"

She nodded, "You and Lark were close too, huh?"

She nodded back, "And Killian…god…it's been like, _weeks_ since I've seen him…"

"I can only imagine it's hitting him hard…he's always so clouded up in his head…"

"Yeah…" She said, then she paused, her eyes widened, as if something had just occurred to her, "Your sister…she's Camarilla, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you guys…get along?"

"When we were little, we were inseparable." She said as she looked at the floor, "I needed her and…she needed me. Then…things happened…we drifted apart…" She laughed nervously, "Just a week or so ago…she aimed a gun at my head and was about to take my life but…" She snickered, "A Tremere came and saved my life. _Tremere_." She giggled, "I kinda owe the Camarilla now…since then…we've been pretty close. Not…anything like when we were young…but…she gives me space now, she lets me run the club some nights, lets me spend time with my ghoul, and I let her do her…even though sometimes I'd just love to see what she's look like with a little eyeshadow…"

"You guys really get along now?"

She nodded, "It was a wakeup call…I think we were both being bitches…turning against each other like enemies…" She shook her head, "I'd be dead if it weren't for her….and she'd be insane if it wasn't for me."

"That…that's really nice…"

She nodded, "Do you have a sister or something?"

"Well, a brother…but…he's Camarilla…and of course _he_ showed up a bunch of nights ago too…"

"Did he try to hurt you?"

"Well, uh…who knows what he has planned…" She said, "He…he wants to leave the state with me…we're…we're opposites, kind of like you two. I…I don't want to leave the Anarchs hanging, I feel like they're family…but…if I keep blowing him off…I'm worried about what he's gonna do to my friends. Damn it…this entire mess is driving me crazy!" She said, then her eyes widened, and she added quickly, "Uh…uh…no offense…"

She snickered and rubbed her shoulders, "Do you know where he lives? Or have his number, or something?"

"I'm pretty sure he lives in Venture Tower…but I doubt they'd let me in…"

"Then maybe calling is the best bet." She said as she suddenly stood up and went to the vanity, opening the drawer and digging around, "Dammit." She looked around, "She must have taken it to her apartment…" She muttered, "Therese has a contact book with all the numbers of everyone in the Camarilla in L.A….I was going to call him but…"

"Don't worry about it." She stood up, "If you do end up finding it, just swing by the Last Round."

"Are you leaving?" Jeanette asked, the look of a lost puppy on her face.

She smiled, especially after all they've spoken about, she just couldn't take hurting her feelings, "I could stay a bit longer if you want." She sat back down, "I don't really have anything going on."

"Sounds like you have a lot going on." Jeanette hugged her. "I guess I should let you leave and get some rest…we can play another day when you're happier…I'll still talk to Therese, I swear."

She hugged her back, "Thank you so much Jeanette. I mean it. I owe you one, okay?"

"Uh huh, it'll be worth your time too, sweetheart." She smirked, "Please take care out there."

* * *

 **A/N:** Again…was…not expecting that. The beauty that is Jeanette. Never really does what you think she's gonna do. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review!


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-three! A shorter chapter, kinda…well, I mean, not really…shorter than 5000 words. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines. But I do own my OCs.

* * *

Victor headed towards the parking lot to the Empire Arms Hotel, and sure enough, he saw three goons standing by the main building. When he got a little closer, they started talking to him.

"Confession bitch send you?" The center one asked in a deep and rotten tone.

"Correct." Victor smiled.

"Money, where is money?"

"There's no money for you."

"No money?"

"None."

The man cursed something in Russian, and the three men drew their pistols and shot at Victor.

Victor's smile grew as the cheap bullets did little more than ruffle his trench coat. He extracted a hand from his pocket and held it out, a blue glow coming from it. He possessed the center, burly thug, and the thug began working for him, shooting down the other two goons in a manner of second. Victor then started walking off, followed by his now faithful companion.

"Excuse me, sir?" A police officer ran up to him, "We heard gunshots coming from this area? What's going on?"

"Dear me, officer, I have no idea what's happening." Victor said, "But…I think this chap behind me has been complaining about chest pains. He may be in the market for a heart attack soon. Do you know of any paramedics nearby?"

"Heart-attack?" The officer asked, "He seems just fine-"

On cue, the burly guard clutched his chest and fell to the ground, the possession wearing off.

The police officer gasped, "Sir! Sir!" He got to his level, "Stay with me, I'll call for help!" Victor returned to Confessions amidst the chaos and the growing crowd.

Venus looked up from the drink she was mixing, a man she was serving was clearly ogling at her chest as she shook the mixer. She seemed a bit surprised he came back so quickly, completely unscathed. "Back already?" She asked over the loud music, pouring her customer a bright blue drink of some sort.

"The matter has been taken care of." Victor held his hands out.

"What?" She shouted.

"I said I took care of your little issue-"

"What?"

"The Russians are all-"

"I can't hear you." She said loudly, "Come into my office!" She said as she opened a little swinging door to let him behind the counter and towards a private stairwell. The man behind the counter looked jealous.

He followed her up the stairs and into her office. He was a bit surprised as he entered, the gothic nature of it, he expected, but the candles. If he was still alive, he supposed his cheeks would've have been warm with a blush at this point, "Is this really your office?"

"It's where I get my work done, yes. Considering most of my work is either tedium bills I can't pay for or dealing with various forms of jackass, yes, the atmosphere is helpful." She sat in a sofa, "Besides, this place used to be a church, I'm sure you've noticed."

He smiled. He deeply admired how her office was set up, but he didn't necessarily want to give her that satisfaction yet, "It may have crossed my mind."

"Well, you've certainly done better than my bouncer…can't even turn his head to the right anymore, the poor dear. Anyhow," She gave an airy sigh, "I've already received a call from Boris…" Her eyes darted around, "How would you like to get involved in the club business, hmm?"

He gave a chuckle, "Victor's Club? You'll have to forgive me, but a business in the nightclubs is quite a…departure…from what I usually do…"

She chuckled softly, "Well…it's nothing intimidating, I assure you, despite how it looks…so long as you don't screw it up as I have."

"And change your vision? Why would I dream of doing such a thing? You've transformed this church quite nicely. Not only that but you've somehow still managed to leave an essence of it intact too. It's symbolic, if nothing else."

"That was the idea…" She mused, rubbing a hand against the wall, "A church didn't belong in downtown Los Angeles. I've been here long enough to tell as much. I've given the place a better purpose without sacrificing its intention. You won't have to worry about changing a thing. I intend to have you operate as a…silent partner." She looked him over, "So long as you're willing to help me with the rest of this…problem of mine."

"I had figured those few ruffians were only a small piece of the bigger picture."

"Of course…well…to start this club, I needed to take quite the loan from a king bastard by the name of Boris." She sat back on the couch, "Every time I haven't been able to make monthly and interest, king bastard takes what he feels is a suitable late fee." Her tone went from airy to bitter subtly, but noticeably in the quieter room.

He adjusted his glasses, "Suitable…late fee?"

Her gaze turned to a candle on the wall, "I've got a club to return to, so I'll be blunt." She returned her gaze to him again, "I refuse to…fuck…that fat, misogynistic old man one more time just to keep this club. So…I need someone to get him out of the picture. Do this and you'll get a cut of the pay every night."

"Ah, so you need me to splatter him all over the wall. Yes, I understand." He chuckled, "Money isn't necessary. I'll do it for the joy of this poetic justice. What do they call it? Karma in action?" He chuckled a bit more, "Yes, I believe I'll have a lot of enjoyment with this task."

"…for free…?" She asked as she leaned in, "Look…I'm not asking for candy from a baby…you'll…do it for free? There has to be some sort of way I could pay you back…I'd…I'd feel _guilty_ …and that is a very challenging thing to do..." She smirked.

He gave a listless shrug, "My…er… _employer_ …pays me fairly handsomely already. That and I think it would be a bit…counterintuitive for me to take some of your money considering that's what I would be killing Boris for in the first place. I'm flattered by your reward, but I would rather you take care of yourself first."

She sat back, looking completely dumbfounded, "Do you want to fuck me too or something?" She asked, "This just isn't adding up…I have to get back to the club, if there's something you want, you'd better ask before I take your offer as it stands and get back to work."

"What I want, is to see this to its end. Forgive my…scientific curiosity when it comes to this matters. You have no idea how intriguing human behavior is to me."

She smirked as she stood up and opened a drawer to one of the quaint cabinets sitting around, "I suppose I have no room for arguments then." She held out a keyring, "Here's the key to get to the Empire Arms Hotel. Upper penthouse level. He's most likely surrounded by his bodyguards…and…companied with his short temper is his equally pathetic liquor tolerance. I'm sure you'll find out about that, for your studies." She winked, "Good luck sweetheart."

He stashed the keys away someplace safe, "Have you got a stopwatch?" He smirked back, "If you'd like, you can time me to see if I'm faster or slower than when I dealt with those other fools."

"You'd better be careful, Victor, I'll start putting stakes on your little charades and you'll be the one who suffers from it." She teased. He laughed back as he made his exit.

* * *

"Mister Vanderbilt." LaCroix sat up from his desk, looking almost relieved to see him again, "Miss Frost has informed me of your…" He seemed to be searching for a word, which was rare for him, "Preoccupation. Of course, I do hope you don't mind running a short favor for me. This is a task I would usually send Miss Frost for, but…I feel as though your potential in intimidation may be more proactive."

"Of course, sir. What do you need?" Cadmus asked, without missing a beat, as usual in his trademarked position on one knee.

"Miss Rivers has been deliberately ignoring my emails…rather than sending other kine to fetch her, I was wondering if perhaps you could snap some sense into her mind. I've no clue exactly what she's attempting to attain through ignorance…something she will regret, I'm sure…" He tapered off.

"You want me to get her to contact you?"

"Yes. And if something truly devastating has happened, I suppose contact me as well."

He nodded, "If I can't find her in her apartment, where else should I look?"

He sighed, "Perhaps the local watering holes."

He nodded again, "Right." He stood up, "I'll start looking right away."

"Thank you. You will be paid accordingly."

"Thank you, sir." He said, taking the elevator down to Harper's room. Or, he would have, if she remembered where she lived. He went to the ground floor instead, "Hey, Chunk, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm…?" Chunk asked, munching through a giant whopper, "Oh, sure thing there chief, what is it?"

"Harper's room? Which one is it?"

After Chunk told the number (and got food particles all over Cadmus's jacket), he stopped by Harper's room.

After knocking several times, about ready to bash the door open, the door swung open. Harper was standing there, looking as she always had, except her cheeks were a tad flushed, and she reeked of alcohol. Not beer, not wine, just liquor. Her expressionless face cracked into a loose smile, he also saw she was practically holding herself up by the doorknob, "Oh…you're not…him…."

"Jesus…" He brushed past her, "You're completely wasted…" He looked around for a phone so he could call LaCroix.

She shut the door and stumbled in, "Well, well, well, welcome yourself inside, why don't you?" She threw her arms in the air, "And bring a party too, while you're at it." She sat on the couch and grabbed a bottle of vodka, chugging it down like water, "You should stay a while, I don't usually like to have fun like this by myself…Mercurio just…" She belched, "Happened to be out of down…no doubt by mister Prince…fucking LaCroix's command…" She rubbed her forehead, "My future husband at this point…do you hear the church bells when you enter his office too, or is it just me?"

Cadmus cracked a small smile, though she couldn't see it, from where she was standing. This left him in an ethical dilemma though. No doubt LaCroix would be irritated, to say the least, if he found Harper like this. But he would then have to come with a cover story, one that may cost him his life if he screwed up. Although Miranda lied to him not too long ago, so it probably wouldn't hurt. He whirled around to face her. His dark eyes like blistering holes of fury, "Listen to me." He prefaced.

Her eyes slowly blinked, "You know…" She took another glug of her drink, "This is why he doesn't let me in the same room as you guys…he thinks you're gonna…..I dunno…bend me over his desk and drain me dry…" She hiccupped, "I don't think we're very different, you and I…I don't think I'm very different from anyone here…I think the only person I'm different from is him…and the only reason I'm here is because of him…the only reason I'm alive is cause of him…is…is it too much to ask to go a day without talking to him? Or thinking about him…? No…no…" She held her hands up, "No, our blood bond has to stay strong as steel to ensure…" She shook her head, "To ensure some sort of…indomitable bond…" She laid her head back on the couch, "It's all bullshit, I tell ya…the whole shabang…"

"I'm going to buy you some time until tomorrow…hopefully…until your hangover's all done. But that's it, alright? If…if LaCroix sees you this…he'll fry both our asses…"

"Oh…oh he's seen me like this…" She muttered, "I'm not…I'm not drunk yet…he's never seen me drunk…but he's seen me like this…" She took another swig of her drink in hopes to ease her hiccups, "Tell ya what, he wouldn't like me nearly as much if he saw me like this, would he…?" She smirked as she looked over at Cadmus and had a good loud laugh, "Maybe he'd get over me if I just…strutted into his office ass-naked and drunk out of my mind…" She said, then she swirled the remaining booze around in the glass, "Either that, or he'd pull me into his closet…or not…maybe he'd want the Sheriff to watch…"

"Uh…alright…this…this conversation took a turn…"

She scoffed, "You think Malkavians have it bad…" She laid back on the couch, her entire leg showing due to the structure of her coat. "Imagine…meeting a fucking prissy cock with a stick up his ass so far he can't even socialize acceptably…and then….imagine he fucking…forces you to drink his blood three times with Dominate….and…and then…and then what?" She asked, sounding lost in her own story, but she made a quick recovery, "Then half of you wants to fuck the guy, and the other half wants to drive a monster truck into his office and watch the place burn to ashes…and that's the…that's the sound structure of truth I work off of…that's how I live…that's how I get paid…for just…going along with it…"

"Pfft, we're all going through shit. You're just the only one who's still able to drink about it."

"You…you think this is nice?" She challenged, then she paused and said in a tinier voice. "It is…it is nice…I've always used alcohol like this…Dalton used to yell at me…tell me to only drink in moderation…then his head got blown off and he wasn't around to help me anymore…" She gave a small laugh, "I'd…I'd love being a human…if that gay bastard didn't try to Embrace me every time I step in his office…"

"Elspeth used to yell at me for all sorts of shit too. I…" He paused, "I really took it for granted…I really did…and now she…" He sighed, "Now she's dead. And I never wanted to be Kindred either. I guess you and I have a few things in common…"

She looked at him with watery eyes, "You're not a monster at all…none of you are…only he is…isn't he?"

"I wouldn't say that…the Sabbat…uh…they're…pretty bad…so. But look, vampires are monsters, it's in our nature…some are just…more monstrous than others…"

"Humans are monsters too…we…take things and defecate on things…we're no better than you are…" She grumbled as she held her stomach, "Ugh…I need more…" She held up her bottle and tried to drink more, but there was only a drop left. "…oh…" She moaned disappointedly, "Mercurio always has more for me…he never lets me have it…but…it's the thought that counts…" She rolled off the couch and hit the ground with a thud, "…ow…"

He bent down and scooped her up, putting her back on the couch, he tossed her a nearby blanket next, "You better rest up. And please see LaCroix tomorrow…or else we're both in trouble…"

She held her forehead, "I really don't want to…he's…going to scold me…and praise me…and confuse me…" She grabbed the blanket and squeezed it tighter, "But…I don't…want you to be in trouble…don't worry…your name will be covered…"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, having no idea how much faith he should put into a person drunk out of their mind, "Alright. Goodnight Harper."

"Goodnight…Mister…Cadmus…"

* * *

"This brings back memories of elementary school." LaCroix's office door closed as an invisible figure walked in, suddenly appearing to reveal Gary as he walked inside and sat on the couch, "Getting called down in the middle of class to 'rat out' who put the dish soap in the principal's coffee." He snickered, "But I guess you were around a while before dish soap was a thing, huh?"

"I think I know why I called you here." LaCroix said as he looked up from a book on his desk, "Though I suppose this time, the circumstances are a bit more…dire, than simply selling information to the Sabbat." He let a pause hang in the air that didn't affect Gary in the slightest. "My only question becomes…why?"

"Why?" Gary sat back, "C'mon, don't sound so pissed. I did you a _favor_."

"You most certainly did not."

"You don't need to lie to me, you're secrets are safe." He said with a bitter edge, "We both know Lorcan wasn't gonna make it much further anyway." He crossed his arms, "Then he sired that little brat and she started taking after him. What's that called, imprinting? Yeah, too much of that was happening. I don't think we needed two Lorcans."

"I can understand your particular distaste for the clan, but-"

"Oh, this goes beyond clans." He interrupted, "This is about _him_. As a person. He could paint. That's about his only redeeming skill, and when the hell is that going to be useful for him? Oops, fell down a hole, how do I get out? That nincompoop would sit in the hole and paint until he frenzied and died. Physical work was too much for him, something I'm getting sick of around here. You want to get something done, sometimes your hands have to get a little dirty." He looked over at the Prince with his intense yellow eyes, "Everything isn't always paperwork and bills. I'd say you got about two Ventrue between the entire system that actually get shit done. The Toreadors like him are even more of a waste, they can't even count to seven. And now she's taking after him. Hear back from any of her missions yet?"

"A…a few."

"Yeah?" He seemed surprised, "She go at 'em alone?"

"She was accompanied."

"Accompanied…" He scoffed, "More like guided. She did nothing!" He exclaimed simply, "She drags a harem of men around her do to all the work while she floats around and maybe wipes some blood of a dead guy on her heels to look like she helped."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at anymore, Mister Golden."

"What I'm getting at…" He sat up, then stood up and walked over to his desk, "Is that I did you a goddamn favor killing that good for nothing Toreador. You have one shot to find a new one, if you so dare to, and it cannot be his childe. It can't even be anyone _related_ to the bastard. Find someone who will put the work in, Sebastian, and make it worth _our_ time. Another fuck-up like him and the whole place could come crumbling down. You know how much money he drained from us? You know how many bills my boys had to calculate? Huh? His death is going to _save_ us money."

LaCroix sat back, "As for now, there is no movement towards finding another Toreador Primogen." As he said this, Gary's shoulders drooped and he seemed relieved. But LaCroix sat up and added, "However, we cannot have Primogen killing other Primogen like some sort of…brutish civil war. I will not have it."

"Why?" He asked with a snicker, "Does that churn rusted gears, old boy? Bring back memories of gunning down your own people?" He chuckled, "If those kinda thoughts were so hindering to you, maybe the Prince is the wrong position."

The Prince's eyes were slits, "You will not be allowed to enter my office again, if that is your wish."

Gary looked around, "Kinda stinks to high hell in here anyway." He snickered, "Or maybe that's me."

"Then perhaps you're right." He closed the book and pushed it aside, some sort of ancient-looking encyclopedia, "Perhaps I didn't play my cards right." His gaze landed on Gary again, "I could always select…a different Nosferatu Primogen."

Gary snickered, "You wouldn't."

"My phone is only a few inches away."

"You…" He shook his head and trailed off as he took a step back, "Go ahead then. Go on. I'd love to watch it happen. Cause none of my boys would ever take the job. None of them."

"Oh, I'm sure they would." LaCroix said, "Considering they'd have to pick between Primogen, or death."

"You didn't make me choose like that." Gary said after a short pause.

"Well, your opinion would be trivial by then. You would already be dead."

"You'd…kill me…" He said slowly, "You're threatening to have me killed and replaced…?" His eyes narrowed, "Why does this sound very… _very_ familiar to me…?"

"Either leave with your title, or renounce yourself and pick your execution date."

He snickered, "Fair enough, Prince Priss. I'll set up our meeting in hell for another day." He said as he disappeared and the door opened and closed shut.

* * *

 **A/N:** I like Gary. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-four! A very violent chapter…*rubs hands evilly while stroking cat* Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines. I do own my OCs.

* * *

The elevator in the Empire Arms Hotel was heading straight for the penthouse, as Victor listlessly waited for it to make its course. Once it reached the door, he maneuvered through a few hallways and came across a burly man in black blocking a set of double doors, figuring this must've been where Boris was hiding.

He held a hand out, saying something in Russian and then asked in a booming voice, "Who the hell are you?"

"I am with Venus. I have a message for Boris." Victor smiled.

"You give me message…I take to him."

He folded his hands, "It's important that the message doesn't get…what do they say? Lost in translation? You best let me in there."

"I do not think so."

He rolled his eyes and held a hand out, a blue glow coming out of it, "You will allow me in the next room."

"Very well." The stared blankly, "Follow me…" He led Victor into Boris's room.

Boris was dressed from head to toe in red, and given the unfriendly snarl on his face, as well as his smell, it pretty much confirmed that he had been drinking. He ranted and raved in Russian, clearly given by his roaring's he was not pleased with an outsider being let in, "Who the hell are you?" He glared at Victor.

"I come with a message-"

"Well? Spit it out before Dima blows head all over wall."

Victor raised an eyebrow, "This would be easier to do without him hovering over me…"

"You want Dima to leave? Why would I allow that?"

"To preserve your humility." His smile grew, "Unless you don't mind your little secret's getting out."

Boris chatted to Dima and Russian, then Dima left the room. Boris then returned his attention to Victor, "Happy? Spit it out! Make this quick!"

"Venus sent me." Victor said, "She wants to end this little…partnership…or whatever it is your two share…" He swatted a hand.

"Is that right?" He hissed.

"Of course, given what she has to go through to _keep_ the club, I can't say I blame her."

Boris swore in Russian, before switching back to English, "Stupid spoiled American child! I give her so much, yet she spits in my face!"

"Well…I don't think I really need to be here any longer, I just wanted to make a point that Venus doesn't want to see you anymore…"

"So you are errand boy, hmm? You are errand boy, for little girl? You sit in club I pay for, eat chocolates I pay for, and talk about how you're going to cheat the club I pay for? You are not a real man!"

Victor trembled with rage. A real man. A _real_ man. He hadn't heard that assertion in, well it had to have been years. Years ago, back to his human days, when he was growing up with nothing and he had to take drastic efforts to ensure survival. When he shared his early life with, _him_. Nines Rodriguez. Victor would get his revenge on him someday. But for now, a Russian mobster badmouthing Venus was going to have to be accepted as a substitute.

He whirled around, spreading a hand out. Boris began to inflate like a balloon, screaming in agony. As more and more heat came off of him, he exploded in a gory mess, leaving a large amount of blood and a few body parts leftover.

Victor swallowed hard, an explosion of that caliber had to have alerted mostly everyone else on the floor. To confirm this fact, Dima blew through the doors, unloading a magazine into Victor's chest. Victor flinched and sprinted forward, yanking Dima down to his level by the collar and feeding on him. He had used so much blood, he was close to frenzying, especially with the comment Boris had said. But he figured draining Dima dry would alleviate some of those pressures.

Victor tried to quietly slink down the halls, but it was too late, there were Russian gangsters everywhere, and thanks to his luck, they were all armed with Uzis just like Dima was.

He had to act fast, or else the bullets would rip his tiny body apart. He held a hand out, possessing one of the nearby gangsters to turn on their own men. He then realized how much blood a maneuver like that costed, so he tore another man aside to feed on him.

And that's how the rest of his travels down to the ground floor went. He was constantly riddled with bullets, and he would have to cast high-level Discipline, but then he would have to stop and feed. He was limping by the time he left the building, trying to get as much blood off himself as he could before he returned to Confessions.

Venus seemed shocked as he walked in, immediately wafting him up towards her office without a word as she headed there herself.

He chuckled as he shut the office door behind himself, "People are going to start talking, darling. They keep seeing you let a tall elegant man dressed in black come into your private quarters."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind, people are talking all the time." She said as she sat down and looked him over, "Doesn't look like you had it much easier than last time."

"Oh, what, this?" He smiled, looking down at himself, "This was…well… _after_ Boris was dead. You see, once his grungy followers saw that I had painted the wall Boris-colored, they pulled out their guns and had an enjoyable time with target practice. Their last target practice, mind you. I made sure of that."

She had a good laugh, a look of complete relief on her face, "How the hell is it you manage to do that anyway…" She reached forward and pulled his coat open, "You don't have any weapons…"

He swallowed hard out of nervousness, "I'm…quick on my feet."

"Oh yeah?" She smiled, "I'll have you confessing to me one day. I always do. There isn't a single secret someone has on these streets that I don't know."

"I must say, I really admire your handiwork. I really hope nothing like that whole Boris fiasco happens again." He said, then he smiled, "And if it does, you know just who to call."

She chuckled softly, "And you're sure there isn't anything I can do to pay you back?"

"Oh, I don't know Venus. I honestly think the club's profits would be better off in your hands than in mine. But again, if someone gives you or your club trouble, I will make a…what should I call it? An encore performance?"

"Why?" She crossed her arms and legs, "Do you have a little crush on me or something? I just don't understand why you'd waste your time on me. It's just a silly little club, something the sort of type like you would never really enjoy…it just isn't adding up…"

He smiled, "Quite the amusing saga you spin, my dear. You see, I was helping another club down the street, and I suppose when I stepped in this one, the…urge, so to speak, sparked within me. It is nothing more, and nothing less."

"So will I ever see you again if I don't call?"

His smile grew, "I can stop by on certain evenings after work. Though I shan't hold your hopes high for any… _confessions_ …I'm a rather ordinary fellow, nothing going on here."

"Oh, that's a load of hogwash." She laughed, "You must have something under your belt if you can go in and handle the Russian mafia like they're a group of street thugs. Unless you've been lying to me."

"Maybe I'll confess to it later, if the mood strikes me."

She smiled and leaned in, "What can I get you for a confession right now…?"

"There isn't a drink in the world that would make me spill my secrets. My insides, maybe, but not my secrets."

"I wouldn't be so sure, love." She said with a smile, "But if it won't take a drink, I have plenty of other means of…pulling teeth, so to speak."

"Is that so?"

"Mmm hmm." She said with a smile before she sat back, "I suppose I'll see you around, Victor."

"Yes, of course, I'll be back soon, Venus." He said as he turned around and gave a wave.

* * *

As she stumbled forward, Iphigenia scowled and reached down, adjusting the strap of her heel that slipped under the heel of her foot. When she stood up, she threw a cautious glare around, as she always had. It was instinct. Instinct that came in handy this time, when she saw a man in a dark trench coat and a cross around his neck, a clove of garlic hanging down even lower. She scowled and turned away, walking a bit faster. _The chantry is just down the street a bit further…just a bit further…_

She threw a look over her shoulder and saw he was following her. "Fuck…" She muttered under her breath as she rubbed a hand over her hair and thought, _I'll have to make it look like something it isn't to get away with this._ She proceeded to stumble forward, and pretend to lose her footing, allowing the man to catch up to her with ease.

"Die, servant of Satan!" The hunter cried, pulling out a shotgun and blasting at her.

She gasped and rolled out of the way, hardly dodging. _Taking a shotgun blast definitely will not help._ She got to her feet quickly, grabbing the shotgun and doing her best to pull it out of his hands.

He snarled and tried to pull it free. He kept shooting, but giving how much the two of them were shaking it around, it kept missing.

Iphigenia then felt a slight burning sensation, as she was lit on fire from behind by another hunter wielding a touch. She gasped and reared her leg forward to knee the man in front of her in the crotch, dropping the gun and pressing her back quickly against the cool brick wall.

The man screamed as he tried to stand back up, "Finish her!" He shouted to his associate, "I've got to reload."

The torch-wielding hunter growled and ran at her with his torch held high. She ducked low and jumped forward to tackle his legs to the ground. "Ah, vile demon!" He fell to the ground with her on top of him, swinging his torch around.

Iphigenia quickly positioned herself on top of his legs, grabbing one and bending it backwards at the knee, an agonizing series of cracks and snapping was heard as she broke his leg.

The other hunter gulped as his comrade screamed in agony. He aimed his shotgun at Iphigenia and fired away. She grunted as she was shot in the shoulder. Turning back to the man she was on top of, she was determined to finish. She grabbed the cross around the man's neck and reared back with it, plunging it into his chest.

"No! Brother Vincent!" The first hunter growled, firing a lot more shots at Iphigenia to avenge his fallen comrade.

Her eyes flashed bright red as she grabbed the torch Brother Vincent was using and threw it down towards an alleyway. As she took another shot in the lower back, she turned around with a feral look in her eye and ran forward to punch the man in the face.

He yelled as he was punched. He had to reload, but the quarters were too close to allow him time to do so. He grabbed a knife out of his pocket and stabbed her torso. Her eyes widened, but her first instinct rang off in her head, and she reared her head back to smash into his.

He flinched and felt his head, trying to create a distance so he could both collect himself and reload. She pulled the knife from her abdomen, grunting as the serrated edge seared through her flesh. She flicked it around her wrist and ran forward to slice his throat. He let out a terrified scream, it was garbled at the end as she slit his throat. He fell over like a sack of bricks.

Iphigenia panted and looked at the knife. She stuck it in her belt, then threw the man's body aside, rummaging in his coat for any money or other weapons. After pulling out a handful of crumpled bills from their coats, she stuffed them in her back pocket and stumbled forward into the chantry, _I need Mister Madison…I need him to give me blood and talk me into a dull sleep…_

She knocked on the door, it creaked open, "Iphigenia?" Delilah asked nervously, "What happened?"

"Please let me in, dear…"

"Uh huh." She opened the door and let her in, gently holding her shoulders, "Are you going to faint? Do you want me to help you to your room?"

She smiled, "I'm fine, sweetheart, thank you." Iphigenia said, "Is Mister Madison in?"

"I'm afraid not." She adjusted her hat, "He's been spending a good amount of time at the local club…he reeks of it when he comes back."

"Club…?" Iphigenia asked, holding her head and wondering if she was hearing things, "Yes…well…I suppose the Regent is in?"

"Of course, want me to walk you there?"

"No, thank you, dear…" She stumbled down the hallway into the Regent's room, timidly opening the door, "Mister Strauss…hello, sir…I hope you aren't busy…"

"Greetings neonate." Strauss said, "It appears you've been through…an ordeal or two." He rose from his seat by the fire, "Do you need assistance in finding a seat?"

"I'm…I'm sure you wouldn't want…my blood on your lovely sofas…I wasn't sure if you had any blood…?"

"I'm afraid not, neonate. Check with mister Lockheart. He is usually keen for holding a surplus of medical blood bags."

"Thank you, sir…" She said as she slowly closed the door. She limped down the hallway, relying on the railing as she headed upstairs and knocked on Leonardo's door, "Leo…?"

As he didn't respond, she furrowed her brow and leaned in, pressing her pointed ear against the door. She heard moans and thumping inside, rolling her eyes as she turned away and headed back for the staircase, "Delilah, dear…could you come here for just a moment…?"

Delilah scurried up the stairs, "What is it?"

"I need blood…do you have any?"

"Leo has the good stuff, want me to ask him?"

"He's…preoccupied…"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, heading into another room down the hall and handing her a handful of blood bags, "You owe me." She said with a smirk.

"Of course." She said as she tore into one of the bags, heading back downstairs and heading to the Regent's room. She stuffed the last empty pack in her back pocket as she walked into the room again, her wounds healing up nicely, "I've a few sins I should confess too, I suppose, in case you catch wind of them."

Strauss looked up from the lengthy textbook he was reading, patiently awaiting her to finish her statement.

She sat on the edge of the couch, "It appears over time I've made enough Masquerade Violations for hunters to notice." She said lowly, "I took care of matters without using disciplines, thankfully, but…I fear the future of our chantry…my last intention was to expose our kind, I can assure you, each violation was complete instinct…If I had thought things through more thoroughly, I would never have done it at all…"

"I see, so you've attracted the attention of the local hunters." He mused, "That explains your…previous…injuries…" He paused, "I'm sorry neonate, but the chances to redeem oneself from the horrid vice grip that is the Masquerade system doesn't come so easy and often. It is no doubt that Prince LaCroix will…feel obligated to get in contact with you."

She sighed as she rested back against the chair, "LaCroix…" She rubbed one of her temples, "I can't say I've ever met the man…I have an inherent feeling he would despise me…"

He closed his book and folded his hands, "I could attempt to…speak to LaCroix first…in an effort to soften the blow, when he speaks with you. However, I'm unsure as to how much I would be able to persuade him."

"Of course, it isn't necessary…as long as I survive…" She muttered, "I have responsibilities to take care of that…my life depend on…wouldn't exactly be beneficial to die…"

"Yes, I will try to speak to LaCroix over the matter. But wiping your slate clean will be a very difficult matter altogether."

She nodded, "I understand…thank you, sir." She said with a smile, "If only LaCroix was as easy to apologize to…" He gave a long, slow chuckle to that.

* * *

"Bullshit."

"C'mon…" Jeanette sighed as she reached forward and grabbed the stack of cards in the center of the table, "Not fair, you're too good at this, Jack."

"I'm not any good at this, you just suck ass at lying."

"Maybe I'm just distracted." She said with a smirk as she leaned in towards Jack.

"Three kings." Damsel put three cards down.

Jack puffed on a cigar, giving Damsel an intense stare before he put down a card without looking. "One ace."

"Bullshit." Damsel looked at her hand.

Jack snickered, then laughed, "Ah, ha-ha!"

Damsel rolled her eyes and picked up the small stack, "Jeanette, we're at two."

"Two twos." Jeanette put down two cards, seeming peeved that Jack ignored her.

"One three." Damsel said.

"Four fours." Jack put four cards down.

"Bullshit." Damsel said, "Why the hell would you say that if one of us had to have fours…?"

"I dunno, wanted to test ya." He picked up the cards.

"That doesn't even make sense." Jeanette said.

Damsel sighed and looked out the window as Jeanette and Jack argued, (or maybe flirted?), then she squinted until Jack slapped her shoulder with the back of his hand, "Huh?"

"Your turn." Jack said.

"You know…I think I see Cadmus out there…"

"You don't have the sixes, hmm?" Jeanette asked.

"Nope." She threw her hand in the center of the table, "Jeanette, you stay here and watch the place, alright? Jack, c'mon."

"But I can't watch the place all alone…" Jeanette begged.

"What? What the hell are we doing?" Jack got up and followed her.

"A solid for Anastasia." She said as she went downstairs with Jack and out the door after grabbing her shotgun behind the counter. "Hey!" She screamed at Cadmus who was walking down the street.

Cadmus whirled around, cocking an eyebrow, "Do I know you?"

She scowled and continued to march up to him, aiming the shotgun at his face, "Ring a bell now, jackass?"

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets, "Hey, hey, now…I don't think 'Stasia the Mediator would exactly like you shooting her brother in the face…"

"But he's a Cammy, and a Ventrue!"

"He's family."

Damsel sighed and put the gun down, "You jackass…you realize how hard you're making her life?"

Cadmus raised an eyebrow, "Care to explain?"

"Her brother's a Cammy!" She exclaimed, "Her brother is a fucking stiff who's trying to tear us apart, you think that doesn't eat away at her?"

Jack raised a brow, "Not exactly sure about…eating away at her…she's kinda easy-going…" He muttered.

"Point is, she loves you." Damsel said, her face looking rarely peaceful, before it tore into a scowl, "But she can't when you're on the other side trying to fuck us over for your little fascist boyfriend."

"I made it pretty clear that I don't care about any of your vampire crap before." Cadmus frowned, "Oh, I guess you were licking the floor during that whole thing. But once I get things squared up with the Sabbat asshole who killed my wife, she's next on my list. I don't care how many tries it takes to get her away from you fucks. I'll always come back."

She laughed, "You can't take her from us. We're her family too, jackass."

"Look, man, I get that you want to spend time with your sister, but she's close to us now, man. Like Damsel said, we're family now. You can't just tear her away, she ain't property. She'll do what she wants to do." Jack said.

"She would be safer out of this state altogether." Cadmus argued, "If you guys were _really_ her friend, you would at least acknowledge that. Anywhere's better than…than vampire war four…or whatever the hell this is…you guys are losing people like flies anyway. One of these days, it's gonna be her. And what the fuck will your excuse be then? 'Gee, we _tried_ to fight them off, we really did.'"

"Hey, man, she dies, she dies." Jack said, "Least she was happy here. You look like you're hankering for a good strong rope and a nice tall rafter. That's what the Cam's all about, huh?"

"Yeah, and she can't be happy if her brother's dragging her around like a fucking dog on a leash." Damsel said. "You have to let her do what she wants."  
Cadmus clenched his fists, "I'll be happy, when the Sabbat are all dead, and I have my sister back…then I'll finally be free of all of this bullshit…"

"Tch…control freak…just like every other Ventrue…" Jack mumbled as he crossed his arms, "Prince LaCroix teach you that?" He asked as he leaned against the wall and lit a cigar, "Take what you want and screw the rest of the world, huh? Bastard…"

Damsel cocked her shotgun and aimed it at him, "Say the word, Jack."

"Just get the hell out of here, kid, we'll deal with this problem when LaCroix's dead." Jack said.

"Fuck you." Cadmus snarled, "I think the fact that I can think for myself is really blowing both your minds right now…that's what it is."

Applauding could be heard in the distance, as a figure literally emerged from the shadows, he spread his arms out once he was done clapping, "Well, well, what have we here? A pair of Camarilla lapdogs, and Smiling Jack himself?"

Cadmus's eyes boiled with rage, he recognized the dark eyes, cynical sounding voice, and black hair in a luxurious ponytail anywhere, "Caesar!" He roared, drawing his axe and running at him.

Caesar leaned a fist on his chin, a shadowy tentacle whipped up from the ground and slapped Cadmus into a building, he cried out in pain, "I was really hoping that they three of you mongrels would destroy each other, but I suppose I became much too hopeful over the whole thing."

Damsel skittered back, "Jack…who the fuck is this…?"

Jack scowled, "Fucking Caesar…Sabbat asshole at his finest." Jack muttered, "Not worth our time, let's just get back to the Last Round. I don't like Jeanette having control 'a the place…"

Damsel shook her head, "No, Jack…I don't think we can leave…"

Jack gave an irritated sigh, then turned to Caesar, "You wanna go, pretty boy? What the fuck do you want? You gonna get in my way?"

Cadmus got up and rubbed the glass off his shoulders, "What…what the hell just hit me…what did you hit me with?"

"Oh, Cadmus…I should really punish myself…" Caesar smiled as he rolled his eyes, "Showing a mere _dog_ like you my powers is laughable at best…"

"You killed Elspeth…" He raged through clenched teeth.

"Cadmus, _kill_ is a strong word…don't you want to know what _actually_ happened to her?"

Cadmus ran at him again, but Caesar's fists light up with blue lightning and he outmaneuvered Cadmus with ease, flattening him again, "You know, Smiling Jack, I'm rather glad you're here, seeing as we both hate the Ventrue so much." He smiled, "Why don't we turn this fool to ash together?"

"Eh, it's complicated." Jack said, "'Sides, I'd rather chop my own dick off than help you out. That's a no-brainer."

"Is that so?" Caesar raised a brow, "Do you not hate the Camarilla? Well, in front of us is a pathetic Camarilla Ventrue, on his way out in an urn. The calculation seems rather simple to me."

Cadmus stood up against and spit blood to the side, "The fact that you and I are from clans that hate each other is just icing on the cake, pal." He smiled.

Caesar frowned, "Don't speak as if you know anything about the history behind it. Your Kindred knowledge is shoddy at best. I doubt you even know what clan I am."

"The only reason I'm even _in_ this Kindred society is cause of you."

Caesar darted at him, his Potence still flickering around his body, but Cadmus coated himself in a green mist, "Ah, Cadmus, you _do_ know how to use Disciplines. I was getting a little worried…"

Cadmus flinched, even though his Fortitude was top-notch, Caesar's attacks still had quite a bit of bite to them, "Brujah?" He guessed.

Caesar snickered, "No, I'm not just some Sabbat Brujah…"

"'Nuff of this." Jack muttered as he stomped on his cigar, his fists and forearms lighting up with lightning, "Damsel, get back to the Last Round." He said, she nodded and ran off. He turned to Caesar, then ran forward with a fist aimed for his gut, moving with unfathomable speed.

Caesar spit up blood, flying back several feet and slamming into a dumpster.

Cadmus's eyes went wide.

Caesar growled and slowly got up, "You're attacking _me_ …when a Ventrue is to your left?" He asked, spitting blood to the side, "A miscalculation, I cannot believe I have made…"

Jack licked the blood from his fist, "Get the hell out 'a here, kid, if you got any brain cells left in that dead head 'a yers." He said to Cadmus without looking at him.

"He's my kill." Cadmus stood firm.

Caesar stood tall and clenched both his fists. A horrid screeching sound occurred, like the screaming of suffering children, as pure shadow stretched all over his body. Shadowy tentacles whipped everywhere from his new form, as he combined his shadow powers with Potence to lunge at Jack and Cadmus.

Cadmus gulped, "What the fuck is that?"

Jack's eyes widened as he pushed Cadmus aside, getting sandwiched between the building and Caesar. He grunted, his eyes like that of a hungering beast as an orange glow surrounded him.

Caesar gave a wicked grin, as he started wailing on Jack with his tentacles.

Cadmus ran over to slash Caesar away from Jack. It moved Caesar, sure, but the blade of Cadmus's axe didn't touch the shadowy monster at all. He turned on Cadmus next. Cadmus too let out an orange glow to help better sponge Caesar's attacks.

Jack didn't miss a beat, skidding forward with his unearthly speed to grab him by the back of the neck and throw him to the ground.

Caesar coughed up more blood, eventually he slunk away, using the darkness of the night to escape.

Cadmus's eyes were wide with shock, "That was insane…what…what Discipline even is that?"

"Obtenebration." Jack muttered as his disciplines faded, "Guess I'll see you round, kid…" He muttered as he turned away from the alleyway and headed back to the Last Round.

Cadmus stared ahead, "He won't be alive forever. Once he's gone, I'm taking my sister and we're leaving California."

"Alright kid, I'll hold ya to it when 'Stasia's foot is up your ass." He called back.

* * *

 **A/N:** You know you dun-pissed Jack off when you get him to use more than one discipline at once. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Hope you liked it!


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-five! Lots of Anarch action in this chapter, hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"The hell…the place is empty…" Skelter looked around as he and Anastasia returned to the Last Round, "Anyone in here?"

"I am…" Jeanette slunk down the staircase, "This looks like it's going to be a fun night…"

"Yeah, I don't think so. You can leave now." Skelter said, "Where the hell did the others go?"

"Jack and Damsel ran off after someone named Cadmus." Jeanette said. "Left me in charge." She gave a confident grin.

"What an idiot." He sighed, "Go on, get out of here."

She sighed, "See you two then." She hung her head low.

"I don't see why you're so hard on her." Anastasia said, "To me, she's wise beyond her years." He smiled, then it faded, "Wait, did they just say Cadmus?"

"Yeah, I think so…don't worry, s'long as Jack's there, he'll be fine." He muttered as he walked in and leaned against the counter.

"Are you freaking kidding me, Jack could _destroy_ him without batting an eye…"

"He could. But he wouldn't. Why the hell would he kill your brother? He's a jackass but he ain't that bad."

"No…but…Cadmus is a Ventrue…and he's…stubborn as an ass…so…I don't think he and Jack will mix very well…"

"He'll be fine. And if he's not, you can shoot me in the head." He said with a smirk as he pulled a pistol from his belt and put it on the counter.

She gave a sigh, sitting at a nearby barstool.

He looked over at her, then looked away, "You know, you got a hell of a lot on your mind for who you make yourself out to be."

"Can you blame me?"

"Must be a woman thing." He muttered.

She furrowed her brows, "You have a brother or sister?"

"For a handful 'a years."

"Yeah? Well imagine if they were one of the only people left from when you were alive, but they were Camarilla. Sprinkle what happened to Lark and Nines on top and you got a pretty fucked up psyche." She narrowed her eyes, "Oh, wait, I forgot…having feelings is uncool to you, or whatever. You got over Lark's death in record time."

He looked over at her, then snickered a bit, "So this is what happens when you take the drugs out of the hippie. They get to experience a taste of the real world."

She clenched her fists, "Is that what I boil down to you all? That I'm a woman, and a hippie? I'm nothing else to you?"

"Don't act all pissy with me." He scoffed, "What the hell am I to you, huh?" He smirked, "You even know my real name?"

"If you get offended at people not knowing your real name, then don't make up a fake one."

He chuckled, "Yeah, alright, whatever. You ever try thinking with your head instead of your heart? The reason you go out and get heartbroken is cause you let yourself. This is all your own doing. You form these attachments and get all swept up in everything, then when it gets torn away, you're left all alone in a puddle of your tears cause that's all you can do. You don't take things into your own hands, you just let it all happen and cry about it. That's the same goddamn thing Damsel does, and every motherfucker who sits around and complains about everything that's happening without doing anything. You ain't got a right to complain about it, or to cry about it, or to even get mad about if you didn't do anything to stop it. I'm not an emotionless freak. Crying isn't gonna do a thing but kill time. If this isn't a wake-up call for you, then I don't know what it is. Take the feelings that are making you so upset, and use them for something helpful. How the hell do you think people like Jack got to be so powerful? You think we cry after shit happens? No, we get up and get our vengeance." He crossed his arms, "That's what I've been doing since I signed my name away. My life stopped mattering right then and there. It became all about action. That's how it is, you get it now? I'm as pissed as everyone else that Lark is dead, Nines is gone and your brother's a fucking idiot, but is there anything I can do about it? No. So I keep my mouth shut about it and just move on. I spend my energy on the things I can handle, so they get done." He looked over at her, then cracked a smile as he slid the gun over, "Gun's right here if you still wanna blow my brains out."

"Tch." She looked away, grinding her nails into the counter.

The door swung open as Damsel walked in, her eyes still wide. She paused as she walked forward, "What the hell did you do to her, Skelter?"

He raised a brow, "Nothing."

She snarled and aimed the barrel of her gun at his chest, he didn't flinch, "I said, what the fuck did you do to her, Skelter?"

He pushed her gun away and got up, "Where's Jack?"

Damsel's eyes narrowed, "Fighting…someone."

Skelter's eyes darted over to her, "Cadmus?"

"No. He didn't let me fight Cadmus. He's fighting the guy who's fighting Cadmus."

"What?" He turned around and walked closer, "Who?"

"I dunno, some guy named Caesar, I think?"

"Caesar…?" He asked, looking at Anastasia, "Ring a bell?"

Anastasia shook her head, "No clue…"

"Damn…" Skelter said, "Should I go out there?"

"No, he told me to leave…it looked pretty serious…" Damsel said, "Where's Jeanette?"

"I kicked her out. The hell kinda good was she doing around here?"

"She was watching the place."

"Yeah, her and what army?" He asked, "The hell kind of defense is that? Put a half-naked Malk in here and call the place safe? I'll be damned if she even knows how to use Auspex."

"What the hell crawled up your asshole?" Damsel crossed her arms.

Skelter sneered and looked at Anastasia, "She did." He said before he pushed the door open and left, slamming it shut.

Damsel snickered as she looked over to Anastasia, "Pissed him off good, huh?" She started laughing, "Good, he needs a good kick in the ass every now and again."

Anastasia looked at the front door, "So, Cadmus and Jack were fighting? With this Caesar guy in the middle?"

"No…" She said, "More like the other way around. Jack and Caesar were fighting with Cadmus in the middle." She sat next to her, "Jack kept telling Cadmus to leave and get to cover but…he's kinda pigheaded." Damsel said as she looked up at Anastasia, "I should apologize…I was kinda trying to fight him…but…I dunno, it's cause he pissed you off so much! And he made me lick the goddamn floors. You know how many splinters I had to spit out for the next few days?"

"It's fine. Next time he comes in here, I'll just kill him."

"What…? No…you…can't kill your brother…" Damsel's airy blue eyes were wide, "Everything will be fine…alright?" She had a worried look plastered to her face, "You don't have to make sacrifices like that for us…that'd make us just like the bad guys…"

"I've made my choice." She said, "All I wish is that I do the killing. It…it would be a mercy kill, if anything…"

Damsel's eyes looked away nervously, "I think maybe you should talk to Jack about it…he'll…he'll help you figure it all out." She said, then she leaned in and hugged her, "We'll…...we'll be fine…"

The door swung open and Jack walked in. He paused and looked at the door hinges, "Who the hell broke the door…?"

Damsel gently broke the hug and faced Jack, "It…must have been Skelter…he was in another mood."

He gave up on the busted door, "Oops, forgot to give him his kibbles last night, that's on me."

Damsel bit her bottom lip, "So…everything's…alright…?"

"What, with Cadmus?" He asked, "Yeah, got it all under control. Caesar got a good ass whooping, Cadmus is fine. I could use some blood if we still got any."

"I'll go see what I can find." Damsel said as she went to the back.

Jack looked over at Anastasia, "Jeez, you look like you got hit by a truck, man, what's up?"

"Nothing, I don't want to talk about it…" Anastasia said, getting off the barstool and stretching, "Damn it…there's _nothing_ to do around here since Skelter and I fucking killed that plague bearer."

"There's Jeanette." Jack said.

Damsel came back with a few blood bags, "Here, Jack." She handed them over.

"Thanks." He took them and put them on the counter, tearing into them as he drank from them.

Damsel looked over at Anastasia, "Did you say you and Skelter killed a plague bearer?"

Anastasia blinked blankly at Damsel, " _A_ plague bearer?"

"Well…yeah….cause…Nines and I dusted one by the convention center…there must be a bunch of 'em."  
"What…so there's….more…" She thought about it, "That…that must've been what they meant by 'Ninth Circle'…they're a freaking Doomsday Cult, aren't they?"

Damsel rolled her eyes, "Ugh, probably."

"I could go sniff around for 'em." Jack said.

"No…no…" Damsel waited a beat, "I think Anastasia and Skelter should go find the others."

"I can kill the rest of them by myself." Anastasia headed for the door.

Damsel's shoulders drooped as she watched Anastasia leave. "Dammit…" She turned towards the stairwell.

"What's up?" Jack asked, clearly missing out on something.

"Skelter's a fucking jackass, that's what's up!" Damsel screamed as she went upstairs.

Anastasia kept her eyes and ears active as she looked around, trying to find any signs of plague bearers, but she really had no clue where they would be in the first place. As she walked past an alley, she saw the carcass of a homeless man. And behind that, another carcass. Then the carcass of a prostitute. It was like a trail evidence, almost too good to be true.

As she followed the trail, expecting herself to find a plague bearer, or some sort of lead, she found a familiar hulking form, snarling, huffing and growling at another homeless man as he tore his throat out and pinned him to the ground, slashing his chest until he was clearly dead, then he threw his head back and howled.

"You're going to get sick, you bastard." Anastasia said, "Besides, what happened to not having emotions, huh? Seems a person would have to be pretty pissed to do all the killing you just did."

The beast turned to her, still huffing and puffing. His claws glinted with blood, he snarled and galloped towards her. It was then evident that the battle between the Beast and Humanity was long since over.

"Hey!" She held her arms out and caught him, "What the fuck are you doing?! Stop it!"

His breath smelled rancid in her face, but he didn't attack while they were in the standstill, he just stood frozen. The pupils in his beady amber eyes slowly widened, then his form shrunk, his fur disappeared and he stood against Anastasia as a human again, their hands intertwined. His lips hardly moved as he asked, "…the hell happened?"

"You frenzied." She frowned, walking past him, "Jesus Christ, Skelter, you killed all of my potential leads…and you probably _have_ the plague now too…"

He dusted off his shirt, "I do not have the damn plague…" He muttered, following after her before he grabbed the corner of a dumpster and blanched, throwing up inside of it.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Still, you're practically _asking_ the Cammies to go after us now that you gave them that big show. Seriously, I expect that kinda shit from Killian or something, but you're at least ten years older than me as a Kindred…"

He wiped the back of his mouth and shuddered, then caught up to her, "You got any leads at all or are you just stumbling around looking for trouble?"

She clenched her fists, "I'm trying to find a bum who's _alive_ at the very moment…"

He looked around, then elbowed her and pointed, "Three over there by the can fire."

She nodded. Skelter and Anastasia walked over to the trio. Two of the bums skittered away at seeing them, but one stayed, "Yeah?" He looked annoyed, or perhaps disturbed, at being interrupted at his peaceful fire, "What do ya want?"

"Do you know anything about the plague that's killing off the homeless?" Anastasia asked.

"You know, I'd feel a lot more like talking if you gave me a few bucks. How's that sound, hmm? How about an old twenty to lubricate them vocal chords?"

Anastasia pulled a bill out and handed it to him.

"Okay!" He said with glee, "All's I know is that Tin Can Bill has been going on about a monster attack, or some-such. You can usually find him in his alleyway across from that bar nearby."

Skelter nodded and started walking over to the alleyway with Anastasia, "Shouldn't have given him so much money…" He grumbled under his breath, "This is why we have money issues…"

"I'm fine." She rolled her eyes. They looked for a little while, until they found a bum who looked a bit sicklier than the average homeless person, "You Tin Can Bill?" She asked.

The man produced a horrendous, wheezy cough, bad enough that is sounded like the two of them would get sick even from _hearing_ it. "Who's there? Old Bill can't see too good these days. That you Betty? Well, I got no booze tonight, so you may as well get the hell outta here."

"No…I'm uh…not Betty…we want to ask you about the plague."

"Well, I might feel like talking…but, I'm awful thirsty miss. Care to spare a few bucks for a man down on his luck?"

She pulled out another few bills and handed it to him.

Tin Can Bill gave a roaring laugh, of course, it was followed by a wheezy cough, "Thank you much! I'm gonna get me some hooch…for medicinal purposes…"

"Yeah, alright, alright." Skelter said, "So this monster attack or whatever."

"Well, I been telling the cops and _everyone_ , since it happened, but they say it's the hooch talking and nothing more!" Tin Can Bill coughed.

"It's okay. We believe you." Anastasia said gently.

"…it was a monster, ya see! His face all twisted and ugly…eyes…piss yellow…teeth…longer than your finger…he took me…threw me over his back…took me to the bad place. Oh god, the smell! Then he bit me! My neck…" He had to stop his story to cough, "Haven't been feeling too well since then…"

"Bad place, huh?" Skelter asked.

Tin Can Bill nodded with a cough, "Took me down to the sewers, he did. Just around the corner there…" He pointed, "Don't want to go back to the bad place! Don't let the monster take me there!"

"Hey, hey, it's going to be fine." Anastasia gently put her hands on his shoulders.

He coughed and coughed, his wheezing only getting worse and worse, "My…my heart!" He choked, eventually collapsing on the ground. Anastasia felt a chill, sighing, as she eventually bent down to close his eyes.

Skelter looked around, then got down and pulled the money from his coat, handing it back to Anastasia. He then looked at the ground around the corner, shifting papers around on the ground in search for a manhole.

Anastasia wiped a tear away, following him, "There." She pointed, "It's probably that one."

Skelter looked up at her and nodded as he turned to the manhole, then he did a double take and looked back up at her. His frown deepened before he lunged towards her and hugged her.

Her eyes widened as she paused, standing there being hugged, "Uh…"

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I've been pissed lately and I said some shit that crossed the line, I get it. Let's just get past it already, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying cause of you." She said, "I…felt bad for Tin Can Bill…"

"…god dammit…" He muttered as he broke the hug, "We're pretending that didn't happen. Tin Can Bill's out of his misery now, we'll kick this son of a bitch in the ass for 'em." He said as he pulled the manhole aside and jumped in.

She jumped in after him, her high heels splashing in the water as they moved forward, "Ugh…if I have to take my shoes off down here…"

He snickered, "I oughta buy you a pair of work boots before you break your damn ankles with those."

"If I knew we were going in the sewers, I would've worn something different…"

They traversed further and further in the dank sewers, coming across an arena of sorts at the end. Blood was everywhere, as was a mound of corpses to their left, most of them were eaten through to the bone. A police officer was hanged above them against the wall, some of his intestines splayed out, "Oh my god…I'm gonna be sick…" Anastasia swallowed hard.

Skelter grimaced, "This almost looks Sabbat-level fucked up…"

A purple apparition appeared in front of them. The 'monster' seemed to be a Nosferatu, but even then, most Nosferatu would be reviled if you were to compare this to their kind. True enough to Tin Can Bill's description, the monster had yellow eyes and sharp teeth. It had purple skin and gory wounds all over it, "Found your way down here, did you?" He rasped in a crazed tone, "Following the smells of entrails, and rotting flesh? Looking for a free meal, little bloodsucker? There's meat galore in my kingdom!"

"You're the sick bastard who've been plaguing all the homeless!" Anastasia yelled, "What the hell even is all this?"

"The doors have been opened, the seals broken, and the final steps into the abyss. The terrible mysteries of the Ninth Circle!" He gurgled.

"So you are from this Ninth Circle." Anastasia said, "What the hell do they even call you? Satanic plague monster who lives in the sewers?"

"Brother Kanker, they call me. High Lord in the diseased halls of the dead. Look around you…the blood…the bloated bodies…the maggot ridden mortal shells! They are the signs…the coming of a new age!"

"They're signs that we gotta do some pest control, that's what it is…" Skelter muttered.

Anastasia clenched her fists, "But why the homeless? Why pick on them?"

"They are the weak, sick, hopeless. I bring them a new purpose." His voice darkened, "They are the vessels of darkness, carrying the diseased truth in their veins."

"That's your big goal, huh? The Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle?"

"The Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle! The darkest dawn is almost upon us! Come! Join us in these last few nights, spreading our disease upon the earth, sharing this unholy communion with our human herd!"

"Yeah, we'll pass, thanks." Skelter took a step back.

Brother Kanker stepped forward, "Come! Join the Disciples who have gathered here, floating in their own putrescene! I will show you the mysteries of the Brotherhood, as I feed on your flesh!" He screeched.

"Damn it…" Anastasia covered herself in a green mist, she then gained bestial features, as she ran at Kanker to claw him.

Brother Kanker roared as he fell back, he lighted up with Potence, clawing back at Anastasia. Anastasia hissed, the Potence must've been doing a good job countering her Fortitude.

Skelter held a hand out, two ghastly wolves appeared and tackled Brother Kanker.

Brother Kanker fell back, screeching as the wolves mauled him. In seconds, he called out a pair of his own. They lunged at Anastasia and Skelter. Anastasia flinched and coughed up blood.

Skelter grunted as the wolf took bites of his flesh. Animalism was the first thing on his mind, but he knew he didn't have enough blood for it. So, his body trembled, bones and ligaments cracked and snapped into place as he took his beastly form, running forward to burl his claws into Brother Kanker's face.

Brother Kanker roared, evidently Skelter's raw power was legendary to this nobody Nosferatu, but he wasn't going down without a fight, he clawed at Skelter back, trying to feed on him occasionally.

Anastasia ran in for Skelter's aid, with their teamwork, Brother Kanker was being attacked from opposite directions.

Anastasia held his down firmly, leaving an opening for Skelter to give him the final blow and kill him. Brother Kanker turned to ash, and Anastasia panted, turning back to her normal form and losing her green hue.

Skelter turned back to normal and sighed, "Goddamn…I need blood, fast…" He held his forehead as he turned around, "You're alright…?"

She half-smiled and held a hand out, "Come here, big guy. They're a ton of rats on the way back."

He actually grinned as she put an arm around his shoulders and helped him walk out of the dank room, "You're…not gonna tell any of the guys back home about me frenzying, right?"

"Ooh, that sounds like you're gonna owe me big time, pal." She laughed.

* * *

Cadmus entered his apartment, seething with such rage that he gave a feral growl as he slammed the door behind him.

He heard the sound of a glass very gently being set on the table, as his ghoul practically moved in slow motion. She slowly wiped chocolate milk from her upper-lip, standing up at a rate that an elderly man would trump, then she slowly gravitated towards the staircase, away from Cadmus.

He walked towards the kitchen, she could tell that he had been through a scuffle or two, at the very least. He tore into a blood bag from his jacket and all his wounds began to mend. While he was drinking, he blinked a few times at the glass on the table, throwing the empty bag into the waste bin, "Chocolate milk?" He wondered.

"I can dump it if you want…" Her tiny voice said from the staircase.

"What? No…that would be a waste…" He said, "What are you doing over there?"

"I…thought you looked angry…"

"Eh…I'm fine now." He sat at the table, "Did I ever tell you about my sister?"

She shook her head and came back in, sitting across from him, still moving a bit slowly.

"She's an Anarch…down at the Last Round…so…every time I go see her…I usually have to deal with her friends. They don't like that I'm Camarilla. Which is cool because I don't really like any of them. That's where I was right now. I was trying to deal with some Anarchs."

"Oh…did they hurt you?"

"Actually, this time they didn't. This time I fought Caesar…he…he's the Sabbat bastard who…who killed Elspeth." He said, "Damn it…I don't even know what fucking _clan_ he is. He uses all these weird powers that I've never seen before…"

"I'm sorry, I should have been there to help…"

"I don't know if there was much that you could've done…he could slap me aside like I was made of paper…the only time I've ever seen him so damaged was when Smiling Jack was facing off against him. You know anything about him?"

"Smiling Jack or the Sabbat?"

"Jack."

"Well, he's over three centuries old…so…he's probably the oldest and most powerful Kindred around that I know of." Angelique said before she finished her drink, "Sabbat don't like him that much."

"Damn…" He swallowed hard, "Getting Anastasia back is going to be more of a pain in the ass than I thought it was…"

"What do you mean, getting her back?"

He sighed, "Even though we were siblings, we were…kinda the opposite, Anastasia and I. Growing up, she usually ditched school to play around with her hippie friends and I skipped school cause…I don't know, to practice guitar or something. Yeah, we were both idiot drop-outs, but we had different themes going about us. Then the divorce happened…it was so goddamn ugly that child protective services said that both our parents were unfit to raise children. So I was taken in by some relatives, a wealthy CEO and his wife, and Anastasia was taken in by one of her hippie friends. She even changed her damn last name over it. We would occasionally still see each other. She joined my band and we both sang for a metal band…we were great, made tons of money. But…once we were Embraced, our communication was pretty much cut off. I guess that's what happens when one sibling gets Embraced by the Camarilla and one gets Embraced by the Anarchs." He took another sigh, "Sorry, I'm rambling. I…when I say 'get her back' I just…I don't know…want to get away from all this vampire shit with her. I want her to be safe. Being with those damn Anarchs is exactly the same as when she was with those freaking hippies, sure, it may be all fun and games to her, but it's dangerous, and I need to look out for my little sister."

"You just want her safe…" Angelique said, "I get that…really, California is the only state with this many vampire problems." She said, "You go to Wyoming or Colorado, it's like heaven out there for someone who needs to get away from this. Even San Francisco isn't that bad, it's just around here. A little hell perimeter, I guess."

"Yeah, see, you get it." He smiled, then it faded, "Jeez…I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do about it, though. Whatever, I'll focus on killing Caesar first. That is…if I can even _hurt_ him…"

"What are you going to do about your job? Surely you can't just quit a job like this."

"I don't know…that'll probably be the least of my problems…" He said, "That's why whenever I get orders from LaCroix, I hope it's somewhere Sabbat related…the bastard beats me _every_ time I fight him, without even breaking a sweat, but one day I'll learn how the hell to beat him."

She nodded and stood up, bringing her empty glass to the sink and rinsing it out.

"By the way, I, uh…got you something."

"You got me something?" She turned around, "A dagger? A gun?" She seemed quite excited.

"Uh…I got you these…" He pulled out a few tiny boxes, "You said you wanted colored contacts…so…I…I got blue and green, because I didn't know which one you would want more…so…"

She took the boxes, "Ooh…even better…" She looked back and forth at them, "Thanks a bunch." She squeezed him.

He hugged her back, smiling, "You're welcome." He said, "I used my own money too, because…the Prince's money…probably isn't reliable…"

She gave a little giggle, then ran off with them to the bathroom.

He smiled, pleasantly surprised by his assassin's childlike demeanor.

* * *

 **A/N:** Perhaps with her physical change came a mental one as well. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review, please! Thanks for reading!


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-six! If it had a title, I think it'd be Anastasia Strikes Again. A very shippy chapter too, hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also the last scene has sexual content, so…yeah, if it's not your cup of tea, skip the last scene.

* * *

It was cold without her at his side. He _missed_ her. _Missed_ her? He hardly knew her!

But he missed her. He felt sour already without her. It was the subtle little things he missed. The way she'd shift her weight on her hips, the way her bright green eyes would flicker around ever so slightly, like he could see her thinking. He could see her making those equations, see her fitting things together. The way her hair swayed so gently, so tempting for him to reach out and comb his fingers through it.

And she hardly seemed to care. He'd scoop her up into his lap, and she'd make herself cozy. He'd pet her hair and she hardly responded. He'd give her hug when she cried and make the tears dry away to nothing.

But he couldn't stand the idea of crying in front of her. Not while she was more fragile than he was. It was scary, he didn't want her to fall apart.

Because she lost her shell. So he became her shell.

And he loved her.

"Damn…" He rubbed one of his temples before hitting his head against the window of the cab. This cab driver was much less inclined to talk, not like Tim. Perhaps this would be the first victim he'd test his new powers on.

His new powers, that he obtained after he spent more time with her. She could make people fall with just a wave of her hand. And that would be it for them. And what could he do, make a person lose their mind for a handful of seconds? She was his muse. She took over his mind, and she didn't even _want_ to. He should be infuriated. She took him over, he was his own man!

 _No…no…I gladly belong to her…she is my master…_

There wasn't even a blood bond, yet he felt this…insatiable desire to be with her. Be by her side. This entire car ride felt like a trip to hell. Why was she so addictive to him?

Jeanette wasn't like this. Yes, she was attractive. Yes, she hadn't stopped calling him since their fling. But there was nothing between them. Well, Jeanette thought so. He didn't.

What about his sire? He cared about him greatly, he wanted to fix him. But if the same thing happened to Grout that happened to Genevieve…

He gave a brooding laugh before he opened the door.

The driver jumped, "Hey, what are you doing, man? We're still driving!" He hit the breaks.

Dragomir laughed louder and got out, "I need a good walk." He said as he got out, then held a hand out. The man's eyes widened as a purple cloud fogged over his head, he shook in fear as he experienced a broad spectrum of hallucinations. Dragomir laughed again before he walked down the streets of L.A.

Suddenly, he stumbled forward, tripping over something. He turned back and saw a figure laying on the ground, groaning in pain. She quickly got to her feet, all fours that is, before she disappeared, "Hey, watch where you're going, dumbass!"

"My apologies…" Dragomir turned around to face the hiding Nosferatu, "You're just…invisible…I'm quite sure I was watching where I was going that time…"

She grumbled under her breath, "Who the hell are you? I haven't seen you around here…"

Dragomir snickered and turned away, "I know better than to spill information to a leech."

He heard her long nails scrape across the pavement as she galloped beside him, "You're the kid the Anarchs are after, aren't you?"

"This whole place is a warzone. Everywhere. My head, Hollywood, L.A., California, the world…there's no way out."

"So…I'll take that as a yes…" She muttered, "A name isn't gonna get you killed."

"Yes it is." He said decisively, "Good evening, dear, lovely to meet you, Moony girl."

"Moony girl? What the hell does that mean?"

"Cressida." He said slowly, "The name of a moon. I wish Shakespeare was my father."

"Uh huh…" Her voice sounded a distance off, before she stopped responding at all. But, by then, he'd made it to Venture Tower.

The security man behind the desk sat up, "Uh, eh, excuse me sir." He chuckled, "Starting dozing off there…"

"Yes…undoubtedly the donuts." Dragomir said, "I'd like the see the man at the top."

"LaCroix?" He asked, "Sorry, sir, He didn't tell me to expect anyone fittin' yer description." He eyed over Dragomir.

"Well, then be it his mistake. I'd still like to talk to him. Now, please."

"No can do."

Dragomir held out a hand and Chunk started snickering, then laughing hysterically. He reached around the desk and pressed the elevator button, heading over to far right elevator and sitting inside as it brought him up.

As the bell rang and the doors slid open, Dragomir yawned and walked inside the slightly familiar penthouse doors, "Good evening, Princey boy."

LaCroix looked up from his paperwork, "Oh. I see you've decided to stop by again."

Dragomir was quiet for a long time, his eyes narrowed beneath his opaque glasses, "So." He ended the silence between them, "Would you like me to be the harbinger of truth? Announce your sins for the world to hear? I'll give you a hint, Princey, if you say no, I'll do it anyway."

LaCroix chuckled softly, "I've no idea what you're talking about."

"Two things put you on my list, big man." Dragomir walked forward, "One." He held up his index finger, "You hired a sinned assassin to kill my father." He said in a gravelly voice, "And two." He flipped the bird at him, "You kicked my nightingale out of her room for your sniveling whelp of a fledgling."

LaCroix's right eye twitched, "Is that so?"

Dragomir stood tall, "You have two options." He declared firmly as he crossed his arms, "Release me and have me spill the truth like the great deluge. Or…" A grin nearly split his face in half, "Hire me."

The Prince sat back, "Continue. Just keep talking until my response is…vital to your little ploy, I'll simply wait until then."

"Wait until then, for what?" Dragomir asked, "To lift your little finger and make me a nice pile of fertilizer? Well, go ahead then, do it now."

He chuckled, "You've piqued my interest. I want to at least hear what you have to say."

Dragomir breathed out heavily through his nose, "It isn't wise to take the words of my kind with a grain of salt…" He stepped forward, "My father was right…you are the black Prince…" His eyes narrowed, "And you burned every one of his records of your sins to ashes."

"I didn't do anything of the sort."

"Ha! Ha-ha! Precious!" He held his chest, "Look, Princey, either kill me now or hire me, I'm not sure what sort of elaboration you're waiting for."

The Prince paused, "That wasn't your original proposition."

"No, I've modified it for you." He snickered.

LaCroix shook his head, "You're as puzzling as the rest of them…" He muttered, "You want protection, no doubt, from whatever sort of hellfire you've ignited and haven't been able to extinguish." He mused, "You've caused problems that are beyond your control, and you want my Camarilla to protect you."

"The nail says 'ow'."

"My Camarilla. The same Camarilla you claim to be responsible for the death of your sire."

"Yes."

LaCroix held his forehead, "I don't have time for this…" He muttered, "Fine, very well, you got the job, congratulations. You aren't going to last." He looked up again, "You aren't going to last a _week_. You don't have the mind for discipline, you're setting up your own execution."

"Very well."

LaCroix sighed, then chuckled softly, reaching in his desk and handing him a form, as well as a pen, "Your information and signature."

"You didn't have Slade sign this." Dragomir noted.

"It wasn't necessary."

His eyes narrowed before he snatched the form and skimmed over it, scribbling a few things here and there before handing it in.

LaCroix read over the form, then scowled, "You wrote in French."

"I did. Do I sound like Tess now?"

"And you wrote all the numbers upside down."

"I'm a fun one."

He sighed and folded the form in half, "I will call you when you are needed, Mister Haracha."

"Excellent. I eagerly anticipate it." He said as he took a few steps towards the door, before he looked around and laughed.

"What…what is it?"

"Remember when you learned I was Grout's childe…?" He asked, "And you thought I would be just as sane as he was?"

LaCroix raised an eyebrow.

"I'm even saner than he was." He turned in and whispered.

"What?" He hissed.

"I'm just a dice in your hands, aren't I?" He chuckled, "That's what the Malkavians have always been to you. You roll a pair of die, hope to get a pair of sixes. That's what last night was. A pair of sixes. You killed my father, I sat back and let it whiz right by." He stopped pacing and stood, "But what if you roll…a two and a three…? Then I don't listen so well. I do as I please, but I'll come back home like a good boy and suck up and apologize. What if you roll a one and a four? Hmm….I'll snap at your little Ventrue, maybe I'll hurt your ghouls, but I'll bow my head at the end of the night and apologize. But…you roll those snake eyes…" He loomed in over his desk, "Game over, Princey."

"Your words would carry far more weight to them if you were significant in this company. If you actually knew something about how this all works. I will give you a chance, Mister Haracha, so long as you do not abuse the chance you've been given, you will be offered more protection. And more. And more, as your loyalty develops. But…if you decide to go against reason…" He eyed him over, "Your execution date will find its way onto my calendar."

Dragomir snickered, "Sounds delightful." He decided, "With that, I'll be off."

"Very well." LaCroix narrowed his eyes as Dragomir left, then rubbed one of his temples, "I believe I'm losing my mind." He muttered to the Sheriff, "Those types…seem to have that sort of effect on me."

* * *

Peering around through one dark alleyway after the other, Victor finally grabbed the shoulder of an unsuspecting bystander, sucking from his neck eagerly as he refilled his blood pool. Usually in the heart of Los Angeles itself it wasn't exactly easy to pick someone off the streets like he did, but he prided himself on the rare occasion that he was able to do so. He let the bum go and slumped him in the corner of the street.

As he walked down the streets, a strange sickness befell him. He gagged and covered his mouth. The only thing holding him back is how bad it would look if he threw up in the middle of the street. The Chantry wasn't even close by, and there was no safe place nearby for him to expel what he had sampled. _Diseased blood?_ His vision grew hasty, he ran into the nearest building, the one with red light pouring out of it.

"Venus…" His shaking hands grabbed the counter, "Do…do you have a lavatory, nearby?"

"Right there." She saw the look on his face, pointing to a door to the right by the entrance.

He gave a sheepish nod, running into the bathroom, he found an unoccupied stall and vomited the blood he drank and then some. He held his torso as he kept going, the last time he threw up was easily decades ago, and now thanks to this he had to relearn how fun it was. He stood up and wiped his mouth off. He felt faint, and even _paler_ than usual. After that fiasco he ended up _losing_ more blood than gaining it. _But why was there diseased blood coming from that fellow? This…this is definitely an investigation which I'll have to look into._ He winced and felt his head as he stepped out of the bathroom, "Thank you, dear."

"You alright?" She asked, "Can I get you a drink or something?"

"I don't think a drink would be particularly helpful…it would most likely come back out…"

"Ah…I see…" She said, "Something to eat? Water?"

"No, no…" He held his head, "I can't even think about food right now…"

"I have some stuff in my office if you want any."

"It's quite alright, Venus…I should go back to the…" He wobbled and grabbed a barstool, "Back to the…back to the place…"

"Sure you don't want to sit down somewhere and rest? I wouldn't mind, I owe you, if anything."

"But you look busy…" Their blue eyes met.

"Come on up, dear, it's no trouble." She said as she opened the gate for him and head upstairs with him.

"Right…" He said, closing his eyes and holding his head yet again. What was he doing up here? _Rest_ wouldn't help him. He needed blood. Although, Venus was human, "I'll just…stay in here, for a collection of minutes, then leave you alone…"

She nodded as she closed the door, "Sure there isn't anything I could get you? A blanket…or…bucket…or something?"

"I'm not sure either of those will be very much help…I need to return to my employer as soon as possible…"

"I could make a call for you. Call you out or something. I have a way with words." She smirked.

"I'm not sure he'd be very convinced…"

She sat next to him and gently brushed the hair away from his forehead, pressing the back of her hand against it, "You don't have a fever do you? Or that sickness that's been going around, have you?"

He swallowed hard, silently noting how close they were, "No, no, it's…it's rather minor, I believe…"

"Want me to get some ginger ale or something? I just feel so helpless…"

"No, no, it's fine." He smiled, "You've been very kind to me."

She smiled back and stood up, pulling her shorts down a bit as she headed for the door, grabbing an index card from her desk first, "Well, you killed King Bastard, I can't help you enough." She set the card down next to him, "There's my number, call if you need anything, love, I'll be right up."

He slowly picked the card up, smiling, "I'll be sure to do my best to keep out of trouble." He watched her depart. True to his word, he rested for a few moments, meditatively sitting down for a bit before he left Confessions and headed back to the Chantry. He hung his scarf up and went back into the library. As per usual, he entered the room for a least a minute, gathering his thoughts before he saw Iphigenia uncross her legs and nearly jumped out of his skin.

She chuckled, "I should start wearing a neon shirt, shouldn't I?" She said, a folded paper in her hand, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He said, "Have you noticed the particular…plague that has made its home in our city? I…nearly befell to it from a mortal I was feeding from…"

"I have noticed the CDC lurking about." She mused as she sat up, "I've only been feeding from blood bags recently, why, is it really affecting all the kine?"

"One can't be sure. It seems like it's primarily the homeless, but, for now it's unclear. I shall look into the matter tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" She asked, "Well, I still have time by then, if you need any help."

"Then perhaps we may go together." He said, "If Strauss doesn't mind sending out his Magister and an apprentice at the same time."

She chuckled, "Perhaps the mission will kill me and I won't have to go to the meeting…yes, that would be nice…"

"Meeting?" He asked, "What meeting?"

She held the folded paper out, which he quickly grabbed and unfolded. He faintly recognized the neat script, something about it sent chills down his spine.

 _Miss/Missus Crystallia:_

 _It has come to the attention of the local kine and Kindred of Lost Angeles that numerous Masquerade Violations have befallen your name. A meeting about said violations will be held 12-25. You are to come alone and unarmed, or force may be used to ensure a peaceful discussion. Failure to attend the meeting will result with a fine of $500, which would double each week of absence. Three more violations would result in an execution date a week prior to the final act._

 _SL_

When he looked up to see Iphigenia's face, she seemed beyond aggravated. "It will be a miracle if I walk out of that building alive. He already thinks I'm going to try to walk into his room and take his head off."

"My word…" Victor said, "So you've gained an audience with Sebastian LaCroix himself, have you?"

"It appears so…damn…if Jeanette didn't…" She shook her head with a growl, "Now I can hardly walk home without the hunters sniffing me down."

"How did you attract this many violations in the first place?"

"Protecting Halcyon." She said, "From that assassin. They think I'm a blood witch."

"I see…we Tremere do have very noticeable…powers…especially to kine…"

She nodded with a sigh, "At least Jeanette has been rather calm…so to speak." She said, "Halcyon's been back home every night."

"I would hope so. If that intolerable woman were to betray the promise we created regarding your sister…well, I don't know what I'd do…"

"Intolerable woman, hmm?" Iphigenia smiled, "You men think you can keep your lives so secretive…" She shook her head.

He raised a brow, "You're quick to defend Jeanette…"

"Oh, no, no, it isn't Jeanette." She said, her black lips curved in a devious smirk, "You've been spending time with Therese, Leo's been inviting some…noisy little thing into his room, and our beloved Regent has Miss Velour hidden somewhere in the back of his mind. You come home stinking of club, according to Delilah, and those diagrams are certainly intriguing. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, dear, I just find it amusing."

"Delilah?" He asked, "Her job is to watch the door and nothing more. And Leo…who has been staying at his room? I doubt it's a Tremere. What on Earth has been happening at this Chantry without me? And Therese…I haven't seen her since I settled the score with your sister weeks ago."

"Mmm hmm." She chuckled, "And what about me? Hmm? What's your cynical little view of me?"

He sighed, "Maybe I should search for a blood pack before I say anything else…"

She laughed and stood up, "Would you like me to get one from that troublesome ghoul at the Santa Monica hospital?"

"No, that's alright." He said quietly.

"If you insist." She stood up, "Delilah has some blood, if you need any. I'm going home."

"Yes, goodnight Iphigenia."

* * *

As the elevator doors slid open and she reached for the doorknob, Anastasia heard Jeanette's voice, it sounded like she was on the phone, or maybe she was talking to herself. As she walked inside, she saw Jeanette lying on the bed, facing the ceiling, holding a phone up to her ear, the curled cord led to the base that was on her vanity.

"He isn't going to kill you…think about what kind of trouble that'd get him in. Killing the Baroness of Santa Monica." She snickered and paused, "I promise I have evidence, tell him that." A short pause, "No, no, tell him that you have the evidence at home." Another short pause, then she whined, "I don't know! I don't know, I don't know! Maybe don't tell him yet…just wait another night. I do have evidence, I'm not making this up. Promise. Please don't hang up….please…wait…Therese…" She let go of the phone and it bounced off the bed, clattering onto the floor as Jeanette put her face in her hands, still unaware of Anastasia's entrance.

"Should I come back at another time?" Anastasia smiled.

Jeanette quickly sat up, "I didn't even see you there, kitten. I swear I talked to Therese, she's just making her argument bulletproof…but…as it turns out, she's a little sharper than I am when it comes to dealing with the Prince. She knows he's going to want evidence that it wasn't Nines…but…" She bit her lip and shrugged, "I don't have any."

"So the whole thing with Nines's blood hunt isn't fixed?"

"I'm sorry…" She was on the verge of tears, "It isn't like I haven't been trying…" She pounded her fists on the mattress hopelessly, "It's…it's just so stressful…" She sniffed, "Running the club, taking care of Halcyon, checking on the Anarchs, making sure Therese is happy, covering Nines…" She shook her head as dark tears rolled down her cheeks, "I haven't forgotten about you, duckling, it's just… _so_ much…I've never been responsible for this much…"  
"It's okay. I'm not mad at you. Don't cry."

"You're not mad…?"

"No." She walked over and squeezed her.

Jeanette hugged her back, closing her eyes and sniffing as she held her close, then rubbed her shoulders, "You feel stiff as a rock…are you sure?"

"Skelter and I fought one of those freaking plague bearers…hell of a workout…"

A sly smirk appeared on Jeanette's lips, "Did you want a…post workout massage…?"

"You know, at first, I was tired of all the others making fun of me for being so…adventurous…but…then I had a few dreams about you…and realized that…I _need_ you…to forget about it all…" She teared up, "The brother drama…Lark's death…all the other…bullshit in my life…" She gave her squeeze, "I…I just want to forget it…"

"You dreamed about me…?" Jeanette's eyes widened, she leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Tell me about your dreams, Anastasia…"

"What can I say? These last few days, you help me go to sleep. I just think about you. Then after I wear myself out I _really_ go to sleep."

"After you wear yourself out…?" She asked as Anastasia felt hands slowly crawling around her waist and up her back, with just enough pressure to send chills down her spine, "I have a feeling you don't mean all those big missions you go on…I have a feeling you wear yourself out…" One hand on her back disappeared, only to take Anastasia's right hand and bring it up to Jeanette's lips, "With these…" She whispered, her breath warm against her fingertips. She slowly opened her mouth and slipped Anastasia's index and middle finger in her mouth, gently licking and sucking on them.

She decompressed slightly, kicking her heels off first, then she unzipped her dress, letting it slowly fall off her figure, "I'll let this answer your little query…"

Jeanette let out a sigh as her eyes slowly raked over every detail of her body that she could get, slowly reaching forward to let her fingers gently brush along Anastasia's collarbone, then they slid back over her shoulders and unclasped her bra. Jeanette's smirk widened as she slowly slipped the straps of Anastasia's bra over her arms, "Don't you think they're like prisons…?" She asked before her discolored eyes slid over to her breasts, "I never wear them…" She said softly, "I like to be free…"

"With a pair like yours, I can't say I blame you. Care for a rub?"

"Me?" She asked, "Oh, I would love one…but I feel like you're sorer than I am…" She said as she untied her own shirt, letting the thin white fabric fall to the mattress.

"A-Are you sure?" She asked timidly, "Jeanette…you're…so much older than me…so…wise behind your act when you need to be. I really respect that. I thought because of that I should take care of you first."

She giggled modestly, "You think I'm wise…? Oh, I'm so honored…it isn't every day I find someone so…so kind in my bed…usually it's…thirsty monsters who see me as prey…" She leaned in and planted a kiss on her chest, "You respect me…?" She asked as if it was too good to be true, "What did I do to deserve you…?" She whispered.

She bit her lip as she felt the cool press of Jeanette's lips against her, "Nothing. We're just…simply friends looking out for each other…well, friends with benefits…"

Jeanette shuddered and rubbed Anastasia's back, her smooth palms felt like ocean waves, one of her hands tracing the serpent that was wrapped around her torso. She followed it up her waist, and when she made it to the serpent's head, she gently held the breast, giving it a firm squeeze as she leaned in and left an open-mouthed kiss on her neck.

She let a sigh escape past her lips, holding Jeanette's head in place, "I…I just think….fucking a blonde…is such a rare thing for me…even when I was alive…and a blonde _girl_ …" She shuddered, "The summary is, I really like your hair…"

Jeanette gently pulled her head away and pet the white highlight of hair, "Your hair is pretty too…is there a…a deep meaning for the white streak…? Like a part of you that was lost…?"

"Ha, ha, not really…" She smiled, "I just…thought…it would look sexy…if I dressed in all black, but had one…little glimmer…on me at all times…"

"Mmm…like a star in the cloudy sky…" She said as she reached a hand up and held Anastasia's cheek, "The city of Angels…that's where you're from, aren't you? That explains everything…"

She was about to correct her, about ready to go on and on about how she and Cadmus seemed to go all over the states at once, both when they were little and when they came of age. But tonight wasn't for thinking about her brother. It was for something a little different. She leaned forward and squeezed Jeanette close, kissing her hungrily, letting out a loud sigh as well.

Jeanette gladly let Anastasia's tongue win the battle of dominance, sliding the backs of her nails down her back to get a handful of her rear. Anastasia let out a groan, "You like that?" She asked lowly.

"I do…" Jeanette purred, giving her hips a squeeze before she cocked her head to the side a bit and held Anastasia's breasts, "What size…?" She whispered in her ear as she gently massaged her breasts in the palms of her hands.

"D." She bit through a groan, "I imagine that's your size…too…"

"Oh…you'd have to ask Therese…I have no clue…" She said as she gently rubbed Anastasia's stomach with one hand, the other slowly curved around to her back. Anticipation was thick in the air as Jeanette's hand moved up and down slowly, getting closer and closer to her panties, "She and I are the same size…not that she wears one either…"

She smiled, "I…I need to lay down…my…my back is getting tired…"

"Mmm hmm…" Jeanette let her lie back on the bed, then she stood up and let her skirt drop, "Socks on or off?"

"Whatever you want."

She quickly kicked her boots off and pulled off her socks, only left in a little red thong as she hopped up onto the bed and kneeled between Anastasia's legs, "Do you have any…sore spots…?" She asked, her hands deeply rubbing her thighs.

She sighed and relaxed a bit, "Just…my back…and…and my legs…my feet, as always…uh…I didn't mean to…sound impatient…earlier, I'm sorry…"

"Shh…" She hushed, gently taking one of her legs and massaging her ankles, "You wear heels…I love the way they make your ass look…"

"And…finally…they pay off…" She melted into Jeanette's bed a bit more, "I love your bed…it…it has to be yours…I can't see Therese liking a bed like this…"

"Oh no, this is my room…after all…Therese has an apartment down the street…she works here some nights…but…this is where I sleep…I love it here…so dark and brooding…" She said as she let go of her leg and leaned in over Anastasia's body. Her hands rested just beside her shoulders as she feverishly kissed her lips.

It was Anastasia's turn to grope Jeanette's ass as she kissed her back, "Jeanette…" She groaned through the kissing. Jeanette let out a high pitched moan herself and shuddered. Her tongue landing on Anastasia's chest, before she crawled down a bit and started licking and gingerly suckling on one of her breasts.

She gasped and closed her eyes, squeezing her tightly, "Just…be careful…"

Jeanette sat up and giggled a bit, "What, you think this is my first time since being Embraced…? I'll only poke holes if you want me to, but for now, you're my precious silver duckling, I'd never do something so cruel…"

"Okay…I…uh…it's just a sensitive area…sorry…"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I won't do it again…" She said as she gently rubbed the area before tilting her head like a curious puppy and slowly slipping Anastasia's panties away from her hips. Anastasia sighed and spread her legs, quivering a bit. "What's the matter?" Jeanette smirked, "You getting antsy…?"

"Uh-huh…" She shivered.

"Aw…you poor little kitten…" She rubbed her hips, "Do you want me to…taste the milk of your love or…reach in to make more…?" Her eyes were like an alternate universe, like they had a gravitational pull and were ready to suck Anastasia in.

"Whatever you want…please…"

Slowly, one hand reached around the arch of Anastasia's back to provide support, while her thumb circled the sensitive spot near her womanhood. It was only a moment later that Anastasia felt two of Jeanette's fingers enter her, curling just right and pumping in an out with a steady rhythm.

Anastasia bit her lip, before she started groaning over and over again, thrusting her hips out in a humping movement as Jeanette kept fingering her. She cried out Jeanette's name, clawing at the bedsheets.

Gradually slowing down, Jeanette's smirk only grew as she gently pulled her fingers away and stuck them in Anastasia's mouth. The look on her face made it evident that she was aware she stopped just as Anastasia was about to climax, she knew she was torturing her. She muttered something through the fingers in her mouth, hips still bucking in an effort to reach some sort of satisfactory conclusion.

Jeanette let out a sigh as she leaned her face in against her womanhood, her long tongue filling her up just enough. Her hands reached out and grabbed Anastasia's thighs as they wrapped around her neck, thankful she didn't need to breathe due to the grip around her neck. Anastasia screamed a bit more as she finally reached a satisfying climax, her erratic movements slowed down until she came to a complete stop.

Anastasia felt the bed rock as Jeanette flopped next to her, rubbing Anastasia's stomach, "Do you feel better now, duckling…?" She purred softly in her ear, she could feel Jeanette's breath fanning around her ear, "Did I help…clear your mind a little bit…?"

"Let me…let me get you…" She rasped.

"You have enough life in you?" She smiled, "Not that it will take much…it never takes much for me…" Anastasia crawled down a bit and pulled Jeanette's thong off, rubbing where the waistband of her skirt and thong would typically squeeze her. Jeanette let out a sigh as she squeezed the sheets, "You're such an angel…a gift from the sky…"

"You like that?" Anastasia smiled, still a bit tired from her own trip, "I thought there'd be a lot of…pressure there…"

"Yeah…" Her voice was a sigh, "That's nice…really nice…" She went down a little bit further and kissed her waistline, rubbing her lower abdomen as well. "Yeah…more…more…" She gripped the sheets, " _Anastasia_ …" She sighed, her voice low and sultry.

"You know…I have to admit…it's pretty nice to know that the great Jeanette is reduced to a shy little vixen when she looks at _me_." She slowly started to finger her, "I hope the thought of a hot girl like _me_ fucking you stays in your memory for a while…"

She let out a scream loud enough for the patrons downstairs to hear as her back arched and her hips bucked towards Anastasia, "You're…" She said through an ecstatic gasp, "The hottest yet…"

"Damn right I am." She bent back a bit more and kissed her sex, with an increasing frequency. Jeanette gasped for air, despite how much she didn't need it, her legs wrapped themselves around her waist as she begged her name through clenched teeth. "It's okay, keep going…" Anastasia whispered, stroking her butt with both her hands as she kept kissing her sex.

Jeanette let out a final scream as she reached a peak that Anastasia took her over, her entire body rattled over once more before she let out a sigh that sounded a lot like Anastasia's name.

Anastasia licked her lips, climbing back up to her side and kissing her lips, "There you go…"

Jeanette kissed her back, "I think you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me…"

She smiled, slipping out of her bed, "I gotta go now…before your sister…you know…kills me…" She picked up and bra and panties and put them back on.

"So soon…?" She asked, "She won't be back until sunset…" Jeanette couldn't even _move_.

"I know…but I'm a heavy sleeper…I…I don't trust myself…if…if I time it wrong…" She shuddered. But she wasn't above turning around adjusting the blankets for Jeanette, tucking her in.

Jeanette smiled as she made herself cozy, "Do you…ever want to do this again…?"

"Maybe. I have a lot on my plate right now."

"Of course…I look forward to it, kitten."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yup…there it is. It was bound to happen. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-seven! This chapter has officially been taken over by yours truly, Velvet Velour. After all, it has been some time since people have read my writing, and, frankly, I'm quite offended. So please, I'm offering my most sensitive information to you. Do as you will with it.

 **Disclaimer:** I feel entitled to mention that the characters in this tale may be unfamiliar to you, but seeing as they are a part of my life, you cannot have them. I'm not entirely sure why you would want them anyway because they aren't exactly angels…but, do angels really exist?

* * *

Bitter cold winds, tinged with the gravelly stench of exhaust fumes buffeted across white, delicate skin. Long acrylic nails slid through weak, straw-like hair, dyed deep blue to hide the mess of a bad coloring job. Regret for not asking for a jacket bubbled up in her mind, despite how much she knew the answer would still be no.

"Suzie." Ice blue eyes turned over a frail shoulder to see a friend, "Beth's got a catch, we can go to the coffee place if you want."

Suzie looked closer at her friend. Deep red hair, natural. A natural gift, she thought. She envied the red locks that effortlessly bounced, no matter how cold the streets were. Her face was pale and young, sharp cheekbones, natural, long lashes and bright pink eyes. She was a natural grace, life handed her a buffet of opportunities and she picked the scraps. Her eyes were lined with mascara, saddened with eyeshadow to hide the dark bags, or maybe a black eye. Her lips were painted a deep blue, matching her navy blue corset and fishnet stockings, hiked up to a pair of white tattered denim shorts. "But Archie might-"

She shook her head and gave a bright smile, "I talked to Archie."

Suzie's shoulders drooped a bit, she nodded and took her friend's hand in hers as they walked down the cracked sidewalks, "I hope Beth will be alright…"

"Beth will be fine." She said, "You know, I was thinking about dropping the whole…street act…if you…get what I'm saying."

"You were?" Suzie asked nervously, "Won't Archie…get upset?"

"I make more money from the films." She said, "And it's a lot safer. You've only been doing this…what, a few days? You probably wouldn't get it."

"Oh…no…" She said softly as she held her friend's hand tighter, "I get it."

"You should join me." Her smile was soft and motherly. It always had been. Suzie wondered what would happen if the dice were rolled again. If she got a new set of numbers, a different life. "I don't think Archie would mind."

"It…makes more…?" Suzie asked as the charming bell to the coffee shop jingled.

Her friend nodded as they sat in a booth, not ordering anything, "A ton more. It's a…kinda new business." She said, her voice dropping softer, "DMP, they call it. They do all sorts of things. I've only been in one film so far, and I've made more than I would in two nights of street shifts."

Suzie's eyes widened, "And Archie wouldn't mind…?"

Her red curls waggled as she shook her head, "You'll have to ask, but I don't think he'll mind at all."

Suzie played with a packet of spilled sugar on the table, "The film industry is really that good…?"

"It hasn't even got up off the ground yet. Hasn't even taken flight. And I got paid." She said with a smile, her pretty white teeth contrasting with her dark lips, "You'd be good for it too, Suzie. You have better vocals than I do."

Suzie snickered, her cheeks dusted pink, "You just need enough experience."

"Oh, don't give me that!" She said, "I've done more than you have."

"Quality over quantity." She said as she moved her fingers away from the white grains on the table, "Besides, dear, the drugs you use to prepare yourself really take away from the entire experience, I've found."

"It had to be a chick then…" She muttered as she rested her head on a closed fist, "Guys can never get me off right without it. They act all high and mighty, but…then the pants come off and they don't know the clit from the asshole."

Suzie laughed, "I think we've all had a few of those…" She sighed, "It was my junior year…he pulled me into his father's car…and, what can I say? He seemed to know what he was doing."

"Lucky…" Her dark blue nails slid through the shining curls, her gaze turning out the window, "Oh…" Her voice became hollow as she looked out the large glass pane, "It's Archie."

Suzie's face went even paler, if possible, as she looked out the window. Despite this, her lips curved into a sly smirk at the man who was towering over them, his arms crossed over his broad chest. She waved and winked, before curling a finger towards herself a few times in a 'come here' motion. Surely enough, he went around and entered the shop, standing before them. He was a tall and broad man, not big boned but stocky, the body of a bouncer. His hair was black, slicked back to reveal a receding widow's peak. His jawline was strong, his eyes were small and beady, the color of an oil spill. He had a coat over his shoulders, a silver fur coat that just hung loosely, supplying no warmth to himself, not that it was needed. He wore a red suit with matching slacks, diamond cufflinks and a bright golden tie that contrasted with the black dress shirt. His shoes were a rich brown color, extensively polished. When he spoke, his voice was wiry and snake-like, but it had a certain depth to it that commanded attention, "Girls…" He said lowly, "I don't think you're going to find much business in a coffee shop."

Suzie looked to her friend, who was completely speechless, frozen with terror. She turned her charming smirk towards Archie, "Well, we've attracted your attention, haven't we?"

"Very humorous, Susan. I had a word with Mister Foxx today."

Susan's smile faded, "Mister…Foxx…" She said slowly, "I was unaware you were acquainted…"

"How else do you think you got this, job, dollface?" He asked as he reached a hand forward and clutched her chin.

Her eyes darted from his tan arm, each finger bound by a golden ring of a different color gemstone, before she looked up at his face. Slightly aged and bitter as all hell, she noted, before she spoke, "Because Winnie suggested it."

"Because Winnie suggested it." His eyes narrowed as he leaned in, her eyes unwavering, "What the hell is it going to take to break you in…?" He said lowly through clenched teeth.

Susan smirked, "It'll take more than a few little boys taking the money I earn to break me."

He snickered as he stood back and crossed his arms, before turning to her friend, "Winnie."

Her red curls bounced as she looked over at Archie, "Hmm?"

"Come with me."

"Oh…um…" She swallowed hard, "Suzie wanted to ask you something…"

He raised a brow and turned to Susan, "Yes?"

"The film industry." Susan asked, "Is there room for one more?"

* * *

"There you are. Good, good, I was worried something happened to you." He turned around, his styled mop of red hair complimented his dark auburn eyes as he faced her, "Damn. You look good."

Susan stopped in front of him. She wasn't going to tell him how much concealer was under her eyes to hide the dark bags, how much eyeliner and mascara she had on to make her look anywhere near Winnie's beauty, how much red lipstick she wasted trying to find the perfect shade that matched with her lingerie. "It's been a long time, Garret."

"That it has…" He said slowly, "I would have contacted you earlier…but…I…I was sick."

Her mind absently drifted to his outfit, his red button down shirt that was half unbuttoned, his black jeans and dress shoes. Something was off. He did look paler. But…his face almost looked like it was glowing, like he was the pinnacle of health. "You were sick?" She asked, "Are you sure you didn't just lose interest?"

"Lose interest…?" He asked, "In a catch like you?" He chuckled, "That's precious. I've been busy, doll, I don't know what you want me to say. Got a gig now, agent of mine tells me you're gonna help me out with it."

"You're….tied to DMP?"

"One of the big guns, that's for sure." He said as he eyed her over, "Damn…I've missed you a lot…"

She smirked, "I can say the same. You still have your father's car?"

"Nah, had to scrap it after he kicked the bucket." He said as he reached out and held her waist, "You wanna…get a little making out done before we get to work?"

She pressed her lips to his. Something was off about his kiss. His lips felt cold, he tasted different. Bitter, calloused. And his teeth felt different, like they shifted. She stood back, "Are you sure nothing's happened?"

"Just business, sweetheart." He said as he held her hips a bit too tightly, "Let's go at it and then get to work."

"As long as you don't make me too sore…"

He mashed his lips to hers again and slammed her up against the wall, peeling his shirt off and grabbing her rear hard enough to leave bruises wherever his fingertips were. She grunted and kissed his lips back.

Tonight was a tequila night, for sure.

* * *

Tapping against the floors of the tip of the heel of Winnie's shoe rang out in the small coffee shop. Only a pair of elderly men in the corner, the shopkeeper behind the counter, and Winnie and Susan occupied the building, but the aroma of coffee beans and smoke was as impermeable as ever.

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous to be drinking so much coffee while you're already…" Susan trailed off. Her blue eyes were weary, her thin frame covered by a black leather jacket, her legs by blue torn up jeans.

Winnie shook her head. Her face was paler than usual, her eyes were completely bloodshot and listless. She reached up and rubbed one of her eyes, smearing away makeup around her eye to reveal a dark red bruise Susan knew she was concealing. "I'm fine…f-fine."

"What did you want to talk to me about, dear?" Susan asked. Her honey sweet voice that she once prided herself for, all the girls did, really, was becoming ever so slightly grated. Garret told her it was hot, it meant she was a screamer, or a smoker, or a druggie, and it added 'flavor' to her voice. She didn't feel like herself when she spoke anymore.

Winnie sniffed and scratched the back of her hand, "I'm…." She took a deep breath, "I…I think we should go back to your place." She said quickly, "T-Too many people….too many…too…too many…"

Susan shook her head slowly, feeling even more lethargic compared to her best friend's actions, "Winnie, we're all alone here, it's alright…"

"No…no…not where he can see, Suze…"

Susan gave a deep sigh and stood up, taking out a few bills from her top and handing them to the man behind the counter before she took Winnie's hand and they headed for the motel right next door.

As soon as they entered the battered motel room, Winnie went into the small bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Susan hung up her coat, her frame seemed even thinner than before, scratches here and there, bruises splattered on her pale skin. She listened to Winnie open pill bottles, but knew better than to stop her. Last time she tried, she ended up needing stiches.

On the other hand, Winnie never brought herself to a comatose, or even close. She seemed to know her limit and just tease it, but never had a death wish. In that strange sense, Susan trusted her. But at the same time, it felt like a knife in the back. She knew a real friend wouldn't let another fall so hard, but she didn't want another fight. She just wanted Winnie happy.

And Winnie certainly was far from happy. Rarely did she ever resort to pills. There was always something to smoke or snort, but she never went to pills unless it was something _bad_. Susan's eyes glossed with fear as Winnie stepped out of the bathroom with a shaky breath and sat next to her on the couch, "I'm pregnant."

Susan let the words sink in. Two dramatic words, that always caused such a heartbreaking feeling when unveiled in such a context. She was waiting for her heart to sink, her stomach to flip and her mind to whirl, but…

Nothing. She hardly felt a thing. "I thought you weren't out on the streets anymore."

Winnie shook her head, her curls looking dry, like they would disintegrate if you simply reached out and touched them. "I'm not…" Her voice was hushed.

"Then it was….someone in a film…?"

She sniffed and shook her head.

"Are you seeing someone?"

She nodded.

"Does Archie know…?"

She nodded.

Susan looked perplexed, "Does he know you're…?"

She shook her head.

"I think you should tell him." She said softly, gently putting a hand on Winnie's shoulder.

"I can't." Her voice broke, "I can't because he'll kill me…he'll kill me and the baby…"

"Do you…intend to keep the child…?"

"Of course…" Her voice shrunk.

"Were you on birth control…?"

"No…they make me feel like a sinner…"

And yet nothing else did. Not the drugs, not the sex. The protection made her feel like a sinner. "You're going to have this child then?"

She nodded.

"Archie needs to know…you can't just…go along with it and see if he doesn't notice…"

"I'll just disappear for a few months…" She sniffed, "And he won't notice…then I'll have the baby….put him up for adoption…everything will be okay…"

"Winnie, dear, what's the point of having the child if you're going to put it up for adoption…?"

The phone rang. Winnie jumped, then grabbed the scratchy blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders as she laid down in fetal position and rocked back and forth. Susan grabbed the phone, "Luckee Star Motel, Room four."

"Susan." Archie's voice was even more unforgiving over the phone, "Where is Winnie?"

"I have her here." She looked over at Winnie, "But I just spent her, you're going to have to wait a while until she's ready for any sort of production."

"Tell her to meet me in the graveyard at midnight. You're coming too."

"I just told you, she's exhausted." Susan said, "And I'm not sure my fingers will be able to hold up after tonight…"

"Damn it, Susan! This relationship of yours is getting out of hand. I can't have my girls fucking each other every night and losing cash!"

"Oh, what's the matter?" She purred, "Afraid you won't be able to pay your bills?"

"You're just a complete idiot, aren't you?" He asked condescendingly, "Your little lover boy is my employer."

Her jaw dropped ever so slightly, "You mean…"

"Mister Foxx is my employer, yes. He told me all about you, Susan." She felt her throat go dry before he continued, "It was mere coincidence that you stepped in my office and asked for a little job, because I was planning on having a chat with you about the offering myself."

"He…told you about me…? Why…?"

"Because nobody wants a whore with an A cup."

Her cheeks flushed. That's what she was, wasn't she? That's what her body was good for; cash. She was just a product for him, something he would take in or decline depending on something she had no control over. Why did she let him take the satisfaction of that? Why did she let him abuse her best friend? Why did she let him force her to sleep with the strangers of the night? Why did _he_ get money for that? Why did she let any of it happen? "Why do you want us in the graveyard? Why can't we meet in your office?" She asked as her grip tightened around the phone. She was losing control of him, something she could always rely on. She could always twirl him around her finger with the right words, manipulate him to do or think whatever she'd want him to.

"Tick tock, girls. Keep an eye on the clock." The line went dead.

Could she? Could she really manipulate him? Or was it a ruse? She was just a prostitute. A hooker, a whore. Who was she trying to kid? She had no control over him, she was his. And she followed his every command like a dog. Just a dog, avoiding its next beating.

Susan swallowed hard as she hung up the line and turned to Winnie, "Are you awake?" her voice was hushed.

"Mmm hmm…" She whimpered quietly.

"In half an hour…we have to go. Alright?" She aside as she laid next to Winnie, taking her hands in hers, "You'll be alright, Winnie…" She said softly as she planted a kiss on the back of her neck, "I'll help you take care of the baby, every step of the way."

* * *

Uneven steps were the last of her fears, it was holding onto Winnie and making sure she didn't hurt herself falling down the hill that was Susan's primary concern. Sitting on a gravestone at the bottom of the hill was Archie, a cigar in his mouth hung loosely, he pulled it out and tapped it against the headstone as he spotted them, "There you are. What the hell did you do to her…?" He narrowed his eyes at Winnie.

Winnie shook in Susan's arm. Susan was about to speak, to defend her as she always had, but she snapped. Winnie pulled herself away and pushed Susan to the ground, "It's over, Archie!" Winnie exclaimed, throwing her arms helplessly in the air, "You fucking did it!"

Archie raised a brow, "Did what?"

She grit her teeth, then faced him, "I'm harboring your child." She said, tears streaming down her cheeks, "And I'm not aborting it."

He stood up, his face completely shocked. Susan had never seen him cast any emotion, really, besides anger. She was still lying on the ground, holding herself up on her elbows as she watched.

"You wretched whore…" He snarled through clenched teeth, "You _will_ get rid of it."

"I will not." She exclaimed, "I'm not a murderer!"

"It's my child, and I'll gladly be the one to take its life, if you won't." Archie grabbed her by the neck.

"Enough!" Susan stood to her feet and grabbed Archie by the arm, "Don't you touch her!"

Archie's hand flew back and hit her across the face, knocking her back to the ground. Her head hit a stone and she blacked out before the 'meeting' could even be discussed.

Her eyes opened again, only she was in her room, on her bed. She sat up and rubbed the back of her head, it was extremely sore, "…Winnie…?" Her weary eyes looked around, then she jumped as she saw Garret walk in from the bathroom. She chuckled lightly to herself, "Garret…you startled me…"

"Susan…" His voice was low, "You and I are close, yes? If I told you to jump, you'd….you'd do it? For me…?"

Her eyes grew with worry as she sat up, "Yes…" She said softly, "I would….because I love you…or…I did…where…where is Winnie?"

"You're a wonderful, woman, Susan. I'd like to show you the real world. The only world that matters on this earth."

"… _what?_ "

He laid on the bed next to her and put an arm around her waist, kissing her lips. She kissed him back, then pulled away, "Garret, I can't…I can't do it anymore…" She pushed away from him, "You're different. You hurt me." Tears formed in her eyes, "You don't treat me like you used to. You treat me like a toy…a body….I…I want to be yours, Garret, I do, but you're just…different then when we were young…"

He scooted himself closer, "Stay young with me, Susan…"

"What does that even mean…?" She whimpered, "I just want you to leave…please…" She covered herself with her arms.

He narrowed his eyes in aggravation, "I tried being nice, Susan."

"I did too." She hissed under her arms.

He chuckled haughtily before he pulled her arms away from her face. An orange glow surrounded his figure. She froze in absolute terror. It felt like her heart was being clutched by a cold, metal hand, squeezing tighter and tighter. Her eyes fogged up as he seized her shoulders and bit into her neck. An intense burning feeling took her over, almost orgasmic, if not for the fear flooding through her veins. It felt like fire, the two fangs lodged in her neck, and she gave a cry of agony before the fogged orange haze she was lost in faded away to darkness.

Like déjà-vu, her eyes opened again, though this time she heard voices. There was light pouring into the room. From the hallway, she decided. And it was unnervingly bright. She heard Garret, his voice was raised and he was yelling. He sounded like a demon, snarling and barking. There was another voice, a composed voice, never getting to the level of Garrets. And then, she felt an arm around her waist, her vision still fogged over. She was being carried bridal style, she felt an arm around her back and under her legs, before she felt cool rain land on her skin.

His voice was clearer now, her senses slowly putting themselves back together. Her eyes saw a suit, a pale face with mousy brown hair, his voice sounded aged but warm, "You're going to be alright, dear…I have no clue what you've gotten yourself into, but you're going to be alright."

* * *

With the music playing, the dream came together. She could feel the same vibe she got from them when she asked them to do the recording for her. And it was absolutely perfect. She walked around the main room, her eyes catching on the bright colors, the lights and the shining surfaces. Never had she ever imagined something of this scale could be hers. She couldn't even afford an apartment just months ago, and yet, here she was. Her own club.

Dancers smiling, being showered with money for twirling around. Men in booths, captivated with the show, or perhaps enjoying a lap dance. She envisioned it all in the empty building. She conducted the interviews. Tomorrow was opening night, and she couldn't be any more excited. She turned towards the VIP room, something she didn't request but was granted with anyway.

Her hand slid up the railing, her gaze glossed over the design, the detail. She felt tears roll into her eyes, trying to wipe them away, "Isaac…you…shouldn't have…"

"Consider it your lucky break." He said with a small smile, sitting on the sofa.

"Why…?" She asked softly, "I don't understand why…"

"Because, I needed someone to get this place running, and it wasn't going to be me."

"No…why did you save me…Isaac?"

He crossed his legs as he thought for a moment, "I was in the right place at the right time, I suppose." He said, "I'm not usually one to run towards a damsel in distress, but when I heard that scream and saw that Sabbat…I knew there was something I could do. It wasn't much, but…I figured there was some potential in you. I'm not happy he's still out there, but saving you from whatever he was planning to do is some sort of progression, at least."

"You're my hero…" She sniffed.

There was a knock on the door, "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll be back, Susan, to answer any questions you have."

"I'll see you…" She said as he left. Someone else came up the stairs moments later, an infant wrapped in a yellow blanket in her arms. Susan felt her eyes melt as the mother and child walked in, "Winnie…" She felt as though her voice escaped her.

"Hi." Winnie gave a slight smile, "It's…been a while, hasn't it? Gosh, you look so different…hardly recognizable…"

Susan stepped forward and hugged her, sniffing, "Has it…really been nine months…?"

"Seven." She said as she looked down at the baby, "But…they…said he's a fighter…"

The little infant had its eyes shut tightly, its fists balled up. One of its eyes peeked open, it was the color of heavy storm clouds, like the clouds of L.A. "Oh…isn't he precious…" Susan whispered, wanting to hold the baby close, but know how much it would frighten the poor thing.

"Killian." Winnie said as she looked up, "His name is Killian."

"Killian…Fitzroy…" She said as the baby started getting nervous under the glare of Susan's silver eyes. He gave moan of discomfort, then she backed away and looked back at Winnie, "Is Archie upset?" She asked softly.

"No…not anymore." She said in her gentle voice, "We're engaged."

"Are you?" Her eyes widened, "I thought he was…spoken for…"

It seemed she was struggling for words, "I guess not…he told me he's only thirty eight and…single…"

"Well…as long as the baby's alright…"

"I think he'll be fine." Winnie said, "I'm going to have to get back to work soon…Archie's already in the hole now from the medical bills…I gave birth in the tub…but…" She shook her head, "He was so young…I didn't think he would make it if we didn't take him somewhere…"

"Of course…Winnie…did…you want to work for me instead of Archie…?"

Her eyes widened with hope, then dimed slowly, "I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"It won't be enough." She said with teary eyes, "I need more. If I could just be a stripper…god, what'd I'd do to be a stripper…" She wiped her tears away with her shoulder, "I should…get home…feed Killian…."

"Of course." Susan said, "By the way…Winnie…"

Winnie turned over her shoulder with a small smile.

"I'd like for you to…call me VV."

"VV…?"

"Velvet Velour, is my name…Susan was murdered the other night in the motel…I'm sorry…she…loved you a lot, Winnie…"

Winnie's smile melted, "You…aren't Susan…?"

"I'm afraid not…" Velvet smiled, "But…the sun always rises, Winnie. You don't need Susan to go on. She was weak, Winnie…she would never have made it as far as you have."

Winnie's eyes teared up, "…I'll…see you then, VV…I'm sorry for the confusion…"

"Please take care, dear…" Silence filled the room as she closed the door, leaning her forehead against the cool metal.

Her dream really had come true. She took the dice in her hands and rolled them again. Winnie ended up as a mother, a wife, something VV had always felt she would be. And VV? She wasn't a prostitute, or a porn star, or anything degrading. She was a dancer. She was an empowered woman who could bring men to their knees with just the right movements, her mind was unconquerable. No one would ever hurt her again. Not as VV. Velvet Velour's mind was something that would never be tampered with the way Susan's was. She would live on in Susan's place.

And yet.

He lived on, too, somewhere.

* * *

 **A/N:** A tribute to the fallen was long overdue, don't you agree? Well, I'll be awaiting your compliments or constructive criticism…But please, don't leave me waiting. I've never been a very…patient girl. And in the language of romance… _Tu as un coeur d'or dans une mer de ténèbres ... Ne laisse pas les ténèbres te prendre._


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-eight! Got some more behind the scenes perspectives that haven't been around for a while…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Yo, Anastasia, you interested in another little favor for me, baby girl?" Fat Larry smirked.

Anastasia blinked and turned towards him, considering how much money her last 'job' for him got, "Sure, what is it?"

"Yo, my bui'ness partner, Venus Dare, she been havin' some strange folk meetin' her once a night, and I think it's time Poppa Larry intervenes."

"Venus Dare?" She cocked an eyebrow, "Oh…is she the chick who owns Confessions?"

"That's her. She been havin' some hard-ass times because a punk named Boris had been giving her straight-up mafia treatment about payments and all that commotion. But now some _new_ stranger's been in town and I think it's gonna start all over again."

"Okay, who is this guy?"

"I don't know 'em myself, but…it's sort of a…judgin' from appearances…you picking up what I'm puttin' down? I read his book cover to cover and I already know what he's all about. Anyway, he's some scrawny…bui'nessman…or…somethin'…hell if I know. He's got short blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and he wear all black. Straight up black, motherfucker. Now, if that don't give away the fact that he's a drug dealer or nothin' I don't know what does. Hell, he could be Boris-the-Second for all I know."

She narrowed her eyes in thought, she _definitely_ knew someone who fit that description.

"So I need you to whack him off. Just him. I want my partnership with Venus to be safe, ya know? Whack this fool, and I'll pay ya. Kill the damn pencil-pusher."

"Alright, sure." Anastasia nodded, looking over at Confessions. The man Fat Larry described was Victor Madison, the Tremere Magister. Whenever he was brought up at the Last Round, it typically wasn't a pleasant conversation. But what would _he_ be doing with Venus? In fact, him being in a bar _at all_ hardly seemed to make sense.

She smiled despite this. Not only was she going to satisfy Fat Larry and get paid, but she was going to rid the Anarchs of one of their most essential enemies too. He _was_ Tremere though, so Anastasia knew she would need a couple tricks up her sleeve to even _contend_ with the old Magister.

* * *

Genevieve was sitting at the counter in Slade, Dragomir, and Tess's apartment, batting an orange back and forth with her hands. Given that it's at least been a month or two since the three roommates have eaten, the orange was green and rotten. The second it touched one of her hands, she swatted it to the other, and back and forth it went, her green eyes following it with an astounded curiosity. When she heard the door open, she perked up, "Dragomir?"

He closed the door behind himself and sniffed around, "Anyone else here?"

She shook her head.

He walked in and hugged her, "Is…is that a tennis ball…?" He raised a brow as he looked at the orange.

She shook her head again, "It was a sourly fruit that has become even sourer with time…"

"Oh…" He said slowly, "Do you want me to…get rid of it…?"

"It's not necessary…" She squeezed him back, "You're still rocky stiff from your little chat with the jester…"

He chuckled, "I'm not going to lie, I was afraid he'd axe me…and I'd be little more than dirt for his little cleaning staff to dust from his shiny little floors."

"You shouldn't involve yourself in his games, Dragomir…the jester already has his happy little pack of helpers…if you join him you'll inflate his odious ego…"

He smiled and combed fingers through her hair, "Good…and so my plan goes accordingly…"

"Don't you catch his disease now…soon…the night sky will light up…and the iron crown will fall to someone else…"

"I hope it does." He gently held a finger under her chin so she'd look up at him, see the goofy grin on his face, "I'm going to drive him mad. Madder than the hatter. Madder than you and I and every one of our kind in the entire world. And I'm going to do it in his shadow, where he can never catch me. And so long as I am 'his'…I am under his protection. And so are you."

"Me?"

"Because…you don't have a shell…I'll be your shell…" She smiled and hugged him a little tighter, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He closed his eyes and decompressed, his hands both on her back as he kept her close, "You know…you invade my mind more than the voices do…"

"Forgive me."

He chuckled and pet her hair before he tipped her chin again and gently kissed her lips. She kissed him back, her eyes still closed as she gently rubbed his back. Sliding his fingers through her hair again, he gently broke away and adjusted his glasses, "We'll watch them all burn around us as we dance on their ashes."

"Don't ever dance too early."

"Mmm, yes, we'll be careful." He squeezed her hands, "I worry about Slade…Greenhorn…" He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Where is he going to go in this game…? Where will he go…? He's always been there for me…" He met her eyes with his, "After my sin, his life's been put on the line just as much as mine…" _And yours…_

"I see a clouded future ahead of him. He will get lost."

He looked saddened, then he squeezed her again, "I'll do everything I can for both of you…"

She squeezed him, "What I don't know, is if he'll find his way back on the right track again…"

He shook his head, "If he doesn't…there will be hell to pay for all sides…"

She nodded, "There will be a great flood, when his pawn's guise is ripped off."

He nodded with a gravelly sigh, "Yes, that makes sense…" He sat next to her and started playing with the glasses on the table, "Your insight is so much sharper than mine…I'm not sure that the voices will ever be so clear to me…they come much less frequently…I suppose I have my father's strain of mild-tempered madness…"

"…you can still create a web of allies with our food and our associates…I envy that…"

He smiled softly, "I'll have you many allies, don't you worry."

"You're all I want."

He had a good laugh, then he gently cupped her face with his hands and kissed her again. She gave a little giggle and kissed him back.

* * *

"Why the hell are you fighting back? Just take it like a man! Take it like the rest of 'em!" His voice was horse, he had the presence of a lion, his tangled mass of black hair that stretched past his back, his thick and shimmering canines, his tiny feral eyes. Without his tattered gray tank top, he was dense and muscular, compact but not tiny. He could lumber over an opponent like this, but certainly not every that he faced. His forearms were covered with fur as black as his hair, his hands looked more like the mitts of a bear than a person.

The scrawny teenager he faced gave a caterwaul as one of the mitts was reared back and raked over his face, taking an eye with it. He scampered back and covered the eye, "Let me go you son of a bitch!" He squealed, "You're just a sick demon!"

"A sick demon is right." He said in his gravelly voice as he stepped forward and picked him up by the neck, "What's my name…?" He growled.

The teenager grunted as he failed to respond and got a fist in the gut. Blood trickled down his lips as he felt his body get smashed into a fleshy wall, "…Ferrum…"

"That's right…" He gave a sinister grin as he leaned in and licked the blood from the lanky kid's face, "You got any words you want me to pass on to your daddy before I tear him apart next?"

The teen teared up as he gave another whining screech, trying to claw Ferrum in the face before Ferrum tore his intestines out. It was almost seconds before he fell limp in Ferrum's arms. He gave a low sigh and picked up the husk of person, draining about half of him before he threw the corpse in a piles of others outside the room, "'Ey!" He screamed, "Bring in the next one already!"

One of the Sabbat standing outside scratched the back of his head, "What's he all about now…? Why's he having us bring 'em food?"

"No damn clue, why can't he get his own food…?"

A Sabbat thug dragged a struggling man downstairs, then threw him into the room Ferrum was in. "Cause he had some run in with this hot Anarch chick." He said, "Tell ya, she's got a rack like two planets!"

One of them laughed as the other asked, "What, another Gangrel?"

"Yeah, with good Protean, he's trying to get to her level." He licked the blood from his hands.

"And we gotta stand here and carry the bodies to Andrei cause…?"

One of them hoisted up the body as they started walking, "Cause Andrei's got a _big_ plan."

The two Sabbat grabbed the bodies Ferrum decimated and took them to a deeper room in the tattered building, "Andrei!" One of them called, "New delivery for ya!"

Andrei was standing on one of the rafters, pulling some intestines in his hands taut until they formed the perfect chandelier. He leaped down, snickering, "I will not ask for what reason my esteemed Ferrum has decided to fill my ancestral estate with so many canvases, merely will I compliment his fervor in trying to become a true killing machine for the Sabbat!"

"He's on another one 'a those power kicks." One of the Sabbat said.

"Yeah, like when he got his Fortitude strong as steel!" The other one said.

"Too bad he's dumb as a sack a' rocks. You tell the bastard to kill the guy northeast and he gets himself so confused, he just kills everyone! This is the third time we've had to have someone bust his scrawny ass out of the chair."

The other one laughed, "Lucky he made it that far!"

Back in the dark room Ferrum locked himself in, he seethed as he slashed his claws through the flesh of a dead body. _Why aren't my claws as long as hers? Why aren't my teeth as sharp? What the hell does she have that I don't!? She's an Anarch bitch! She got her life fucking handed to her and she slapped it into the trash! I'll beat her…I'll beat her to the ground…I'll beat all those goddamn Sabbat wannabes…_ His claws tore through another handful of flesh before they grew an inch, and his teeth no longer felt like his own, they felt bigger. The fur spread up his upper arms to his shoulders, his brow swelled. He gave a rumbling laugh as he looked at his claws, then laughed even louder, "I'll make you sleep with one eye open, little girl…"

* * *

This was all Victor's fault. All of it.

He started his night by stopping by at Confessions, although he didn't drink any diseased blood this time, he still must've looked fatigued, because Venus offered him a place to rest in her office again.

He accepted, only thinking he would sit for about ten minutes, but unlike last time, _this_ time, he fell asleep, and that's where his troubles began.

When his eyes fluttered open, he looked around, he wasn't on the couch anymore, and when he tried to move, he fell back. _Handcuffs?_ He swallowed hard and looked back. He was handcuffed to one of the table legs. "What…what is the meaning of this?" He asked.

Anastasia stepped out of the shadows, smiling, "Good thing your little girlfriend is a dominatrix, isn't it?"

"Girlfriend…" His eyes widened, "You're…one of the Anarchs, aren't you? Anastasia, is it?"

"That's right. What, am I _important_ enough to be on your little radar, Tremere scumbag?"

"How did you get up here?" He scowled.

"I snuck up while it was crowded, and your little girlfriend was busy. What can I say, my clan can smell better than most…"

"Stop calling her that…" He spat, trying to lash a hand out, but the table overturned and he fell over.

Anastasia laughed, as a green mist coated her, "It's over, Victor…you need to use your hands to use your Disciplines…with them all tied up, you can't use Thaumaturgy or Dominate, so it looks like two of your biggest strengths are gone."

"Wretched whore…" He said through clenched teeth.

The door opened and closed, Venus walked in with a keyring around her wrist, taking her heels off and facing away from them, completely oblivious, "Ugh, one of those damn brats got their heads stuck in the toilet again…" She sighed, "I remember when I used to be in that toilet…" She turned around and combed her fingers through her hair, "Just laugh until they leave-" She cut herself off as she saw the pair in the room, "You…" She trailed off and raised a brow, "Found my things, I guess."

Anastasia didn't look the least bit concerned that Venus walked in on their discussion, "You know, I'm glad I get to get rid of a Camarilla scumbag tonight. I've been going through a lot of shit lately, this is gonna feel so good."

Victor's eyes turned red, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Aw, that's cute…firing up Auspex. Your hands are tied Victor, there's nothing you can do to me. I mean…" She snickered, "Who the hell knows, maybe you can use Auspex to _look_ at me to death." She ran at him, gaining bestial features as she clawed him into the wall.

Victor coughed up blood as the table shattered into pieces and he was cut open. His hands were still bound, he tried to pull them free, "Every pair of shackles has a key to it."

"Out the window." Anastasia winked.

"Damn you, vile woman…" He seethed, "Why are you doing this? How did you find me?"

"Well, this all started cause of you." She said, "Apparently you're in some kinda love triangle with Venus and Fat Larry and he wanted me to kill you. And since you're a Cammy, this fits me like a glove, wouldn't you say?"

"… _Fat_ Larry?" He looked as though she deleted his brain, "Who in blazes is that? That…can't be a real person. Is that one of your Anarch nicknames?"

Venus chuckled nervously, "So he's hired a hitman, huh…?" She crossed her arms and stood in the corner, "Look, if I talk to him about this, will you…" She held a hand up like a person, wiggling her fingers to make it look like a person running away. "I'll pay you twice the amount he did, maybe more since you're so cute."  
Anastasia considered it for a moment or two, "This is personal." She started gutting Victor like he were her prey, even using her mouth in addition to her claws on occasion.

Victor screamed, "You…you can't kill me…" He closed an eye, "Nines will…Nines will outlive me…"

"Ha, nice try to beg." Anastasia laughed as she clawed for where his heart was, "You're gonna die a pathetic Cammy bastard…you knew your days were numbered, didn't you? That's why you were trying to get some ass." She snickered, "Sorry, but you died a virgin once, and you're gonna die again."

Victor flinched, "I'd rather be a virgin…then…then what you are…you spread your legs for anyone who passes by, filthy slut…" He reared his head back to head butt her, but that hurt himself more than it hurt her.

Anastasia laughed, "Nice try, did you forget I had Fortitude up?"

Victor shivered, in both pain and fear, his eyes darted over to Venus. Every other time she offered him some sort of help or commodity, he stiffly brushed it off, this time was clearly different, "Venus…" His voice shook, "Help me…"

"I'm already one step ahead of you." She said as she hung up the phone she was on, "Coppers on the way." She stepped forward and kicked a table over, a pistol strapped to the underside. She picked it up and aimed it at Anastasia's face, "Step back beasty girl and nobody gets hurt."

Anastasia smiled and faced Venus next, "The cops? I still have about five minutes left, that's enough time to kill this string-bean. And that gun isn't really gonna hurt me sweetheart."

"Shoot her…" Victor whispered, "Shoot her…distract her for a moment…then reach in my back pocket…" He stood up.

"Oh, hell no!" Anastasia held a hand out, a swarm of magical ravens flew at Venus, they weren't really powerful and their only job seemed to be to distract her.

Venus scowled and swatted at them, firing her gun a few times at Anastasia.

Anastasia flinched, the strange green mist was able to bounce off a good half the bullets, she then ran at Victor to dig into his flesh and finish the job.

Victor groaned in pain, starting to run away from her, he stepped back towards Venus, knowing that he had seconds, if he was lucky, before Anastasia would maul them both, "In my back pocket…there's a knife…it can sever my shackles…"

She put an arm around his waist, holding him up and keeping him away from Anastasia. He could feel her pulse against his skin, it was surprisingly calm considering how much was going on, especially for a fairly clueless kine. She reached into his pocket and grabbed the knife, reaching forward to slice the shackles.

In one divisive strike, his hands were free. He tried as best as he could to ignore the fact that _Jeanette_ indirectly saved his life. He lashed a hand out, "This is where it ends, you piteous wretch! I will kill you in a steaming agony of disintegrated flesh and blood! You and your Anarchs will all be nothing but remains when I'm through with you!"

Anastasia swallowed hard, the sirens in the background didn't help matters, she jumped out the nearest window.

Victor sighed and lowered his hand, as his eyes turned back to their normal blue hue, "I will deal with her later…"

She put the gun in her back pocket, "Should I tell them off then?" She pointed out the window.

"Yes…you should tell the authorities that the matter is settled…"

She nodded and prodded her head out the window, "Oi!" She shouted to the police that assembled below, "Everything's handled!" She heard some shouting from the ground, "Yeah, yeah, she scurried off! Thanks, love! Take care!" She stood back and looked over the window, "Mmm…shame Boris isn't here to fix that for me…" She looked at the furniture, "Or all of that…"

"Yes…I'm not really much of a handyman…" Victor looked at his hands, as if he were contemplating a great weight of society.

She took the gun from her pocket and safely fashioned it back to the table, before she closed her closet, "Sorry 'bout that." She said as she locked the door and tidied up the furniture, "It gets terribly boring around here, I'm sure you know how it is." She smirked, "Or, perhaps not. You seem to have _quite_ the confession to make…not that it's required. Yet."

"Venus…you…you saw all of that…"

"I did." She said, "Care to explain?" She sat on the couch. "I guess you don't have to, but…I'm going to be doing a lot of Googling if you don't."

"In my society…when humans see us in our…primal…state…we are to kill them…"

"…ah…" She said slowly, "Could I at least send a few emails first? Just to my…parents…"

"I don't want to kill you."

"…would fucking me first help? Consider it something on my bucket list." She winked.

His eyes widened, he looked to the side, "Venus…you saved my life, and for that I am grateful. I…I _have_ to kill you. But I don't want to…humans aren't supposed to be going around with knowledge of our existence…"

She paused, "What exactly are you, again? Werewolf…?" She guessed.

He sighed, his eyes darted around nervously, "We're vampires." He said, "Kindred, is what we refer to each other as…"

"Ooh…" She said with a smile, "Is it as fun as all the movies make it to be?" There was a look on her face like she already knew the answer was no.

"No…most of a vampires time is spend thrust into politics, I'm afraid. You see, there are many different…factions…representing different ideologies." He paused, "You know too much…if I cannot kill you…perhaps I could make you a Kindred…"

"Well, that's what I was getting around to." She said, "I wouldn't mind too much, I have no plans of aging."

"Or, I could make you a ghoul…" He crossed his arms in thought.

"A ghoul?" She asked, "Like a ghost?"

"Not exactly." He said, "A ghoul is half human, half Kindred." He said, "You're still 'alive', and are able to be exposed to sunlight, but you don't age and you're a bit stronger. You would run on vampire blood. However, the drawback is that a ghoul is bound to where their blood comes from. In a sort of…master and servant relationship…"

"Kinky. I'm all in."

"It's…it's not as easy as it sounds…I…I would need to find you a master…seeing as that…well, my clan…doesn't really…look at ghouls as fondly as some others…"

"Why can't you be my master?"

"Uh…well…" _Because I would be excommunicated at best._ "Vampires are divided into numerous different clans…dozens of them…my clan…the Tremere Clan…is very…secretive…and organized…they…they don't like spur of the moment members just…popping in and out…"

She patted the spot next to her, "Come here…"

He sat next to her, "You have to forgive me for all this…I…I'll send you loads of money, to pay for all the damages, alright? And…hopefully you can…peacefully go back to working on your club…"

She put an arm around his waist again and leaned in so her voice was up against his neck, "You're a very good boy, Victor…I'm sure they'd be more forgiving than you think…" She squeezed him a hair closer, "Just this once…? Please?" Her eyes met his, shining and bright like diamonds. "I'll be as good as I can."

"A Tremere ghoul…" He folded his hands, "They're the lowest on the spectrum. Under apprentices even. The same level as Gargoyles…you would have a big mountain to climb if this society were ever to accept you…and that's _if_ I tell them about you. I…I think I'll ghoul you to the side, and meanwhile I'll develop a story about you…to get you approved by my Regent. Then I'll 'ghoul' you."

She couldn't help but laugh, "Sweetheart, I have no idea what any of that means."

He smiled, "I would love for you to be my ghoul. It may not seem like it, what with how melancholic I've been for the past moment or so…but…you seem like a resourceful woman. You didn't panic once when I was being attacked by that dirty Gangrel. You could be useful." His smile grew, "That…and you're endearing to me…"

"Is that so…?" She smiled warmly, "So how does this work, exactly?" Her voice was low and enticing.

"The ghouling?" He asked, "Well, if you're going to be my ghoul, you would have to drink my blood at regular monthly intervals."

"That's it?"

"That's it." He repeated with a smile, "If you wish, I could ghoul you tonight. Or at your earliest convenience."

"Well, I've gotten myself all excited, might as well." Her eyes glimmered with mischief.

His smile grew, and his eyes narrowed, "Not a word of this. Not to a soul. You are to keep this secret until I may clear the air with my Regent."

"You've picked the right person." She sat back, "I get hundreds of secrets a night and have yet to spill a single one."

He took his knife out and slit his wrist, "Well…you could either drink straight from the wrist…or if you'd rather use a shot glass of yours…"

She smirked, "What a shame, I was thinking of somewhere even better…but…I suppose we'll get there with time." She gently took his hand and tickled the palm before she licked his wrist like a cat drinking water, a teasing look in her eye.

"Alright, alright…" He shuddered, "That…that won't be enough to turn you…"

She chuckled softly and pulled his wrist in a bit closer, gently sucking on it. Her eyes closed and she gave a soft sigh.

He tried to close his eyes and relax. Since he had that one-sided fight with Anastasia, he wasn't exactly filled to brim with blood to begin with, but he would be able to manage. When she finished, he smiled, "Well, how was that? You are now my ghoul."

She licked her lips, then laughed, "Looks like you took some of my lipstick with you."

"What?" He nervously looked at his wrist, "Ha, ha, right…" He pulled his sleeve up, "I shall…clean that off…before I return to the Chantry…or that will attract questions…"

"Mmm hmm." She said, "I can't say I feel any different. Am I supposed to?"

"As time passes, there may be…a slight difference or two…but you may still roam in the sunlight and enjoy the pleasantries of humanity."

"Sounds lovely." She said as she stood up, "Do you really drink blood? Is it true?"

He nodded.

"Ooh…"

He swallowed hard and looked to the door, "So…I should…return to the Chantry…"

"You take care, love, we'll catch up with this when you're ready."

"Yes, of course." He gave a firm nod as he left.

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh Victor…Venus is not used to working so hard, poor thing…Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review!


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirty-nine! Happy Valentines Day! Here's a perfectly appropriate Valentine's Day Chapter. Hint-hint. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Out of her peripheral vision, Anastasia saw Skelter disappear. She turned around to see him bending down and picking up a medium sized snake, "The hell you doin' out here?"

The snake let out a soft hiss before it wrapped around his arm and swayed its head back and forth, sizing him up, it seemed.

"Someone's pet, huh?" Skelter asked, "Someone's gotta be checkin' their toilets." He said before the snake snapped at him. He didn't flinch, but he held the snake back a bit, "Who the hell keeps a poisonous snake around like this?"

"No idea." Anastasia said, then she smiled, "Looks like my kinda pet."

"You have a snake?" He asked as he got down on one knee and let it slither into the sewers.

Her smile grew, "In a manner of speaking…"

He turned back to her, a blank look on his face, "This is some kind of metaphor that's going over my head, isn't it? Something you and Damsel made up?"

"Don't worry about it." She said, looking at a tiny flyer with a skull and a red star behind it, "You know what the hell this means? That asshole Brother Kanker dropped it after we killed him."

He looked over at the flyer, "Looks like something I've seen around town somewhere, we'll just have to pay attention. More doomsday bullshit, no doubt."

She faced ahead, "Hey…how much have you heard about that Ankaran Sarcophagus?"

"Ankaran Sarcophagus…" He grumbled, "You wanna hear what I think about it? I'll give you a summary. Gehenna."

"That's what Jack said." She said, "Said once it's opened, the world will end…that an Antediluvian's inside it."

"Yeah, Jack and I are on the same page, I guess…and that flimsy fuck's gonna go opening it to get a little boost in his paycheck."

"Yeah…" She clenched her fists, "And to think, my brother's actually _helping_ the Camarilla shove it into his office…"

"We'll get him sorted out." He said, "Don't make a huge deal out of it, alright?"

"I might just put him out of his misery."

"You do what you gotta do." He said, something about his response sounded hesitated. She was about to prod before he almost suddenly said, "You smell like Jeanette and…" He leaned over and sniffed her again, "Tremere?"

"Yeah, that's a long story…" She muttered, "Found it." She looked up at a building that was covered in those skulls.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, the snarl of a wolf on his face. It looked like he was about to deck her right in the face, before he suddenly let her go and wiped a hand over his face, "Let's go kill those motherfuckers."

"Any particular reason you had to grab my arm when you said that?"

"Doesn't matter." He muttered, clearly trying to shake it off.

"Come on, out with it." She crossed her arms.

"Look, it doesn't matter, it's nothing." He said, "…just…don't like you going around…fucking people…it's something the Sabbat would do…"

"Oh, am I too gross to be one of you?"

"Don't make me the bad guy." He said bitterly, "You're the one who thinks it's sinful, you're the one who gets angry with yourself, don't pretend I'm the one who's making you feel guilty." He crossed his arms, "You should know by now our clans specializes at picking up little things like that."

"I don't think it's sinful at all. You're the one making a big stink out of it."

"Then why the hell do you feel bad about it?"

"I don't feel bad. Where the hell are you getting that from?"

He briefly chuckled, "Guess you still got a lot to go."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just kill this motherfucking plague bearer and get on with it."

She narrowed her eyes, "I don't need your help for that. If you're just gonna annoy the hell out of me every time I _say_ something, then you can just beat it."

His brow furrowed, "You know what? Maybe I will. Cause you're just a fucking brat. Your brother's gone, your friend's dead and your leader is missing, so you go around and whore yourself off to everyone, bitchin' and complainin' about breathing for god's sake! When the hell are you gonna be thankful for something? When the hell are you going to be responsible and suck it up?" His voice was deep and firm, but far from loud. She wondered if he could even scream, "Just get the hell out of here and let me handle the plague bearer, wouldn't want a runt like you to go lose your fucking head on the way there."

"If me doing who I want, feeling what I want, and being free is such a problem to you, then maybe you should take a trip to Cammy-land."

One of his eyes twitched only once before he ran forward with a fist bared to uppercut her in the stomach.

She covered herself in a green mist, grunting as she took the hit, then decking him in the face. He stumbled back, setting his jaw back into place as he gathered his wits and quickly got around behind her. His arms moved in a fashion that Anastasia felt a wrestler would know, or someone who was trained in hand-to-hand. One arm reached around her knee and pulled up, the other grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her back, essentially creating extreme tension that felt like she was getting snapped in half.

Anastasia gave a quiet scream, feeling a tearing sensation as her limbs were being pulled back. She had virtually no options. Kicking him was out of the question, as she only had one foot on the ground to pivot from, and any other Discipline she had other than Fortitude would alert the public and breach the Masquerade. She pulled and pulled, trying to free herself, but arguably she was making the situation worse for herself.

The sound of a gunshot went off in the distance, at least a few blocks down. However, it seemed enough to make Skelter flinch and lose his footing, landing on his back as Anastasia landed on top of him.

She frowned and got off of him immediately, heading for the dilapidated house and not waiting for him to follow her.

His foot snagged the heel of her shoe, as she stumbled to the ground he pinned her down, sneering, "You're a bitch and a half, you know…"

"Fuck you." She spat.

He growled, "You make me crazier than a Malk, I swear to god…"

"Leave me alone!"

That seemed to peeve him more than anything else she said. "Fuck, you're dense…"

"Says the guy whose only emotion is anger."

He looked around, "You wanna know why you piss me off so much?" He asked as he looked at her again, his voice just about a whisper.

Her eyes met his, a tear slid down her cheek, and he felt her shivering under him. He wiped the tear away with a calloused thumb and pressed his lips against hers. She made a muffled noise, talking through most of their kiss, before pulling away. Quickly afterwards, he got up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Let's go kill that motherfucker already."

The place looked just as bad on the inside as it on the outside. Everything was dirty and the paint was chipped away, there was a man standing behind a glass screen, perhaps a welcoming committee of sorts, "What's up, sister? You enlightened?"

"Yup." Anastasia handed him the flyer, "We're enlightened alright."

"I see. Welcome to the Brotherhood. The Bishop will see you upstairs."

"Upstairs…" Anastasia repeated. She and Skelter didn't make it much further when they saw a petite redhead nearby, her yellow eyes were wide with fear and horror.

"H-Hey…" She started, "D-Did you get s-s-summoned…are you going up stairs to see the B-Bishop…?"

"The Bishop?" Anastasia asked.

"The…the…the bishop? Yeah, I-I s-saw him once. He is b-beautiful…and scary! I-I uh, I dream about him all the time…he does uh, things to me…i-in my dreams…he does uh, things…I…I don't like to remember…"

Skelter looked like he was going to be sick, "So…he's upstairs, huh?"

"Y-Yeah…up in the t-t-temple…I…I h-haven't been up there…but…I…I have a f-friend…snuck up there…said she saw bad, bad, things…things…yeah…"

"Like what?" Anastasia asked, like Skelter, it was hard for her to hide that she was seriously creeped out.

"Mmm, blood. She said, um, b-b-blood, everywhere. She um…she s-saw a few of the s-summoned, t-tried to uh…oh, to talk to them, but they just…just s-stared at her with these, um…these, whoa, blank looks, ya know. One of them, uh, s-started reaching for her, a-and she… she ran away!"

Skelter sighed, "Look, kid, you got one last chance to get the hell out of here before you turn into one 'a those 'summoned' shitheads or whatever the hell they are…"

She nodded quickly, "I…I just wanna go home…you know…I…I wanna go home…"

"Get going, sweetie." Anastasia smiled and pointed at the door, "We're gonna kill this Bishop bastard for you."

She gave another quick nod and ran off.

"Jeez…this place is fucked up…" She said, "Makes our little fight outside seem like nothing…"

"I got a bad feeling about finding this guy…" He muttered.

"We beat the other two punks, though." She head, heading up the stairs first, she saw a figure in the shadows, "Hey, do you know where the Bishop is?" She asked.

The figure gave a rather disturbing hiss, limping forward.

Anastasia gave a girlish scream, stumbling back so abruptly that she fell on her bum.

Skelter held a hand out for her to grab and get to her feet, his other hand was raised towards the figure, spectral wolves appeared and tackled him.

The wolves devoured their target, eventually bounding off in search of more. Anastasia shuddered as she stood tall again, "Zombies…?"

"They musta' been people…but probably got infected so bad they turned into 'zombies'…" He guessed, "Unless this motherfucker's got Necromancy under his belt. Then we gotta be careful."

She swallowed hard, "Oh god…there's probably hundreds of them…"

"You wanna split up? I'll take the grunts and you take the big guy?"

"You can't handle that many by yourself. We're in this together."

He smirked briefly, then rushed in and grew considerably as he used his Protean to tear them apart.

She followed his lead, growing claws and beastly features as she attacked the nearby zombies, "Shit…Skelter…every room looks the same, how will we know where the Bishop is?"

Skelter elbowed every door open as an answer, peeking inside and sniffing around before he dealt with the zombies that came out from the rooms and tried to kill him.

Anastasia tried to keep up with him, but she was beset by a horde of zombies, "Shit…" She reached her arm out, looking on almost dreamily at Skelter's form. No zombie dared bother him with Protean that high, while in her case, she was completed tangled up with the plague-ridden beasts. She growled and tried to tear as many of them apart as possible.

As Skelter swatted down a few that decided to fight him, he turned around and bumbled towards her, roaring wildly before he tore into the zombies that swarmed Anastasia, tearing into them even more brutally than before.

Anastasia sheepishly thanked Skelter, heading down another set of winding halls. She closed her eyes and tried sniffing around, "Skelter…do…do you smell where he is?"

Skelter snorted and huffed as his massive nose sniffed around, drool pooling on the ground before he shook his head and continued on their clueless path.

There was a new pack of zombies. Anastasia jumped in front of Skelter, fighting the gang of zombies of for him in a form of payment. He gave a feral snicker as he stumbled onward and slashed the heads of any zombies that got close.

Anastasia eventually shoved two huge double doors open, and the sight in front of her made her turn her powers off. Not only was there a horde of zombies, but their master was on a stand to the back. His black hair was matted and filthy, his blue eyes shined relentlessly, and there was a Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle symbol was adorned on his bare chest, he spoke with a preacher's southern drawl.

"Ah, welcome, brother and sister! I see you have been enlightened. Are you searching for something? Do you seek the truth? Well, you've come to the right place! We've got more truth here than we can handle."

"Are…are you the Bishop?" Anastasia asked.

"They call me Bishop Vick, Shepard of the Damned. Your midnight guide to our last days here on earth. Do you feel it, sister? The curtain being drawn back, drawn back by my hand! By the Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle!"

Skelter deactivated his Protean as well, his body covered in small dark brown splotches of rotting blood. He crossed his arms, "The hell kind of Bishop makes a mess like this?"

Bishop Vick coughed for a while, "Mess? Brother, you've got to open your mind! One man's disease is another man's sanctity! Here among the Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle, we have shed these earthly labels! Come! Partake of our divine communion."

Skelter raised a brow and leaned back on his heels as he leaned in and muttered to Anastasia, "I think this guy tops the others." Anastasia shuddered and gave a nod.

"You talk disease…what about the disease you and I both carry? Our flesh remade into nothing more than an abomination! Feeding on our brothers and sisters like so many cattle. What god watched over me when that demon tore into my neck and turned me into this monster you see before you?" He clenched his fists, "No, brother. There is no god that would tolerate such a thing. And so I have become God, and the diseases I carry to the masses will bring about an end, and end of my own making until we have all journeyed below, into the Ninth Circle."

"That doesn't make any goddamn sense…" Skelter grumbled.

"I get how you feel about being a vampire…but…you can't kill all these people…" Anastasia said.

"The time for words has come and gone, my sister." Bishop Vick cocked a shotgun, "You and I will take those last steps together…and see what truth lives behind the curtain. Let the night fall forever on this cursed earth, and let the fruits of my labor bring forth a long and bloody harvest!"

Anastasia swallowed hard, glowing green and gaining bestial features as she darted her towards Bishop Vick, but there were too many zombies in the way. To add insult to injury, Bishop Vick started firing away at her. Skelter quickly activated the same disciplines Anastasia did, growling rabidly as he slashed into the zombies and did his best to avoid the gunshots.

The crowd of zombies shrunk gradually, but Bishop Vick's aim on the pair was impeccable, that and the fact that he sped around the battlefield really cut their work out for them. It was evident that the man had Celerity on his side. Anastasia's vision grew weary. She used some of her blood and energy to fight Skelter, and even more so against the zombies on their way up to the Bishop. The repeated shotgun shells carving into her flesh was not helping the matter.

Skelter panted like a dog on a summer day before he turned towards Bishop Vick, his piercing amber eyes nearly paralyzed him, like the pair were having an intense stare-off, before Skelter romped forward to tackle him. When Vick unloaded a round in Skelter's chest, he only continued to barrel forward with his claws out and jaws agape.

Bishop Vick sped out of the way, firing at both of the Gangrel pair from afar. "Damn it…" Anastasia swallowed hard, slashing down the last of the zombies before turning her attention towards the Bishop.

Skelter grunted as he deactivated Protean. There were two gaping holes in his chest, one by his shoulder and one in his abdomen. He held a hand out and two wolves appeared to attack Bishop Vick. He tried to outrun the wolves but it was fruitless, he was mauled, gradually shook them off, then continuing his fire at Skelter and Anastasia.

Anastasia gave a worried look towards Skelter. She kicked her heels off and bounded on all fours towards him. But Bishop Vick was able to dash back and keep shooting at her in a defeating display in which Anastasia was filled with more and more lead.

Holding a hand out, Skelter summoned a horde of ravens down to swarm around Bishop Vick. As he was distracted, he used his Protean to grab onto him and gouge him open with tooth and claw. Bishop Vick struggled in his grip, Anastasia tore at him with her claws too, but he dashed away eventually, reloading.

"Skelter…" Anastasia ran over to him, "Are you okay?"

His disciplines all faded and he started panting, grabbing a pair of pistols from his belt as he stumbled back and fired at Bishop Vick.

Anastasia gasped, Bishop Vick easily avoided Skelter's shots. She held Skelter and pulled him back behind some cover. Skelter falling back on his pistols meant that he was out of blood. She had to keep him safe.

"Come on out, Brother." Bishop Vick cocked his shotgun, looking confident that he would come out on top in this fight.

Anastasia swallowed hard. She held a hand out, doing what she just recently learned from her Gangrel elder, a swarm of ravens went around Bishop Vick, and she ran over to maul him while he was distracted again.

The wall crunched a bit behind his shoulders, but Skelter couldn't be any happier to lean against the wall and watch Anastasia take things into her own hands.

Bishop Vick cocked his shotgun yet again, "You will have no choice! No choice, but to join the Brotherhood in our divine communion! Run as far as you can, you will not escape the Ninth Circle!"

Bishop Vick started to swell like a balloon, as steam poured off of his body. He exploded, in a mess of blood and gore.

"What?" Anastasia gasped, "I…I didn't do that…"

"I did." A voice said from the shadows, as a figure cackled away.

Skelter's eyes widened as he turned and saw Victor step in, "…Anastasia…the hell did you go and do now…?" He asked lowly.

Anastasia glared at Victor, "You _stole_ my kill!"

"No." Victor had a giant smirk as he held a gloved hand out, "I gave you a _preview_ , as to what's to happen next!"

Anastasia shuddered and hid behind Skelter, shaking like a leaf.

"Oh, yes, hide behind him, why don't you? I'll kill both of you in the explosion anyway."

Skelter did everything in his power to continue to hold back the Frenzy that was bubbling somewhere deep inside his chest, somehow he managed to keep it at bay, but it didn't seem like it would really last much longer. He stepped forward and picked up the shotgun Vick dropped, cocking it and aiming it at Victor, "Let us go and we'll tell you where Nines is."

"Don't sell Nines out!" Anastasia whispered from the side.

"Oh, come now, Skelter. It'll take about four of those shots to kill me, at least. And that's if I _don't_ use Auspex." Victor smiled, "And on my end, one Blood Boil will kill you both." He snickered, "You have no bargaining power."

He dropped the gun and laughed cynically, "What, ain't Nines enough? You want Jack too or something? Even I don't know what the hell Jack does when he's not at the Last Round."

Victor's smile faded, and his eyes narrowed, "You speak as if you know our history. You know nothing. You're a foolish child, like most of the Anarchs. Your meddling in the Camarilla will cost you all dearly."

"This doesn't have anything to do with him, Victor! This is me and you!" Anastasia ran at him.

"Quiet." Victor dismissively raised a hand, and Anastasia vomited up the last of her blood, "This became more than just…you and I…when you chose to embarrass me in front of her." He clenched a hand into a fist, "Your days are numbered, all of you."

"Pfft, yeah, good one. The Camarilla is just a skeleton crew now…" Anastasia said as she got up and wiped blood from her mouth, "There's more of us Anarchs. We won't take any of your bullshit."

"The Camarilla won't be needed to eliminate you mongrels."

"What? Are you saying the Tremere Clan is all you need to beat the Anarchs?"

" _One_ Tremere. Actually. As you can see." He held his arms out, "One Tremere is all it takes to bring you two buffoons to your knees."

Skelter laughed, "Yeah, one Tremere and the fucking Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle. What, you enlightened too?"

"You two would have died if I hadn't intervened." Victor smiled, "I'll accept a word of thanks any time now."

"Thanks, huh?" Skelter asked, "You want thanks for…for _that_?" He shook his head, for some reason such an innocuous comment seemed to bother him more than anything else he said, "No way in hell. Either we're all leaving here alive, or we're all dying tonight. Your choice."

"For now, I will let my prey go." His smile grew, "You may tell all your other filthy friends, that I will cause a genocide of the Anarch ways, starting with you." He pointed to Anastasia, "And you had both better hope that the Blood Hunt wipes out Nines, because if I get near him…" He trailed off, "Your godsend of a leader will be nothing more than a warm broth for the stew of demise I plan to cook for the rest of your order."

Skelter only looked more infuriated, "The hell…the hell you even come in here for? Just to _scare_ us? You scrawny-ass prick, I won't forget this!" His eyes were bloodshot and rabid looking, "Your head'll be on a stake by the Last Round before your little leash-master can blink, and god help me if it ain't by my hand!" Anastasia finally heard him scream, and it was just as terrifying as she'd imagine it.

Victor held a hand up, "Go. From here on, you are to be grateful of every moment you exist in this world."

Skelter took Anastasia's wrist, "One day you'll get a taste of the amount of shit we all went through for you to sit on your velvet thrown with your pompous ass…one day you'll taste all that shit by the mouthful and choke yourself to death." He spat as he dragged Anastasia out with him.

Anastasia was fairly silent on their way out, shuddering every one and a while, "Skelter…"

"I don't want to hear any sort of apology, it ain't needed." He muttered, "Nines doesn't get along with him either, he's been a thorn in our side since day one." He looked around, "We need blood, both of us."

"I…I know…" She looked at him with watery eyes, "But…but I need help…I want to be strong, like you…"

He nodded rigidly, "You want my help?" He asked, his eyes weary, "What do you want me to do? It's not like I can just…filter my powers into your head or something…"

"Well, how do you train? Maybe I can work out with you."

"Yeah, I'll…I'll help you out…" He said, his eyes catching predatorily on a businessman approaching the parking garage, "Let's talk later when I'm…uh…little more focused. Sort things out."

"Okay, thank you." She gave a big smile and squeezed him, "I'm gonna go feed on some rats."

He hugged her back, "You be careful out there…"

"I will."

* * *

The Prince seemed even more relieved than usual to see Miranda wander into his office. "Miss Frost, excellent to see you again." There was an almost energized look to his eye, something strange she didn't recognize.

Miranda smiled and gave a little bow, "Good evening, Prince. You seem to be in high spirits."

He chuckled softly, "Yes, well, my plans for this evening are considerably bright for the future of the Camarilla, if all goes accordingly."

"Is that so?"

"Considering you have become one of my most trusted associates, I am requesting that you retrieve the sarcophagus."

"Retrieve it, sir?" She asked, "Surely it's not still on the Dane…"

"Of course not." He chuckled quietly, "It was efficiently and quietly moved to the Museum of Natural History. Now, according to the manifest you fetched for me, there was a small box on board that was reported missing. This box is rather important, contrary to the report, and it is imperative that it is found. My hopes are that it might have been overlooked, perhaps…though…well, I suppose all facets of possibility must be faced. Regardless, keep an eye open for it in case it shows face." He said before he sat back, "Unlike the other jobs I've sent you on, this task must be accomplished quickly, and efficiently. If it is not delivered within the next few hours, I fear what the kine would make of it."

She narrowed her eyes in thought, "So I will infiltrate the museum and bring you the Ankaran Sarcophagus."

"Yes." He said curtly, then reached into his desk, sliding a hand through his hair, no matter what, a little stray curl fell away from the rest of his hair, "Here are the keys to the front door." He handed her a keyring, looking up into her eyes again, "You should find it in an examination room of some sort, I can't say I've ever visited the museum myself as of yet. There is a security staff on site, but similarly to the Dane, I do not want a reported murder scene on my desk." He said before he smirked, "Though, I know I can trust you with such matters, I have hardly a reason to bring it to your attention."

"Of course, sir." She smiled, "I will move into and out of the facility without causing a disturbance."

"Thank you." He said, seeming relieved, "Was there anything else needed?"

"No, sir. I shall leave to take the sarcophagus." She bowed.

"Thank you, Miss Frost. I wish you the best of luck." He smirked again, "And do call if you need any sort of…assistance in transporting it. I understand it may be considerably burdensome in size and mass."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She said, giving one last bow before she departed.

* * *

 **A/N:** So apparently I'm just finding out that Bishop Vick is chopperlover14's husband. Let me know what you thought with a review! Thanks for reading!


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty! (insert streamers) In my professional opinion, LaCroix is too chill. Let's fix that. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Miranda stepped out of the back of the cab and headed for the museum. LaCroix had never been so serious when assigning her a mission (and she'd been working for him for the last fifteen years), so no later than when she spoke with him in his office did she hail the nearest taxi to send her to her destination. She was going to make LaCroix proud of her, if not something more…

She gasped when she saw a dinosaur right in the first hallway. A velociraptor was staring her down. She blinked a few times, walking forward and tearing off a slip of paper on the wall near the dinosaur:

' _Damn funny! You scared the crap out of the cleaning crew. Now, would you put the damn raptor back in its exhibit? Oh, and don't leave your keys lying around or Marshall will fire your ass.'_

Miranda put the note back. She agreed with whoever wrote it. If she were mortal, she would have suffered a heart attack. "Keys lying around?" She mused with a smile.

Sure enough, in one of the nearby rooms, there were keys just lying on a table. What they were two, she had no idea, but she figured it might safe her some time later. She used the keys LaCroix gave her to go through the front door of the museum. Then she stuck low and crept around.

It was laughable. LaCroix said there was a small security staff on sight, but there were only a handful of guards in this room. And the large spacious area they had to patrol made it even easier. That and Miranda had access to Trance, so in case there was a close call, she would be covered.

She had to admit, seeing all the dinosaurs in their exhibits was almost a dreamy sight for her. It reminded her of when she was a little girl and her parents would take her to a museum of science, or a zoological museum. They were simpler times, before her life came to a screeching halt, (and she wasn't even referring to her Embrace).

It turns out the extra set of keys she got gave her access to some of the offices in the museum. Once she snuck her way in, she started fiddling with the terminals in the cubicles, though most of them were not helpful in nature.

After slogging through a quarter dozen of computers, she eventually found one with possible information. One email was about a Doctor Johansen, who would come in soon to investigate the Ankaran Sarcophagus. _Sorry, Johansen, but your sarcophagus will be gone long before you can examine it._ She thought with a smile.

The other email was about a fetish, which, at first she thought she must've read wrong. Or, maybe it wasn't _that_ kind of fetish. It seemed to be a small statue. Perhaps it had something to do with the Ankaran Sarcophagus. She would take it if she found it.

And then another email about, missing keys. _How can these mortals be so stupid? I don't remember them being this dumb when I myself was alive…_

She followed where the email said the keys would be and stole them too, breaking into the downstairs sector of the museum. She swallowed hard when she saw officers, followed by cameras. She would never make it far if a camera caught her, then LaCroix would have her head. She would have to sneak into the nearby security room, the only problem was that there was an officer inside the room, and the quarters were tight. It was going to take more than a mere Trance to subdue him.

She swept into the room, holding a hand out, as the blue glow of Dominate extended from her black fingertips, "Your shift is over. You will head home for the night."

"My shift is over. I will head home for the night." The security guard left the room.

Miranda swallowed hard. Just because she sent that one guard away didn't really mean anything. Another officer could see her through the window and spot her, so she had to be fast. She hacked into the computer, turning off all the camera banks.

She slipped out of the room, staying close to the ground as she looked for more clues. She eventually found a sign, which red, 'museum tours, use the green line. The red line is for museum personnel only.'

She looked down, she was wondering what the hell the green and red lines meant. She followed the red line, figuring that the sarcophagus would be stored as far away from the public as physically possible.

After winding down a few halls, she found a room with the fetish statue in it. Miranda snuck in and picked it up. She shuddered, whatever the thing was, it felt _alive_. She was hoping that this had something to do with the sarcophagus.

In a room not too far away from that, she picked up a key card. She smiled, this museum was practically handing her the sarcophagus at this rate.

Until she found a door that was blocked by a code. She paused, her smile fading. She had no idea what code to use to get in. She looked back, hoping a police officer wouldn't notice her. She would have to backtrack, she hated staying any longer than she had to and delaying with her task, but she would have to go back.

She went back to an office, finding yet another slip of paper that had the code on it. Her smile returned, she went back to the security panel and she typed two, three, five, eight, and kept walking through the halls.

Unfortunately her next obstacle was a colony of red laser beams. She swallowed hard. Those would at the very _least_ set off an alarm. She looked back, seeing another room with a large amount of computers, the only problem was that there was an officer in there. She hopped in and Dominated him into leaving the room. Once he did, she hacked the computer into turning both the beams and the alarms off.

Once that was done, she used the key card a few more times to reach a dimly lit storage room. She walked to the end of the room, seeing a rectangular box, but it was empty. She gasped, running forward and looking into the empty box. It couldn't be, it just couldn't.

"I can't understand why someone would go through the trouble of stealing a box with a very ancient corpse…this city's not _that_ dull." A refined voice said.

"Beckett?" Miranda asked, whirling around, "I…I didn't expect to see you here…"

"I'm an archaeologist, so I thought I'd indulge in a quick study of this Ankaran Sarcophagus everyone's so riled up about. My guess, from what I've read about it, is that it's a mummified Mesopotamian king. I needed confirmation."

"Hmm…that does sound interesting…" She mused, "You…you didn't get to see it much…at all then, did you?"

"Oh, I really wish I had. All this speculation about the sarcophagus containing an Antediluvian and being a portent of Gehenna is making me cringe. These are the kinds of ridiculous, superstitious assumptions I came here to debunk." Beckett said.

"Oh my…" She put a hand to her mouth, "In the sarcophagus? One of the third generation…?"

"No one I know has ever met one, but each of the clans and their bloodlines supposedly trace their origin to an original vampire…an Antediluvian. Some swear these grandsires still exist into the present. But then, Kindred and kine believe a lot of strange things."

She swallowed hard, "So…so they believe that the sarcophagus will cause Gehenna…or…the end of the world?"

"Armageddon, doomsday, the end of all Kindred. It's a common facet of most mythologies…fear that the world will end. Many believe Caine and the Antediluvians will return to consume or destroy all Kindred. I wholeheartedly disagree."

"What plausible signs are there for Gehenna?"

"What prophecy doesn't have vague, apocryphal signs? Let's see, the usual ones cited are the appearance of Thin-Bloods, Caine sightings, doom, gloom, that route."

"I see." She smiled, "That…would be rather comforting if it were not true…I…I don't want the end to come. Why don't you believe in Gehenna?"

"As I said, many cultures have the fear of some form of apocalypse. Kindred believed in these stories when they were human, and naturally carried them over into Kindred myth. But it doesn't take a supernatural act to cause widespread destruction." He said, "Humans and Kindred are just as capable of managing their own destruction as a deity. A self-realized Gehenna warrants more vigilance than a god-induced one, don't you agree? Such is my argument…which so frequently falls on deaf ears."

"Yes…you…you have a point there." She nodded, "What else do you know about Caine?"

"Caine is the biblical first Kindred and founder of the mythological First City, Enoch…a place where Kindred and kine coexisted. I believe Caine's a figure concocted to personify the transition from nomadic society to agrarian society. That myth, like most, has been twisted by time."

She nodded again. It really made her think. A city where Kindred and kine coexisted? She couldn't picture _anything_ like that happening in the present day. "Have you learned anything more about Thin Bloods?" She smiled, knowing that was one of the primary reasons he was here, aside from the sarcophagus itself.

"Thin-Bloods rarely exhibit features or powers of their clan and many can't Embrace. Some are even rumored to have reproduced. Many Kindred are terrified that their weak blood heralds the dissipation of every bloodline. Somewhat of an ignorant, reactionary response, don't you think?"

"Yes indeed." She said, "You…must have been doing this sort of research for a very long time…you seem to have the entire story of the Kindred history bound together in one complementary book."

"For three-hundred years I've been trying to determine the function of our existence, the Kindred's role in the world. I'm not content to attribute it to some act of supernatural, biblical vengeance. We exist…for a reason. And if it takes me another three-hundred years, I'll figure it out. Any thoughts?" He asked.

Her face was blank for a while, "I…have no idea…"

"My sentiments exactly. But it will not remain that way for long." He smiled, "Not if I have anything to say about it." He said, "Well, my word has stolen away into the night, think I'll do the same."

"As will I." She said, "Goodnight Beckett."

The terror didn't hit her until _after_ she entered Venture Tower. She had such an interesting time chatting with Beckett that she completely forgot what had happened. That the sarcophagus was _already_ stolen. That she would have to deliver the news to LaCroix. This was what he wanted most, his most important job for her. And she failed. Indirectly so, but still. She wouldn't stop shivering as she approached the front desk, "C-Chunk?"

"Evening there, Miranda." Chunk said. As usual, the rate of his speech was halved. (Most likely due to the size of Miranda's chest, and how poorly she bothered to really cover it). "You uh, okay there? You seem kinda jittery. Have a lot of coffee or something…? Gee, that stuff will ruin ya. Even a Krusty Kreme or two for me will put me on a terrible sugar high…of course, then I'll nap for several hours or so…that's how the crash goes, at least!"

"I'm going to see LaCroix, Chunk." Miranda closed her eyes and shuddered, she hadn't been this nervous since the first couple days she was Embraced.

As Miranda stepped in, LaCroix looked up, concern laced across his features, "The sarcophagus…where is the sarcophagus? I told you to _call_ if you needed assistance."

"P-P-Prince LaCroix…" She cowered, "I…I d-don't have the sarcophagus…it was stolen…"

"…stolen?" He choked out.

"I'm sorry-"

"Stolen!?" His voice went from a whisper to a boom, in all her years, she had never firsthand witnessed him screaming so loud. She had heard down the grapevine that he had the capability to yell, and even heard him yell at someone through the walls of the tower, but this was different. This was at _her_. "How!?" He looked away in complete shock and frustration, "Who would….oh, Gary…Gary you treasonous maggot! I should have anticipated your treachery, sewer rat!"

"Gary?"

"It has to be, even if he wasn't nearly as despicable as he is, the Nosferatu were responsible for locating the sarcophagus after the encounter on the Dane. They were the only ones who could have known about it, how foolish of me to not consider this as a possibility…" He gave a shaky sigh, clearly trying his best to calm down, but struggling considerably.

"What can I do?" She fell to her hands and knees, tears dripping from her eyes, "What can I do to make this up for you, sir? Please…give me a chance to redeem myself!"

He rubbed one of his temples, almost looking _sad_ , "Miss Frost, I assure you none of my disappointment is directed at yourself. I'm…thankful you were able to locate the sarcophagus and return to me with such expediency." His tone was forgiving, but it was impossible to mask the anger still boiling within, "But…seeing as you're still willing to assist me, the only logical step in obtaining the sarcophagus would be to go to the source." He clenched a fist and slammed it on the desk, taking another deep breath before he looked at Miranda again, it seemed her sorrow was a source of his grounding, "I want him found. It is entirely beyond dangerous to trust the sarcophagus in his…perverted, corrupted, exploitative hands…I want him…" He bit his tongue before his gaze turned back to her teary eyes, "He needs to be found."

"Find Gary…" She nodded quickly, "I'll do it."

"As much as I regret to inform you, I've no clue where the Nosferatu are, beside their resemblance of a domain in Hollywood. I understand the difficulties you may find in Hollywood due to the lack of Camarilla loyalties…but…" He held his forehead, "It seems to be our only option. Of course, I could easily ask another undercover associate to deal with matters, if you find difficulties in the area with the amount of Anarchs."

"I will accumulate all the resources I have available…"

He nodded, "Then perhaps you would find success in speaking with Mister Abrams considering he is more…civil, he may know of their whereabouts. But do try to keep the word quiet about the sarcophagus, for whatever reason, the Anarchs seem to fear the concept of the Camarilla gaining access to it." He gave another restless sigh, "I do hope the Blood Hunt won't further prohibit matters…"

"The Blood Hunt? On Mister Rodriguez?"

He nodded, "The Blood Hunt has been called just hours prior to our discussion. His execution has yet to be scheduled, but is more than likely to ignite the fuse of warfare…"

"Still…disposing of such a high-profile Anarch would be very beneficial to us, especially after what he did to Doctor Grout."

He gave a smirk, it looked jaded and stressed regardless, "It is heartening to hear at least one voice seem to support my decision."

"Yes, sir." She stood tall and smiled, "I will locate Gary and get the sarcophagus from him. I will use whatever means necessary."

"Thank you, Miranda." He said as he sat back, "Excuse me, _Miss Frost_." He chuckled as he shook his head, then looked out the window, "It is getting late, please do your best not to turn to ash during your expedition."

"Of course sir, I will be careful."

* * *

The downtown streets seemed even drearier nowadays. Well, the truth of the matter was that _everything_ seemed drearier since he had become Kindred. People seemed to have darker intentions, going about their meager ways to get through life and the social graces behind it to get what they truly desire. And everything seemed darker. Both in tone of emotion and in the basic coloring itself. Of course, that could have been because he could only come out at night and he would never see the daylight again. That was most likely why everything seemed so dark and dreary to him now.

It wouldn't be so bad if his fellow Kindred were tolerable. But, this was far from the case. Unless they were Dragomir, and maybe Genevieve, all his Kindred cohorts were ten times worse than humans. Always seeking to backstab each other in the most horrid ways, and then pretend that they were so much more complex, so much more sophisticated than the kine they fed from. Slade saw through it all. He didn't want to end up like any of the elders he had met so far. He hated them all.

This was made worse with Dragomir's transgression. Maybe then, he wasn't a reliable friend Slade could lean on. Not after his diablerie, at least. Because of that, he had to protect his friend from the Camarilla, for if they found out the truth, he would be killed. And since the person Dragomir drank from was an Anarch, there was no sympathy from them either. He truly was a rabbit cornered by a wolf on one side and a coyote on the other.

He pounded the wall of the nearest building, tears welling up in his eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen, he was a good person. He had good morals. So why was it that all of these back-stabbing vampires were faring so well, and yet he was just barely scraping by?

And Tess. He seethed with rage. If Tess were to find out what Dragomir did, he could only imagine what she would think or say. Tess, the girl who pretty much had sex with anything remotely phallic looking would have the moral high ground compared to Dragomir. _"Hmm. I'm not surprised at all."_ She would cross her arms, giving that stupid smirk she always gave whenever she thought she was right. _"He's a lunatic now. Clan of the moon. They aren't meant to last long in Kindred society. It just shows your naiveté, that you chose to defend him."_ She would chuckle. _"You can't just shun the Camarilla's guidance and cling to your mortals Slade. That's not how the political world works."_

He growled, balling his hands up into fists and feeling the beast inside himself wanting to be freed. She was an _official_ member of the Camarilla. She was legit. He was just a _trial_.

 _You're the one who screwed up Dragomir, Tess. You cheated on him with that filthy man-whore. That messed him up more than his Malkavian clan ties. You'll pay Tess. Once I figure out a clever way to do away with you, I'll do it, and no one will notice either…that's how this Kindred stuff works anyway. And if anyone does notice, they won't care, because you're a stupid whore just like your damn sire. Oh, and guess what, he's dead too. And guess how many people care aside from you?_

"Slade?" A voice asked, as Slade turned to Victor. Nonetheless Victor was a little concerned, seeing Slade's hands into fists and tears running down his cheeks, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Slade brushed his tears away, "I'm fine."

"Would you care to enter the Chantry?"

"The…the what? No…I'm fine…" He said, "Unless it's no trouble."

"Of course not. Or else my Regent may ask me who the strange fellow is pounding the side of the building…"

Slade swallowed hard, he had no idea the building he was punching was the Tremere Chantry. He followed Victor inside. A woman by the interior of the door inquired as to who Victor was bringing along with him, but Victor talked his way out of it. Slade was quite surprised to see the royal red color adorning most of the interior of the Chantry, as well as the immaculate décor and plethora of bookshelves around every corner.

Victor entered his quarters and hung his scarf up, sitting at his desk, "You are welcome to have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Slade sheepishly sat down, "You know…while I'm here…I have a question for you…you seem like a pretty smart guy…"

"Ah, well, I have nearly reached a century in age." Victor smiled, "Ask away."

Slade pulled out the withered herb and the beast's fang from his back pockets, "I found these two things in Grout's Mansion, but I have no idea what they do."

"From Grout's Mansion, hmm?" Victor picked them up as he was handed them, "Hmm…" He handed the herb back first, "This fortifies your undead flesh. It is an ideal substance for battle. And this…" He examined the beast fang, "It calms your spirit and holds back the beast within." He handed it back, "They're both rather useful relics. Especially for a young fledgling like yourself."

"Thanks Victor." Slade smiled.

"Now, what's been plaguing you, son?" Victor smiled back, "I doubt it was the uncertainty of those two relics…"

"I…I can't talk about it…"

"Oh?"

"My…friend did something…that…I'm pretty is illegal in Kindred society…especially in the Camarilla…"

"Your friend? Was it that young Toreador girl who went with us to the Ocean House Hotel?"

"No. Not her."

"I see." He said, "So…what did this friend of yours do?"

"I…I can't tell you…if…if it got out…we'd probably both be dead."

"You seem to underestimate the ability of we Tremere." Victor held his arms out, "We are the masters of keeping secrets. I promise you that anything you say tonight will not pass these walls."

"…he diablerized an Anarch…" He shuddered.

"Did he…" Victor's smile faded, replaced with an upmost concern.

He nodded, "I…I don't know what to do…" He teared up, trying to brush them away.

"Hell of a way to take out an Anarch, that's for sure." Victor mused, "Do not cry, child. I will do what I can to keep the secret safe."

"You…you don't care?"

"The Tremere themselves are soaked in the diablerie of countless others. It would be hypocritical of me…to say anything negative over the matter."

"Oh…I…I had no idea…"

"Besides…" He stood up and began to pace, "It was killing an Anarch. I'd say, more power to him." He said, "The last one I fought lectured me for being a virgin…" He shook his head, "I should've killed her when I had the chance…"

"Big deal. I'm a virgin too." Slade said, "But that's just because all the girls these days act like sluts and are dirty and disgusting sleazebags. I hate it when people back in high school called me picky…I just didn't want to get AIDS…"

He snickered, badly trying not to laugh, "It's…comforting to see someone share a similar viewpoint to myself."

There was a knock on the door, "You may enter." Victor said.

"I think I'm going to wring his scrawny neck…perhaps that will stop the emails…" Iphigenia muttered as she stepped inside and closed the door, before turning around and seeing Slade, "Oh, a visitor. Pleasure to meet you." She gave a slight smile.

"Scrawny neck?" Victor smiled, "Might this be me you're referring to? I don't doubt that you could overpower me."

She chuckled and sat down, "Of course not, I have no death wish." She crossed her legs, "The Nosferatu Primogen wants photographs. As if a-thousand dollars is tempting enough to market Photoshopped images of myself out to the entire Kindred society. No amount of money would amount to the things that man would do with those photos…certainly nothing moral…"

"The Nosferatu Primogen?" He mused, "He wants you on Photoshop, does he? That's the fairly new computer program of altering photos, correct?"

Slade and Iphigenia exchanged a glance, the former much more surprised about Victor's lack of knowledge about the technological arts than the latter.

Victor held his hands out, "Forgive me, allow me to host some introductions. Iphigenia, this is Slade, a Toreador fledgling. You most likely recognize him from the trial. And Slade, this is Iphigenia, our most promising apprentice."

"Nice to meet you." Slade held a hand out.

"Nice to meet you as well." She chuckled, then looked at Victor, "I'm not sure about most promising. I'm not nearly as dedicated as you are…"

"Ah, that's just modesty. I could see you making a great Magister one day." Victor said, "Of course, Strauss would have to first be promoted, and then I, followed by you." He said, "Speaking of which…I would like for you to meet our Regent." He headed for the door, "He usually likes to see the new visitors in the Chantry, even if it is, for a few moments or so."

"Uh…right, sure…" Slade said, following Victor out of the room.

Strauss looked up from his book, "Ah, greetings Mister Madison, I see you've brought the rather…well-known young one that everyone has been talking about."

Slade blinked a few times. He was starting to lose track of who was at the trial and who wasn't. He figured he might as well assume everyone was there.

"If it were not for Mister Abrams, or Mister Rodriguez, LaCroix surely would have had his hound separate your head from your shoulders."

"Hound?" Slade asked, "…sounds like you don't really like LaCroix much…"

"Let us just say that he and I have differing ideas on the use of power."

"…right…"

"Nevertheless, I am quite pleased you managed to find your way here. I am Maximillian Strauss. The Regent of this Chantry. Welcome." He gave a small bow.

"Right…thanks…I just…don't know what any of those things are…"

"A Chantry is a local gathering place for the Tremere Clan. I live here as do most apprentices from time to time." He said, "And a Regent is the person who oversees a Chantry."

He nodded, "Jeez…you guys sure are organized…more so than any other clan I've seen."

Strauss chuckled, "That is usually the first impression newer Kindred get when entering one of our esteemed Chantries." He said, "If you ever find yourself with a question, you will be welcome here, by the Tremere Clan."

"Cool, thanks." Slade nodded, "Uh…so I might…hit the road now."

"Of course. Good evening." Strauss bowed, as Victor and Iphigenia also gave a farewell.

"Skittish one, isn't he?" Iphigenia noted, "Poor boy."

"They're usually like that at that age." Victor said, "One can't say that I knew what I was doing when I was his age."

"Neither did I." Iphigenia chuckled, "I'm thankful to have met the both of you and be informed of everything so quickly…"

"Of course, we do everything we can to keep our clan mates well-informed and in check." Strauss said.

Iphigenia's gaze turned to the table, "Now if only I followed those rules…how heartbreakingly simple my life would be…"

* * *

 **A/N:** You keep breaking the rules, Iphigenia, show 'em how it's done. Thanks for reading!


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-one! Miss the Nosferatu and their 'nefarious' acts? So did I. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"You didn't like the Anarchs, right? If they realize I'm your ghoul, it won't be a problem?" The lights flicked off as Cadmus turned his head around and saw his ghoul enter.

"Uh…no…they don't really like me…" Cadmus said, blindly trying to look around to adjust to the lighting, "Why…did you run into one of them?"

"I didn't recognize him so he's dead. I'm not sure if he was important."

"Oh…alright…so…why'd you turn the lights off?"

"Migraine." He heard her sit next to him.

"Crap…uh…I think Miranda's coming…soon…says she wants to talk about me about LaCroix…or… the sarcophagus…both of which are my favorite topics…but…"

"I don't mind, her voice isn't particularly shrill or anything…" She said, "Did you want me to leave?"

"No, I don't really care where you go." He said, "If you want to nap off the migraine, you can do that too."

"I'll be alright…could I have some blood, maybe?"

"Yeah, sure." He took a knife out and slit his wrist.

She gently held his wrist and drank from it as there was a knock on the door. Her eyes flickered up at the door but she held his wrist tighter and kept drinking.

Miranda walked inside, "Cadmus?" She asked, turning the lights on, then she smirked, "Oh, have I interrupted an intimate drinking session?"

"Shut up." Cadmus frowned, giving Angelique a little hug as she drank.

Her smile grew as she sat at the table, "I trust you know what I'm here for."

"Pfft, hell if I know. Victor's been calling me nonstop though. He keeps asking about a fetish you found in the museum." He said slowly, "Have…have you guys been…doing it or something?"

"Doing it? Heavens no." Miranda frowned as she starting reading a book, crossing one leg over the other, "I…I assumed he liked men."

"Yeah…can't really blame you there…"

Angelique gently pulled away, gently rubbing his wrist as she licked her lips and looked up at Miranda, before looking away and gently hugging Cadmus back.

Miranda smirked as she turned a page, "Were you reading this?"

"Yeah…a little…you left it here last time you were over." Cadmus said.

"How far did you get?"

"…halfway done…of course…it was just so interesting…"

"Don't lie."

"Look." He scowled, "If you came in here to sophisticatedly bully me, then you might as well beat it."

"Of course not. It's about LaCroix, and his orders for us."

" _Us?_ " He asked, "He didn't tell me anything."

"You didn't notice how agitated he was about the sarcophagus being stolen?"

"Oh…so _that's_ what he was freaking out about the other night." Cadmus said, "Jeez…whole damn tower heard that. Chunk went into a little ball and started asking for his mom."

"I don't understand what's so fascinating about a sarcophagus." Angelique said quietly.

"You should hear what some people have to say about it." Miranda said, "I ran into Beckett, and according to him a lot of Kindred believe that an Antediluvian resides inside it."

"Oh really?" Cadmus asked.

She nodded, "It could be the beginning of the end. That's why LaCroix wants it. For Camarilla protection."

"Ha."

"What?"

"That's not why he _really_ wants it, and you know it."

"Oh, then why does he _really_ want it?"

"Nah, I'd rather keep your childlike innocence about this kinda stuff intact."

Angelique snickered as she stood up and opened the fridge, rooting around for something until she pulled out a gallon of chocolate milk and poured herself a glass.

"So I guess if he couldn't find it, it's probably a big problem then." Cadmus said.

"Of course." Miranda agreed, "If someone opens the sarcophagus, it could end the world. An Antediluvian may rise and devour its children."

"So what does LaCroix want us to do about it?"

"Gary stole the sarcophagus, we are to retrieve it from him." She said strictly.

"God no, I'm not fucking with Gary…"

"And the only person who _might_ know where the Nosferatu reside is Isaac Abrams."

He blinked, "Yeah, good luck with that."

"What? I came here to ask for your help. Isaac Abrams is no ally of mine. He knows how loyal I am to LaCroix. He would never help me."

"Pfft, and you think he'd like me any better?" He asked, "Miranda, I threw billions of temper tantrums when I was first Embraced, there's not a vampire alive who doesn't know me. If I step into Hollywood for ten seconds, Isaac would throw me out in an urn."

"No…" She looked worried, putting her book down, "I might make a call then." She got up and left the room.

"I'd help, but I just killed an Anarch…I don't think he'd like me either." Angelique said.

"Did they attack you or something?" Cadmus asked.

"They looked at me funny." She sat back down.

He raised his eyebrows, then sighed, "Jeez…I wonder who the hell she's calling…"

"Does she have any friends…?"

"She has…" He shuddered, "So many blood dolls…around America that…I…oh god…it's just plain filthy…"

She gave a slight nod, "I can…imagine…"

Miranda came back and sit down with a smile.

"So who were you calling?" Cadmus asked.

"I called two people. I left a message for Tess, and then I called Slade. Slade will be here in a few moments."

"Why did you call them?"

"They'll speak with Isaac and tell us where Gary is."

"…if you say so…don't you think that's a bit much for two fledglings?"

"They'll be fine. They'll have us to help them." She said, "It's not as though they'll be doing much. We just need…messengers…essentially…"

Cadmus nodded. A pause went by, "It's funny. Those two fledglings sort of remind me of you and me."

"They do?" She smiled, "How so?"

"I don't know. The guy's all hardened…and he may be new, but he doesn't take crap from people…and the girl is…a little…uh…"

Her smile faded and she tilted her head to the side, "A little what?"

"Nothing."

Angelique took a sip of her drink, then looked up at Miranda, "How does he not scold you for wearing that?"

Cadmus laughed, "Oh, _this_ is a funny story…"

Miranda frowned, "There's nothing wrong with this outfit. At all."

"Or lack thereof. LaCroix certainly didn't like it when you were first Embraced. He couldn't _believe_ that you were Ventrue."

"I'd like to think the same of you." Miranda said, "You were _inches_ away from the Sheriff's blade taking your head off on _multiple_ occasions."

"Pfft, that's different."

"How is it different? I was never _executed_ for an outfit."

"It doesn't matter, I was just curious. Sorry." Angelique said quietly.

After a third knock, the door opened, and Slade walked in, looking at the awkward pause surrounding the three of them, "Uh…this is a bad time, isn't it?"

"Of course not." Miranda smiled, "Welcome, Mister Lockwood…this is…technically Cadmus's room…sorry if I sent you to the wrong place…"

"Technically, it's my room?" Cadmus asked under his breath.

Slade sat at the table, "So what did you need me for?" He asked, then he looked blankly at Angelique.

"Oh, forgive me…this is Cadmus's ghoul." Miranda said.

"Yeah…uh…" Cadmus paused, about to say 'Angelique', "This is Starr, my ghoul."

"I'm Slade. Nice to meet you." Slade held a hand out.

She nodded timidly and shook his hand, taking a sip of her milk and scooting closer to Cadmus.

"So…Mister Lockwood…we…need…your service…if…if that's applicable…" Miranda said.

Slade nodded, figuring that if he rejected Miranda's offer, LaCroix himself would ask Slade to do it anyway.

"We need you to go to Hollywood, talk to the Anarch Baron, Isaac, and ask him where the Nosferatu live. He's the only non-Nosferatu who may have a clue as to their existence. And he loathes the two of us, due to our Camarilla loyalties…"

"But I'm Camarilla too…"

"I'm aware…he has a bit of a…softer spot…for fledglings…if you can call it that…"

"Alright…so I need to ask him where the Nosferatu are?"

"Yes. It's for the Ankaran Sarcophagus. It's believed that the Nosferatu Primogen stole it."

"Alright. I'll have a chat with Isaac then."

"Good. Excellent. Thank you." Miranda smiled, "So…how have you been faring, with your new life…or un-life, I should say?"

"Eh…fine…honestly…I hate it…vampires seem to back-stab more than humans…"

"Yeah, that's why keeping your humanity intact is important." Cadmus said.

"And the hunters…jeez…when we were leaving Grout's Mansion, this crazy-ass hunter nearly set us all on fire…Grunfeld Bach his name was…"

"Grunfeld Bach?" Miranda slammed her book shut, " _The_ Grunfeld Bach?"

"Uh…y-y-yeah…" Slade said nervously.

"I haven't heard that name in a long time…" She brooded, "I suppose it was foolish of me not to assume that the Society of Leopold wouldn't have a branch here in Los Angeles…what was he doing at Grout's Mansion…"

"I don't know…" Slade said, "He…he wanted to burn Grout down…for some reason…"

"Stupid humans." She clenched her fists, "Perhaps I'll venture to his abode and fill it with water…see how he likes it…"

Cadmus blinked a few times at her outbursts, "Jeez…I guess you're in love with the Society of Leopold as much as I am with the Sabbat…"

"They're foolish, idiotic apes. People that stupid should just be put down."

Cadmus whistled innocently, considering that he was a hunter (albeit not in the Society of Leopold), for his later adult years before he became Kindred.

"I could hunt some of them down if you'd like, Miss." Angelique said, "I've needed something to occupy my time with. They don't really like ghouls, they find it hard to pinpoint what we are."

"Don't trouble yourself. You're Cadmus's ghoul. I have no right to order you around." Miranda said.

"Alright, I guess I'll go talk to Isaac now." Slade got up and started to take his leave, "Damn…this vampire shit doesn't get any easier, does it?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, kid." Cadmus got up and pat his back, "You need any help with this stop, you can always come by my place."

Slade nodded, "Thanks…I'll keep that in mind." He said as he left.

Miranda smiled at Angelique, "I like to think that you infected him. First he was only kind to you. And now he's kind to everyone he meets."

"Shut up." Cadmus said as he sat back down, "I see a lot of myself in him, that's all."

"If you say so." Miranda said, "Well, I'll be going as well, give you two a little alone time."

Cadmus made a face as she closed the door behind herself.

Angelique closed her eyes and rested her head in his chest, "Do I really matter to you?"

He looked down at her, "Yeah…of course you do…"

"If I died, would you be sad?"

"Of course I would."

"Thank you." Her voice was tinier than usual.

He narrowed his eyes in thought, "You know what Caesar told me that I thought was weird?"

"Hmm?"

"That Elspeth was still alive…" He shook his head and closed his eyes, "It had to be a lie…unless she was Embraced…yeah…maybe she's whatever clan Caesar is…or…no…it's been twenty years…I think I would've seen her _once_ by now…"

She seemed a bit tenser in his arms, "It could just be more manipulation."

"Who knows?"

She opened her eyes, "You're the most important thing in my life, and I don't know what to make of that. I've never had a blood bond like this…I…don't know if it's the blood bond or not…"

"It's probably just the blood bond." He said, "I've seen a lot of ghouls in my day…they act affectionate towards their masters."

"How do people do it…" She asked quietly, "Like…Therese's ghoul…for instance…he hates her…but if this is instinct…how do they do it…?" She asked as she looked up, "They say ghouls who hate their masters…eventually go insane and die…because the blood bond drives them to either some form of suicide or genocide…" She shook her head, "It's just so frightening…"

"Look, if you don't like me…I can let you go."

"No, that's not what I'm saying." She said, "Never mind…it's nothing…" She got off of his lap, "I just…act like a kook for a little while after I drink your blood…"

"It's alright Angelique. If you feel weird…or…don't like being ghouled to me, just let me go."

"It's just…excess affection…nothing unbearable. Was there any chores you needed done…? Laundry or something? I could go run to the dry cleaners…"

He shrugged, "I mean, if you're really bored." He stood up, "I'll go grab a load."

* * *

"Knock-knock." Gary peeked his head in the dirt doorway, "Anything?"

"Not yet." Cressida closed her laptop, "He definitely forgot about it by now."

"Damn, I'll have to remind him in our next meeting." He mused as he left her room and passed by another doorway, stopping as he heard someone call for him, "What is it?"

"The hell are you doing with that giant box?" A deep growl with a twinge of an Australian accent asked, "It's taking so much space!"

"Relax, Barabus." Gary turned around and saw a Nosferatu who dressed rather humanlike, even looked pretty humanlike for their kind, "I've got a buyer in the Big Apple, the deal's looking quite good, we could be making millions."

He seemed pretty surprised, "Guess I have no right to complain then…"

Gary looked around, "Where's your twin brother?"

"Twin brother?" Barabus asked, "Who the hell are you talking about? Edgar?"

"He hasn't shown his pretty little face in days."

"Saw him just down the hall a few hours ago, why?"

"No reason." Gary turned and started walking where he assumed Barabus was talking about, peeking back into Cressida's room and seeing them both inside, "Ah, there you are." He stepped in, "How's the surface? Noisy as ever?"

Edgar shrugged, "I was trying to find Barabus's stash, apparently he hid one by LaCroix's ivory tower…but…I never found anything…just got lost…sidetracked…it was dreadful…"

He snickered, "Sorry about that." He reached in his suit and handed him a few photographs, "This is long overdue."

Cressida raised a brow, "Oh, come on, you're both worse than children."

"Ooh, this'll help me sleep in the daytime." Edgar flipped through the pictures.

"If only that damn Toreador would let me get as close as you got with Jeanette." Gary crossed his arms.

"I think Velour has a bit more class than Voerman." Cressida grumbled.

"Velour isn't really a big fan of mine either." Edgar said, "Jeanette still actually lets me into her club, at least."

"Jeanette lets anyone into her club." Cressida said, "She's a fucking idiot."

"I don't know, she doesn't do the trick for me…I suppose it pays being picky." Gary shrugged, "Anyway, I came here to talk to both of you about something somewhat important."

"Well that's rare." Cressida muttered.

"Yes?" Edgar asked.

"Imalia's been…especially annoying. I need you two to sort her out." Gary said.

Cressida laughed, "What? You're shitting me, right? You want us to fix your childe? You were the one who Embraced her, jackass!"

"She doesn't listen to me anymore." Gary said, "For whatever reason, she's not particularly fond of me."

"Alright, I'll go talk to her." Edgar said, "But someone should probably check on me if ten minutes pass and I don't come out of her room. It could mean she killed me."

"Edgar, you're like…twenty times her age." Cressida said.

"Just go with him." Gary swatted a hand, "Maybe having some girl-talk will calm her down."

"Ugh, don't make me sick." Cressida got up, "You better pay me in something decent."

"Sure."

Edgar led the way into Imalia's room, "Hey…there…Imalia…"

"Bitch…" Imalia was standing at a full length mirror, a picture taped to her mirror that she seemed to be looking at. She was prettier than Cressida, by a hair, maybe. It looked like her body had scales, especially her face, which was almost white, while the rest of her body was dark grayish green. Her eyes were deep set and a milky white color, her lips were dark and looked like they had been torn open past their limit, all the way past her cheeks, and were hastily stitched back together. "I can't believe she got on the cover of Glamorella…that spot belongs to me…"

"Uh…who…who's that…there?"

"What, you don't recognize Tawni Sessions?" She asked, "It's cause she's disgusting…back when I was around, she was lucky to make a handful of change…now she's the newest model on the streets, she's supposed to pass for beautiful…"

"Oh…Tawni Sessions…" Edgar repeated. Honestly he didn't know who she was. Why would he care about models when he had Jeanette to think about?

She growled and turned her gaze to herself in the mirror, "I hate him…I hate him so much…look what he did to me…" She seethed as she ripped a picture off the mirror and handed it to Edgar, "Look what he did!"

It was a picture of a beautiful woman with long brunette curls, a beautiful smile, and a flawless figure. She was standing on a brick wall barefoot, the ocean waves behind her, the sun shining on her glowing tan skin, the wind blowing around her pretty red dress.

Cressida peeked over to look at the image, then looked back at Imalia, "Gary's an asshole, I don't know what you want us to do about it."

"I mean, we're all hideous and ugly now…it's not like we can go back…" Edgar said.

"Exactly. Get your head out of the clouds, toots. You're here now, might as well make yourself useful. You think I knew anything about technology and snooping around when I was Embraced?"

She looked at Cressida, then sighed, "You don't get it. None of you do…" She turned away, "I'm not doing that idiot's work. I'm not doing anything for him, ever." She crossed her arms.

Cressida held her forehead, "If we kill Tawni, will you shut up?"

"No, I don't want her dead." She said as she turned around, "I want her to fall from grace harder than I did. I want her to make a complete idiot out of herself, completely ruined."

"And…you have the best kind of technology at your fingertips down here, just set up some shitty Photoshop of her like Gary does all the time."

"It needs to be more than that…I want evidence…I want the press to be floored, I want the tabloids to think twice about even printing it…Besides, Gary said something about laying low with this type of thing until the Prince cools down…whatever that means."

"Trust me…a model like her…they fall from grace on their own…" Edgar said as Cressida laughed.

"God, I just can't stand being cooped up down here watching the whole world kiss Tawni's fat ass!"

"What do you want us to do about it, girlie?" Cressida asked.

She pouted, perhaps in thought, "I have cameras." She turned around, "Set them up in her apartment. But set them up in good places."

Cressida raised a brow, not expecting her to be so straightforward with her instructions. Then she remembered that Gary was paying. "Sure."

"So…we're going to stalk Tawni Sessions?" Edgar asked.

"Yeah, but the cameras are useless if you don't set them up right." Imalia said, frustrating both of them since she was acting like she knew more than they did about such technological things, "You have to-"

"Hook it up to the network, we're not idiots." Cressida said, "What's the little password, Cleopatra?" She smirked.

Imalia's brow furrowed, "Yeah."

Cressida snickered and exchanged a glance with Edgar, then shook her head, "Fine, where are the cameras?"

"On my bed." Cressida grabbed the cameras as Imalia turned to Edgar, "She lives across from the Luckee Star Motel. You better not kill her. I don't want her dead, that would be too quick."

"Alright, alright, I won't kill her." Edgar said.

Cressida stuffed the cameras into a bag as they started making their way out of the warrens, "God, what a bimbo…" She muttered, "She'll be lucky to live another week…she's so obsessed with humanity…"

"Mmm…I kissed that goodbye a while ago…seeing how much kine love us…"

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only Nosferatu who didn't give a damn about being Embraced…"

"Mitnick was overjoyed when he was Embraced."

She snickered, "Well, he's very…tech savvy. I was already a bitch when I was Embraced, stalking and snooping around was nothing new for me."

"Hey, if this un-life allows me to haul a sledgehammer at all my problems, it can't be all bad."

Cressida snickered, "You better make sure you don't get yourself in trouble with that."

"I know. That's why this little job we have is going to be boring as all hell…" He said, Obfuscating once he reached the surface.

She disappeared as well, looking around, "Maybe I'll find that Tremere chick who owe me four hundred bucks." She muttered as they started moving forward.

"I didn't know you were working for a Tremere."

"I did one job, and she hasn't paid me back, fucking bitch."

He snickered, pausing once they reached the apartment complex, "You…you better open the door…"

She opened the door as they crept up the stairs and approached the hallway, "Which room is it?" She hissed.

"I don't…I don't remember her telling us…"

"God dammit…" She looked around, heading towards one of the doors and opening it, peeking her head inside and looking around, "Lucky guess…" She snuck in and hissed in Edgar's ear, "She's in here, so is some other douchebag."

"Wonderful…" Edgar muttered, "So where should we even put these damn things?"

"Well, there's a wall right there, I think that would be a good hotspot."

"…against the wall?"

"Uh huh. I'll put one in the toilet. Maybe the other one could go in the garbage disposal."

"…not sure if…if Imalia…would uh…"

She gave a reluctant sigh, "Fine, fine." She muttered as she grabbed one of the cameras from her bag and handed it to him, "You take this one, put it somewhere good, I'll take these two."

"Alright…hopefully neither of them spot us…" Edgar muttered as he starting hobbling around, trying to find a good place to put the camera.

Cressida was thankful Gary had her on the surface so often, dealing with spying missions or tracking people down. When her boyfriend walked right past her, she snickered quietly as she knocked a glass of water down in front of him and he slipped and fell on his face. She struggled not to laugh as she mounted the camera to the wall in the kitchen, then went to the bedroom.

Tawni was sitting at the vanity, taking her makeup off. Cressida looked around, then picked up two tissues from a tissue box and made them dance around her in the background of the mirror like ghosts. When Tawni gasped and turned around, Cressida hid them in the palms of her hand. She repeated this routine for a good two minutes before Tawni stood up and started looking around. That was when Cressida snuck around and planted a camera on the vanity behind the box of makeup and headed to the front door.

Edgar's procedure was a little less graceful. He sat back and observed Tawni's boyfriend/bodyguards routines. After a third trip to the bathroom, Edgar figured he has severe bladder trouble, so he made his move, he placed a camera in the bathroom once the lover left for the umpteenth time.

Cressida sighed as they were about to leave, then she paused, "Shit, I have to get into the network or all that work was for nothing. I'll be right back, stay here." She said as she went upstairs and went on Tawni's computer, which was on the bed, quickly emailing Imalia before she went back downstairs, "Alright, we're clear."  
"Good." He snickered, heading out with her.

* * *

"Knock-knock." An eerie voice said before making a purring sound, "Boy, I love the sound of my own voice…"

"What do you want, Gary?" Cressida sat back, she and Edgar were playing around with the cameras set up in Venture Tower, mainly the strange locations such as the camera right outside the bathroom.

"Have you seen Imalia recently?"

"No, frankly I don't want to."

"Well, you should. Whatever you two did last week made her significantly happier."

Cressida grunted, "Great. Good for her. Are you going to give me money for that yet?"

"If you want payment, I'd go to her."

She rolled her eyes, "C'mon Edgar."

"Alright." Edgar followed Cressida to Imalia's room, "So Imalia, did they catch Tawni doing something embarrassing on the cameras yet?"

"Did they catch something? Yeah, they caught her drowning herself with two and a half bottles of gin!" She laughed hysterically, even a smile looked unpleasant on her face, "What can I say, I knew it would work!" Her creepy white eyes twinkled.

"So uh…we were the ones who set it all up for you…" Cressida said, "Any thanks…?"

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, you guys aren't half bad."

"Money."

"Oh…uh, yeah. Here." She looked around, then grabbed a wallet from her bed and pulled out a few bills.

Cressida snatched the money, handing half of it to Edgar, "You'll listen to Gary now?"

"Like I said, I'm never listening to that bastard for one day of my life. But…I guess I can tolerate him…I'll still never forgive him…"

"Yeah, and it's those kinda feelings that he lives off of…" She muttered.

Edgar peeked at a newspaper, "Caught in a three-way with a llama?" He sighed and shook his head, "See, _this_ is what's wrong with humans…they can make love to llamas, but we're apparently too ugly for that…"

Imalia crossed her arms, "Welcome to Hollywood, sweetheart."

"You have Jeanette, what are you complaining about?" Cressida raised a brow.

"Eh, you have a point there." Edgar said.

"Alright, we should get back to…monitoring the cameras…" Cressida winked to Edgar.

"Of course." He nodded back, following her out.

* * *

 **A/N:** I mean, with a name like Tawni Sessions, I don't think you're going to make it very far in life anyway…thanks for reading!


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-two! I know you all missed Killian really badly, he's such a great guy and all, so here he is. ;) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, the third and fourth scenes are a little risqué, especially the fourth one. If that's not your cup of tea, you know the deal.

* * *

The grizzled mug of a bearded man who was at least in his late fifties plopped down in a creaky chair across from his line of vision, seeming intent to be noticed. His stocky and muscular build was dressed in a white tank top and torn up dark green trench coat, his black long hair slicked back with most likely 'natural' oils, his gnarled beard was grayish black. He had a broad face with a wide smile and thick brow, his yellow teeth were either chipped or pointed with decay. To top things off, he had an eye patch around his right eye, a deep pink scar carving through the flesh around the old wound. "You're outta town, huh?" His voice was resounding, but the type of volume that a grandfather with limited hearing would have.

Taking another look over him, belts of ammo were wrapped around both shoulders, two machine guns on his back, and at least three pistols on his belt, a few grenades. That might explain some of the volume. When he wasn't given a response, he slid over his drink, "Here."

"I don't drink."

"Yeah you do."

"I used to, but not anymore."

"Why's that? Tryin' ta frenzy er somethin', laddie?" He gave a contagious laugh, "You're one 'a Jack's kids, I recognize ya." He said, "Drink, drink."

Hastily, Killian grabbed the bottle and drank from it before passing it back, "Yeah, thanks."

"The hell you doing all the way out here, huh? San Diego ain't exactly right next door."

"It's practically down the street." He muttered, "I'm not a goddamn four year old."

The burly stranger sat back and gave a deep chuckle, "The name's Big John."

"Yeah, alright."

He snickered and shook his head, "So, what's got you out here, lad? Runnin'?"

"No. I don't run."

"You walk?"

He scowled, "Look, I'm just…goin' around, alright? Does it matter?"

"Blood Hunt?"

"I don't know where the hell you came from Big John, but I don't need your condolences, thanks."

"I ain't exactly good at faces laddie, what's your name?"

He rolled his eyes, "Killian."

"Killian…?"

"Fitzroy."

"Fitzroy…" He muttered, "Nah. Doesn't ring a bell. How old are ye?"

Killian crossed his arms and looked away.

"What, don't tell me yer under a decade…."

"Four."

He snickered, then started cracking up, "What, are you lost, pollywog? You've gone an' broke your leash, didn't ya? Ha, ha, ha! Where's Jack?"

"I don't know…Downtown somewhere…"

He snickered, "He oughta come getcha 'fore somethin' happen down 'ere!"

"What the hell's so bad about leaving? They didn't need me, there are more Anarchs in L.A. than homeless, I can go wherever the hell I want."

He laughed, "That's what you think, huh? Get back to L.A., lad, there's a reason Jack's down there. Him and I'd be sailing 'round the ocean blue if it weren't for that damn sarcophagus."

"Sarcophagus?"

"Get out from under yer rock and git goin' 'fore it's too late." He swatted a huge hand, "Go on, git. Not a good time to play games, laddie."

Killian sneered before he turned out the door and left, calling a cab. _Go back to L.A…? Where Lark was killed? I can't even think about it without tearing up like a fucking baby…I can't do it, I can't go back…I never want to see them again…Isaac, Ash, VV, Jack, Damsel, Nines, Skelter, Anastasia…I don't care about any of them…I just…_ He teared up as the car started moving, the lights in the streets becoming a blur as a memory came to him.

* * *

"What do I do to make you stop crying…?"

Lark looked at him with her big pink eyes, blinking before she faced the ceiling and wailed yet again.

"Look, I know you're hungry, but there isn't anything I can do!" Killian exclaimed as he yanked the mini-fridge doors open and looked inside, pushing aside the beer bottles to grab a browning carrot. He ran in and handed it to her, "Here. That's all I got, Lark."

She sniffed and bit into the carrot, then she teared up, "I want _real_ food…"

"We don't have any real food." He muttered, "That is real food, by the way." He said as he sat at the table and looked at a packet, shaking his head as he flipped through the pages before he grabbed a pen and made an indiscriminate scribble by a signature line, "I have no idea what the hell what any of this says…"

"Don't sign things you can't read!" She said as she ran over and looked at the packet.

"Do you want to go to preschool, Lark?"

"Of course!" She chirped as she hopped.

"Then I have to sign this."

"Just let Daddy sign it."

"Dad's not gonna be in the mood for signing his own waver when he comes home…" Killian muttered as he handed it to her, "Go put this somewhere where you won't forget it tomorrow. By the door."

"What time do I have to wakey tomorrow?"

"Seven." He sat on the ratty sofa and ruffled his scruffy blonde hair. He looked at his arms, little twigs, his sister would call them, with little blue veins tracing the surface.

"Again?" She complained, "But I don't wanna!"

"You better get to bed before it gets too late. Waking you up is hard enough."

"Killy…"

"Want me to tuck you in?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay." He stood up and took her tiny hand, noting how it was slightly pudgier than his own. She looked up at him and gave a bright smile, then she hugged him.

"I love you, Killy." She said, "Can you read me a story now?"

"Because you said you love me? No." He said as he brought her to her bedroom. He heard the door downstairs close, feeling his pulse start to race. He pulled the blanket aside and let her get in bed, putting the blanket over her and kissing her forehead, making sure she was nice and cozy before he quietly wished her goodnight.

Any sort of movements down the stairs were taken with extreme care, ensuring that not a step would be heard. He saw his father in the kitchen, a tan girl with dark brown waves in a blue bikini swirling her hips in front of him.

"You think that's going to convince me?" His voice was dry as ever.

"Do you want more?" She asked with a smile.

"Gladly. But not here, not now." He said as he opened a cabinet and handed her a small plastic bag of something white, "I want you later."

"Come to my place, Archie, we can have all sorts of fun with this." She said with a grin.

"Later. Just get the hell out of here."

"What, have the mafia in the back waiting for a group orgy?" She tucked the bag in her top.

"Sure." He swatted her off, "Go."

"See you soon." She said as she strutted off.

Killian was about to retreat to his room when his stomach rumbled loudly. Archie turned to the rickety staircase, "Killian, the hell are you doing up there?"

He felt his face heat up, "Sorry Dad…"

"Get down here."

He quickly scurried down the stairs, "Do you want me to make dinner?"

"I'm not going to be here much longer." He said, "Here." He handed him a stack of cash, "The landlord comes, give him this."

"Okay." He said curtly as he took the money.

"How old are you now? Six?"

"Eight."

"Eight?" He mused, "So your sister is…?"

"Four."

"Right." He said, "In bed?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm going to teach you something important, so listen up." He said as he sat at the small round wooden table, "Your father is a business man, I'm sure you're aware. I make deals and movies."

He bobbed his head. That was the most he knew about his father, at least. He made monthly visits a few days before the landlord came, sometimes high or drunk, sometimes completely sober. Either way he only stuck around for a handful of hours, usually lectured Killian and pushed him around before leaving.

"This is one of my properties. A more private property, but nonetheless, it saves your father money to have his employees and coworkers come here rather than the expensive studios. You're following?"

He nodded.

"So every now and again, a few of my employees might come in. Don't let them damage the place."

"Yes, sir."

"And if they ask for coke…" He said as he reached over and opened the cabinet drawer, "You give them a bag of this. But only if they give you one hundred dollars."

"I thought Coke was soda…"

"They might call it something else. If you don't know what they're asking for, ignore them. That's all you need to know."

"What is it…is it food?"

"Sure. If they ask for booze, you know where it is, charge 'em a couple bucks."

"Okay…"

"If they ask for something else, you'll have to call me."

"Okay…" He said slowly.

"And don't let any men come in and mention anything about recording."

"Okay…"

"You got all that?"

His head spun as he nodded.

"Good. You're not a bad kid." He muttered as he stood up.

"Dad." Killian stood up.

"What?"

"What was Mom like?"

"Your mother? What, you don't remember her?"

"No…she was always working….or sick…"

"She was good at her job. Good worker." He said, "I have to go, Killian."

"Do you think Lark will grow up like her too? Be successful like her?"

"What?" He almost did a double take, "Lark…that's your sister's name?"

"Uh huh."

"She can try all she wants, but she's not going to get anywhere. She's a woman, Killian. With that sort of mindset, you won't get anywhere either. Quit thinking about success like that. What you want isn't real. Success is power and money, something neither of you will ever amount to."

His eyes widened, "Why…?"

"Because, you're two rugrats in a shitty Hollywood apartment." He snickered, "You're dumber than a sack of rocks. You just keep your sister alive, alright? She gets sick, she dies, just throw her in the streets, you don't want to catch whatever she gets."

Fat tears rolled down his cheeks, "Why can't you help me…?"

He scowled, "You're my son, sure, but you're not my responsibility. You want to get angry with someone? Blame your mother for not having an abortion. Don't get into my drugs." He said before he slammed his door closed and left.

Killian sniffed and wiped his tears away, heading upstairs into their bedroom. He laid next to Lark, squeezing her and trying to quiet his crying into the back of her neck. "I'll take care of you Lark…even if it kills me…"

* * *

"Killian…" VV looked away from Ash as he walked into her room, "You're back…I was told you've been missing for weeks…"

"Get out, Ash." Killian said lowly.

Ash gave a brooding sigh as he stood up and sulked out of the room. "That wasn't very nice." Velvet's silver gaze landed on him.

His steps were low and clear on the tile floors, he reached a hand out and took hers, observing how tiny her hand looked in his own, before he tugged her up and hugged her.

She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder, "Have you been taking care of yourself like I asked?"

"No…"

"Do you need blood?"

"Yeah."

Her hands rubbed his chest, "You need to let me go if you want me to get you something to drink."

"Just…stay…"

She reached up and pet his hair, her nails gently sliding through the bright blond locks, "Where's Anastasia?"

"I don't know." He said, finally a hint of emotion in his voice, and that was cluelessness, "I'm not her father."

"And I'm not her replacement." She said firmly.

"You aren't." He said as he gently took a step back and held her face with both hands, "You're Velvet…I can trust you with my life and I know you'll listen…You're nice to look at, but I don't care about that…I just…feel like we've known each other forever…"

She chuckled softly to herself, "You're completely infatuated, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" His voice was a whisper.

She carefully wiped away another tear, "What if I wasn't beautiful? What if I wasn't a dancer, what if I worked for the Prince? What if I was the Prince?"

"Then I'd be a Cammy for you…" He choked out, "Because you're…you're the only one who gets me…"

Holding him closer, she rubbed his back, "Now let's not get ahead of ourselves…" Her silver eyes met his stormy gray orbs, "I'm not opposed to trying anything…" Her voice was hushed, "But you have to understand if I need space, I need space. If I want to break things off, it isn't because I don't like you. You're very close to my heart, Killian, irreplaceable…but sometimes romance does…funny things." As he nodded like an obedient puppy, she continued, "And you must understand my profession…" She gently rubbed his chest.

"I'll take care of you, V." He said, "No one will lay a finger on you as long as I'm here."

She smirked, "I know, Killian." Her smirk turned into a smile as he leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft as always, her kiss was completely mesmerizing. His hands held her thighs as he lifted her from the ground and pushed her back up against the wall, his head tilting as he deepened the kiss. Her eyes opened just a hair as she looked towards the door, thankful it was closed, "I thought my appearance meant nothing to you…"

Firm hands held her breasts, she closed her eyes, "You need this more than I do." He said lowly in her ear.

Her eyes closed and she bit her lip, rolling her hips slowly over his abdomen as he pulled her hair and left wet kisses on her neck. Her eyes peeked open when he felt him break away. In the dim lighting of her room, she watched his hulking figure above her, his…oddly familiar figure.

Like an apparition clouded her vision, Killian was no longer holding her.

It was Archie.

They were the same size, the same height. His skin was much darker, his hair was jet black, and he had a goatee as well, like the devil. His beady dark eyes were more predatory than any sort of animal she had ever seen, and his mouth, the same as Killian's, grinned with teeth that looked like fangs, despite his humanity. She gasped with terror and stiffened in his arms, rubbing a hand over her eyes to restore her vision.

Killian looked on with concern, "V?"

She sighed as she saw his youthful face, his light eyes, his bright hair and torn up tee shirt, "Killian…" She sighed, "I just…need some time…"

"Are you sure?" His eyes slid over her, "You…you just seem so stressed…"

"Another night?" She asked, "I just…need to be somewhere a bit more private."

"I understand." He said as he gently let her go, a caring look on his face, something that made VV tingle inside, "My place tomorrow night?"

"Sounds like a dream."

* * *

The first few notes of the acoustic guitar that started playing as Tess entered the club couldn't be any more fitting. Blood was the only thing on her mind, and part of her was disgusted by it. Why couldn't she spend more time with the people she cared about, or the job she had to do? Instead she was left living as a beast for blood after any sort of job. Casting her fury aside, she approached a girl at the bar and leaned in with a smirk, "Can I buy you a drink?"

The girl smiled, "I had enough…but thanks."

"Has anyone ever told you your smile is absolutely perfect?"

The girl's smile widened, "Not as nicely as you have."

"I'm envious…I wish my lips could be so perfect…"

"I think your lips are just gorgeous…"

"Would you like to try them…?" She raised a brow and leaned in, gently kissing her lips. She soon broke the kiss and latched her lips onto her neck, drinking deeply from the exposed artery before she pulled away and made sure she was comfortable in the chair. She turned her eyes away, licking her lips before she felt someone grab her shoulder firmly from behind.

His mug was far from pretty, he was in a trench coat and jeans, the unmistakable wreath of garlic hung around his neck, as well as a cross. He held another cross to her forehead.

She blinked a few times, _Keep your teeth hidden._ She made sure they were as retracted as they could be as she looked up at him, "Excuse me?"

"The girl. What did you do to her?" He demanded.

"Haven't you ever had so much fun that you passed out?" She kept her voice low.

"No." He put the cross down and pulled out a clove of garlic, throwing it in her lap.

She picked up the clove of garlic, "Do you think I'm a vampire?" Her eyes narrowed with rage.

"Uh…" He swallowed hard, "Apologies, miss…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She stood up and dusted herself off. _Damn, why is he right by the door? Maybe there's an escape route upstairs?_ She turned and headed for the staircase, looking around. She peered around at all the windows, then looked at the crowd of people. As a sigh shook her lungs, she paused. _No…it can't be…_ She walked towards a man sitting on the railing, who was snuffing out some sort of joint. "Hello…" She said.

He eventually looked up at her, the icy blue gaze was impossible to misplace.

"This…is going to come off as a strange question…who…who might you be?"

"Present." The voice was a dead giveaway. Soft but deep, drawn back. It was Ash Rivers.

She chuckled and sat next to him with a smile, "To think I've been living in Hollywood for years now and have yet to meet a celebrity. It's an honor."

"I bet." He looked away from her and stared at the floor.

"Is something wrong?"

"The sun's gone down."

She chuckled softly, "Insomnia?"

"Never mind." He shook his head.

She leaned in a bit, "You can talk to me if something's wrong."

"I could." He sat back.

She looked away, "Am I frightening you?"

He chuckled softly.

She raised a brow, "I don't know what to say to help you."

"Me neither."

She smirked, "What can I do to put a smile on that handsome face, hmm?" She leaned in a bit.

He looked over at her for a few seconds before he looked away, "Leave."

Her smile faded, "I'm trying to help you, Ash. I could get you in deep water if I wanted to…" She sat back, "So deep, you'd never be able to come out."

"What's the catch?"

She looked peeved at first, then saddened, "Why would you want that…? You're famous, everyone loves you…you can't be suicidal…can you…?"

"To say yes would be an understatement." He seemed irritated that his short responses weren't working, "What the hell do you care anyway? I could walk out of here in a blaze of glory…like a legend…and the sun would still set every night…I could live, I could die, what's the difference? What does it matter?"

"…the hunters…?" She asked slowly, "No…you can't be…"

"You're pretty green, aren't you?" He asked through a breath, but it was so soft, she couldn't hear.

"How did they get here?"

"Same way the rats do." He muttered, "I left out too many scraps."

"I…I had no clue you were…" She swallowed hard.

He looked over the railing at the first floor, "I could go out there right now…it would be over…That's the only reason I haven't left yet. It doesn't bother me…I want to know why…"

"I could help you." The words came out of her mouth before she even had to think about it.

His eyes narrowed as he shot a glare at her, "Isaac send you?"

"…Isaac…?" She asked, "Isaac Abrams? I would never do work for an Anarch."

He rubbed his forehead and looked back at the floor, muttering something inaudible.

"I'm not sure what I can do about the hunters…but…I'll do anything I can to make you happy…I know this life is bleak…but…I've found happiness. I think anyone can…there's a niche for everyone."

"No there isn't." He insisted as he looked back at her, "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for him to save my life. Maybe I wanted to die. I was having fun, dammit!" He seemed impassioned, his façade of carelessness ebbing away as he gave her a rather heartbreaking look, "Who the hell gave him the right to deny me that? Would you rather die in a wave of euphoria or…" He shook his head and grit his teeth, "Miserable anguish like this?"

"Ash…" Her voice was drawn back as she was left speechless.

"I can't act anymore, I can't love anymore; all I can do is…fade away into obscurity…"

"You know that isn't true." She found her voice.

"Do I?"

She scooted a bit closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, "Love never dies, Ash. There has to be someone out there who cares about you…or someone you could care about."

He looked down at her, then looked away in disgust, "Go away."

She gently held his arm. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it was the stress. Or maybe it was just something about him, but she leaned in and kissed his cheek, rubbing his back, "Let me help you, Ash."

"Why?" He asked, "What good would it do you?" His eyes raked over her, "I know your type, I'm not interested. I don't live that way anymore."

"Why not?"

"Ask Isaac."

"He's your sire?" When he didn't answer, she closed her eyes, "This life doesn't change anything unless you let it. Look at the Prince, Ash, he's famous to Kindred and kine alike and keeps his true identity hidden to them."

"I don't care about anyone else."

"Then care about yourself. Your life isn't something…infinitesimal like you think it is."

"I bet."

"Please, listen to me…nothing has to change." She said with a smile, "You can still have fun, Ash…do you want me to show you?"

He raised a brow, "I'm not interested."

"Because you aren't letting yourself. Open your mind, sweetheart, let your humanity seep through for once…if you close yourself up so much, you're letting the darkness win…"

"God, you sound like VV…"

"What did you do when you weren't acting, Ash? What were you doing that you can't do anymore?"

He lifted his foot away from the smashed joint on the floor.

"Drugs…sex….money? Hmm? You don't need drugs for a rush. I'm right here." She smirked.

He combed his fingers through his hair, "And what will that change? If I'm happy, it still doesn't make a difference."

"You do mean something, Ash…you mean something to me…and to your sire…and to all your fans…there's so much more to this life that you're hiding from…let me show you…" She took his hand, "Please?"

"There's more, huh?" He asked, "I'm not interested in politics."

"Nobody is. I'll show you the good things."

"I can't leave."

"The hunters?" She asked before she sighed, "I know someone who can help me deal with them. We will get you out of here, and you'll…you'll have a whole new quality of life…you'll smile again…you'll be happy."

He snickered, "Yeah, alright."

"Why don't you show me the restroom and I'll give you a little taste of happiness…?"

There was a dramatic pause, either he was thinking about it, or he was just very good at adding drama to things. Most likely, it was both. "We're both dead…"

"Mmm hmm." She said, "What, afraid it won't work?"

"It can't be the same."

"No, you're right…it's even better."

"If you insist." He stood up and walked her over to the restrooms, entering the men's room.

Tess looked around with a smirk, "I've never been in a men's room before…well…" She turned to him, "First time for everything, right?"

The second she turned to him, his hands were on her waist, he was pushing her back against the wall, kissing her with unending fervor. She closed her eyes and sighed blissfully, her nails digging into his shoulders as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She smirked against his lips and kissed his jawline, "Kindred strength is nice, isn't it…? You'd be sore pinning a girl up against the wall by now…"

He combed her fingers through her hair before he pulled her blazar open, unbuttoning the top of her shirt. His grip on her chest was unrelenting, and her cries were unyielding.

The music was muffled inside the bathroom, but Tess was completely deaf to it. All her senses focused on Ash, his lips against her chest, his hands rubbing her hips and thighs from under her skirt. Any fantasy she had of him while she watched his movies unraveled before her.

And then, the door swung open.

Ash's bright blue eyes flickered open as he kicked a stall door open and pushed her inside. She landed on the toilet in a daze, he quickly locked the door and chuckled quietly.

She smiled and brushed her hair out of her face, "I wouldn't mind if they watched, Ash…" She said softly.

"I would." He picked her up off the toilet and pushed her against the locked door, squeezing her waist and kissing the sensitive skin behind her ear.

She sighed as her eyes slowly drifted closed, "Ash…"

"What?" He peeked an eye open as he groped her rear.

"Did you want this off…?" She started taking her blazar off.

"It'll get dirty on the floor…"

She giggled, "Fine, fine, it'll stay. Oh, but don't you want to see the girls…?"

"I can see plenty of them." She felt skilled fingers snap her thong right off, it landed on the floor.

"…I liked that one…"

"Then don't be such a fucking tease." His breath tickled her ear.

She smirked and kissed him again, but he pulled away, "What?" She asked impatiently, "We're moving like snails, Ash…"

"How the hell does this even work?"

"Blood buff." She unbuttoned the shirt under his jacket and rubbed his chest.

"That's so much…" He hissed under his breath.

"Ash…" She pleaded, "Give me something…"

He reached into her skirt and teased her with a few fingers, "Is that enough?" He smirked, Tess would have been captivated with how handsome it was if there wasn't a fire burning in the pit of her stomach.

She bit her lip as a deep groan slipped out, her forehead landed on his chest, "All the way in… _please_ …"

"What good would it do if I can't taste it?" He asked as he moved his hand away and kissed her neck.

" _Ash_ …"

"Don't whine like that, pisses me off…" He hastily pulled his belt off and unzipped his fly.

"Ash… _Ash_ … _please_ …" She squirmed, smirking as she saw how irritated he looked. She felt his hands tighten around her hips and figured he used blood buff, but didn't even get the chance to look at him before he hiked her skirt up and thrust into her, her hips slammed into the door as he let his anger out.

She closed her eyes as a scream passed through her lips, which was quickly muted by his lips mashing onto hers. Her nails dug into his shoulders, her legs squeezed his waist as he pulled out all the way and pushed into her again with merciless force.

He kept this up for what felt like hours to Tess, varying between pounding into her to try and cause her pain, or keeping a steady rhythm and breaking it right before she climaxed. She was on the verge of snapping at him before he let out a deep grunt and retained just enough momentum for her to reach a peak.

If there was anyone else in the bathroom, they would have thought someone was being murdered. Even people outside the bathroom most likely heard the shriek she produced. She felt blinded as ecstasy flooded through her, the fire in her belly consumed all feelings. As her eyes slowly peeked open, she saw the look on Ash's face was something similar, some sort of satisfied yet exhausted look as he met his eyes with hers, "I don't even know your name…" He said softly.

"Tess…" She said as he let her go and she got her footing, buttoning her shirt slowly, "Tess Perry…God, I just got fucked by Ash Rivers…"

"That's what this was about?" His eyes narrowed as he looked up from fastening his belt, "I should have known better…"

"No, Ash, it's more than that." She said with a smile as she buttoned his shirt, "I'm going to help you, I promise."

He watched her hands expertly fasten the buttons, "You're lucky I have nothing other to do than trust your word."

"Listen, sweetheart." She adjusted his collar and met her eyes with his, "You'll know to believe me when I get you out of here alive. And it won't stop there."

He sighed, "Yeah, alright." He unlocked the door and watched as she walked out from the stall, "You okay?"

She nodded and adjusted her skirt, "Getting you angry seemed like a great idea at the time…not so much anymore…"

"I need blood…you can get me some blood bags or something?"

"Of course." She said, "I'll be back to check up on you, alright?"

"Don't expect a show every night." He left the bathroom with her.

She smirked and exited after him, "I will." She winked and headed downstairs, past the hunter and towards a taxi, wondering how long she would be sore for.

* * *

 **A/N:** Silly Tess, you're not going to do anything with that quest beside awkwardly tag along like you always do…Hope you liked it!


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-three! So what happens when you mix an Anarch with two Cammies for a quest? Yeah, things get a little unexpected…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Something had to have been wrong with him. Now he went and ghouled her. What was he doing with himself? If Strauss found out what happened, then he may as well kiss his Magister status goodbye. But what story would he even come up with? The Tremere are no fans of club owners. He would have to devise a story as to her exploits or _something_ to prove that she was Tremere material, or else he would be in big trouble.

And this isn't even going into his feelings for her. Were they feelings? He certainly hadn't felt this way about anyone else in all his many decades, and given the amount of female apprentices they had walking around, he certainly had the _opportunity_ to fall for either of them. But no, he was attracted to the beat priestess. Why? There was no scientific evidence for it. Was he now a Toreador? Because Toreador were the only clan who could fall in love at the drop of a hat, is what he always thought.

"Mister Madison!" A feminine voice cried out.

Victor blinked, "Oh, yes, I forgot what we were doing…" He said, looking around the broken down hospital.

Miranda shuddered, it was clear this place was grossing her out, " _Why_ in creation are we here?"

"Never mind that, do you have that fetish statue with you?"

"Y-Yes…" She stammered, feeling a tingling sensation with each step, putting a hand over her mouth.

"In that case I have someone to introduce you to." Victor smiled as they entered the bottommost room of the hospital.

Pisha's brow furrowed, but her confused face soon faded. "Victor." She put her hands on her hips after picking up what looked like either a part of someone's brain or intestine, eating it quickly. Her eyes turned to Miranda, looking her over, then her eyes caught on her blade. She looked back up at Victor, "Who might you be?"

Miranda shuddered taking one look at Pisha, " _Why-"_

"Never mind that. Hand me the item." Victor said.

Miranda held out the statue, which Victor took and handed to Pisha, "My associate has recently traveled to a museum, she found this. I was curious as to whether it _was_ in fact the statue you were speaking of."

She gently reached out and took it, observing it briefly, "Yes, this is the item I was searching for…" She said as she set it aside on her altar, "I hear voices within of agony and torment…I will delve into the source of them." She looked back up at Victor, then turned to Miranda, "Your name?"

"I am Miranda Frost." Miranda said, "The esteemed Ventrue envoy of Prince Sebastian LaCroix. Who might you be?"

"You may address me as Pisha. Your weapon." She looked back at the blade, "Where did you obtain this?"

"From the bowels of the darkness itself. A large Sabbat haven in the center of the country. Though entering it now would prove futile." She smiled, "As there isn't a single Kindred left who is alive to represent the sect."

"Curious…" She mused, "The Sabbat should never have had the opportunity to take a weapon of my people unless…" She shook her head slightly, approaching the small lockers up against the wall where bodies would be stored. She opened one and reached inside, pulling out some sort of creature.

It looked like some sort of sea creature, like a snail without a shell. It was pink and fleshy, with a blue eye in the center of the coil. It had a fin as well, and a little sucker at the end of the coil that looked somewhat like a mouth. It squirmed a bit in her hand, blinking very slowly, "Take this." She handed it to Victor, "It is known as the Odious Chalice. It will gain nourishment from the blood of your foes, and can act as a vessel. It will store blood for you to drink when needed."

"How interesting." Victor smiled, looking at Miranda, "Would you like this? You did find the statue, after all."

"No…no thank you…"

"Very well. Then I shall hold onto it." Victor said, stuffing it in one of his pockets, looking back at Pisha, "Did you enjoy that meal I sent you…oh…what was it now, a handful of weeks ago?"

She finally cracked a smile, "I had a feeling that was your doing. The first bite was the larynx."

He laughed, once he calmed down he said, "Until we meet again, my Nagaraja friend. Next time I'll bring you the Giovanni book."

"Very well." Her eyes flickered to Miranda's sword again, "If ever you find yourself in the midst of an exchange involving the Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, please do realize its value. It is a weapon of the True Black Hand, a sect that once held as much power as the Camarilla and Sabbat, before many broke apart into…smaller Gehenna groups, partially due to the Week of Nightmares. The stains of blood hidden on its surface far exceed any of yours, it very well may be older than you and I, seeing as the blade was very likely to be held in the hands of those in generations below the fifth."

Miranda looked down at her blade, "I had wondered why so many feared me on the battlefield before combat even started." She smiled, "I find it a comforting thought."

Pisha thought for about a beat, "If ever you find yourself in need of additional information of the blade or its origins, I will reside in this location for a few months more before I take my leave. Of course, an exchange of flesh for knowledge would be mandatory."

Miranda nodded, "I'll think it over."

Pisha looked back to Victor, "Be wary on your travels."

* * *

Slade had to admit he felt pretty stupid. He had lived in Hollywood for so long, and passed Isaac Abrams's jewelry store a billion times. To think that the owner of said jewelry store was a vampire this entire time. That was who Miranda told Slade to speak to about the Nosferatu, so it was his first stop.

"Slade?"

He turned his head to see none other than Tess, walking in the same direction he was.

"Tess?" Slade asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Miranda left me a voicemail, I need to speak with Mister Abrams about Nosferatu."

"What?" His eyes widened, then he sighed, "Jesus…they want _you_ to do that too? Crap, I knew doing it by myself would be too good to be true…"

"Let's just get this done with. I have another job I need your help with later, I'm sure he'd be more than willing to pay."

"What?" He asked, "Oh, hell no, I'm not doing anything for you."

"It's not for me, it's for Ash Rivers. He's going to get killed if we don't help him. I can't do it alone."

"You can't do anything alone."

"That isn't necessarily true." She crossed her arms.

"Yes it is. You just stand in the background and have Dragomir and I do all the work. That's probably why LaCroix hates you so much. Because he figured out how useless you really are."

"Oh please. As long as I survive a few years, he'll put me in an office position where I belong. Then everything will be fine."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll kill you long before then. Go ahead, deny it. But I came awful close that one time when you were saddling with the Anarchs." He said, "After all the whoring and shit you've done to Dragomir, I'm through with helping you around. You cheated on the poor guy, and instead of acknowledging it… Instead of apologizing for being terrible and manipulative, you want to _kill_ him? You want to wipe the evidence away? You're sick. Plain and simple."

"If you say so. He's going to die anyway, Slade. There's a reason there are only a total of three Malkavians in California, because they can't survive in a place like this."

"I'll do what I can to keep him safe. We'll be friends until the end."

"How cute." She said as she walked towards the door and held it open for him.

Isaac was sitting at his desk, with Killian leaning over the counter, looking at them with a look not nearly as peeved as Isaac's, "So…the fledgling I saved who's sided with the murderous Malkavian who killed Killian's sister, and the Lorcan scrap who falsely accused Nines Rodriguez for the murder of a Primogen." Isaac folded his hands, "Forgive me for being less than…enthusiastic…about your little visit…"

Slade crossed his arms, "You can't prove that."

He furrowed his brows, "Very courteous of you two to stop by. I expect all Kindred who enter my domain to announce their presence. Call it an old-fashioned formality, but it serves its purpose well."

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Abrams." Tess said, "I understand your limited patience for our presence in your domain, but we have a simple task we were wondering if you would be able to assist us in, considering your knowledge of the area."

"Well this is precious." Killian smirked and turned around, "Baby-Face's asking for the Anarch's help? What's next, he gonna call off the Blood Hunt and marry Nines?"

"We're looking for where the Nosferatu live." Slade said, "Do you know where they are?"

"So, the Prince has come to barter information with the sewers rats, has he?" Isaac snickered, "He must be awful desperate, consorting to _their_ kind, and asking for _my_ help, of all people."

"The Nosferatu have been serving the Camarilla faithfully for years, he would never think of them as sewer rats." Tess said.

Killian laughed, "Oh, that's sweet. What's your name, sugar-tits?"

"Tess." She said dryly, "Call me that again and see what happens."

"Well, I can really only see one reason an asshole like Lorcan would sire you, sugar-tits, and it's not cause you can add two and two and get four."

She smirked, "Very well, I'll keep a note of that."

"Good." He reached in his back pocket and took out a cigarette, "Sorry, Isaac, didn't mean to hold things up, you know how much I love a good whore-argument."

"Be that as it may." Isaac looked at Slade and Tess, "There is the manner of tribute."

"Tribute?" Slade asked.

"This is my barony, and as is tradition, a token of respect must be paid."

"Certainly." Tess said, "What is it you would like us to do?"

Killian looked down at Slade and Tess, then pulled the cigarette from his mouth. When he spoke, smoke rolled out past his lips, "Can't help but feel sorry for you Slade." He said, as he took another drag of the cigarette, "V made you out to be a hero, I can only imagine how much work you get with her lingering around."

"We're trying to settle something, if you wouldn't mind being quiet." Tess spat.

"You're lucky Isaac's here, sugar-tits."

"You see, last week I paid for something…a movie…and tonight I got an email saying that the sender would be ready to deliver it. But now he's gotten paranoid all of a sudden." Isaac said, "Won't meet me in person, won't drop it off. Won't even answer his phone. He says he'll send the location of the pickup to the Internet Café tonight. See where I'm going with this?"

"Seems simple enough." Tess said.

"Go to the Ground Zero Internet Café. Look for a directory named Josef K and use the password 'Kafka.' There'll be an email that will specify a nearby location. Meet the contact, pick up the item, and come back. Not too painful, right?"

"Not at all." Tess said, "We'll get it done as soon as possible."

Killian leaned over towards Isaac, "You want me to monitor 'em or something? I don't have anything better to do…"

He nodded, "Killian will go with you two. If nothing else, he'll supervise your activities. You fledglings will probably need the help."

"Of course." Tess said, it was hard to mask her frustration, "Thank you, Mister Abrams."

As they headed outside, Killian stood behind them, his arms crossed as the other two walked side by side. He loomed over them like a bodyguard, Slade could tell Tess was furious.

"Slade…?" Slade heard a familiar voice ahead of them.

Slade paused, time around him seemed to stop, "You guys go ahead."

He was worried Killian would be difficult, but he grabbed Tess by the shoulder and pushed her forward, "C'mon." He heard them bickering as they walked onwards before the figure ran over.

Her face was as pretty and bright as he remembered, so was her blonde pixie-cut. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, "Slade, I missed you…" She said softly in her angelic voice, "I haven't seen you in forever…not since Prom…"

"I…" He choked out, "I'm not him…"

She quickly let him go, stepping back, "Oh, dear…I'm so sorry…" She swallowed hard, "You look just like an old friend of mine…" She nervously giggled, "Are you…related…?"

He bit back tears. How could he forget her? Of all people. It seemed his life when he was alive has come back to haunt him, in the cruelest way possible, "Uh…I don't know what you're talking about…I…" It was despicable how easily a person could be forgotten, yet, one they reappeared, their memory was the only thing that flooded Slade's mind, "I'm sorry…I got work to do…"

"Of course sir…I'm sorry, good luck…" She said as she stepped back, the look on her face still seemed lost.

Killian turned over his shoulder as Slade caught up with them, "I hated it when that happened. I got someone to print an article about me dying so people would just leave me alone."

Slade didn't respond, he brushed past both of them and went inside the Internet Café.

Tess sighed and tried to catch up to him, Killian continued at his leisurely pace, some sort of dark glint in his eye as he stepped inside the building with them.

Slade slumped at the terminal which read 'Josef K' and he typed for a bit, eventually he got up and muttered, "Behind the Fast Buck…"

"Fast Buck…?" Killian asked, "Jeez, why so shifty?"

"No clue." Tess said as she looked around the place.

Killian crossed his arms, "Tess, why don't you go on ahead?"

"Alone…?" She asked.

"Yeah, if you get scared, wait up for us."

Tess seemed perplexed at his instructions, but left nonetheless.

"You an only child?" Killian asked.

"I don't have time for this." Slade muttered.

He snickered, "Yeah, what are you in such a rush for? Got a hot date with the Prince's cock? Look, kid, the only reason you're alive is cuz of us, show some respect." He shook his head, "If V didn't talk about you every day of her damn life, I'd have you in an urn, but for some reason she's absolutely in love with you."

"I'd rather be dead than working for that asshole, LaCroix. You guys can go fuck yourselves."

"Isn't that a little contradictory?" He asked, "If you want LaCroix dead, why do you work for him? Why don't you stay with us?"

"Because thanks to you guys, he spared me only on the condition that I work for him." He narrowed his eyes, "Forget that already? I know, it was a long time ago…a handful of months, maybe…"

"You don't have to listen to him." His eyes narrowed, "I Embraced my sister. I'm still here. She was here too before your douchebag of a friend came and took her away from me. I had Nines put one of his fancy little Primogen to gunpoint and he turned a blind eye. There's a way around everything, kid."

"I don't need a glorified gorilla telling me what to do." He said, "Maybe your sister shouldn't have been let off her damn leash if a _fledgling_ can kill her. A _Malkavian_ fledgling, at that."

He sneered, "Unlike your little Camarilla, Anarchs are free. There's no _leash_ , there's no control, she's not my responsibility, your point holds no merit." He spat, "Whatever, I was willing to throw it under the bridge if you weren't such a dick about it…I don't even get what the hell VV sees in you…I knew you were a twisted fuck unlike that goddamn cherub she made you out to be…"

"Are you done crying about your dead sister now, or what?"

Killian's entire arms lit up with Potence, the lightning adding frightening shadows over his face. The customers in the café left rather quickly. "You wanna say that again?"

Slade crossed his arms, "Go to hell, you fucking gorilla. If you wanna kill me, I'm taking you down with me. One less Anarch will do this place some good."

Killian reared his hand back to slam Slade's head into the keyboard.

The doors flew open as Tess stepped in, "Boys!" She cried out, "What the hell are you doing? We have work to do, get out here and at least pretend to get along!"

Tess's outburst didn't seem to stop Killian at all.

Slade bounded backward, at pretty impressive speeds given his age. He then lunged at Killian with the same speed, aiming a blade straight for his eye. Killian grunted as he caught the blade, gritting his teeth as he shattered the blade in the palm of his hand, "Try again." He growled under his breath.

Slade dove forward, driving what was left of the shattered sword blade into Killian's chest, the other sword was aimed for his torso. He was skewered like a pincushion and yet seemed completely unbothered. He put his fists together and reared them back over his head to clobber Slade's head in.

Tess dashed in and wrapped her arms around Slade's waist, trying to pull him away.

Slade pulled away from the both of them, using his Celerity to his advantage. Bounding around, he attempted to slash Killian at many different angles at once. Killian closed an eye as he was sliced open countless places. He grabbed the desk and threw it at him.

Slade growled and held his single remaining blade up high, cutting the desk cleanly in half. He sped at Killian. It looked like he was about to face him head on, but again, he strayed and zig-zagged around at quick speeds, slashing at Killian and taking advantage of the speed difference. Killian grunted, then grabbed Tess by the neck before she could dash away. He held her up in front of himself as a shield, she screamed and thrashed.

Slade gave a sadistic grin. An orange glow came from him. Tess and Killian felt their defenses lowered. A little weakened. Slade stabbed straight through Tess as far as he could in hopes that he could stab through to Killian too. Killian grunted and reached forward to grab the sword that was in his gut and break it in his palm.

Slade swallowed hard, he quickly pulled the sword back. As Tess's wounded body fell over, he regrouped and sped around. With two of his Disciplines running at once, he gave a savage roar as he ran up to slice Killian from the back. Killian growled and tore his shirt off, figuring it was ruined anyway. He turned around and grabbed a computer, throwing it at him with terrifying speed, sparks flew all over the air.

Slade darted out of the way, giving another roar as he sped forward to slide low and slash at his legs. As he aimed low and slashed one of his legs, Killian reared his fists down to smash into Slade's back. Slade gasped, rolling out of the way. He easily regrouped and started slashing away at Killian. Especially with the Presence these hits were starting to cut a little deeper.

Killian resorted to a lot of destruction, tearing the desks apart and throwing computers, making the place impossible for Slade to quickly navigate, leaving cords out for him to trip on. He spit blood aside as Potence continued to ripple over his arms and shoulders, his torso leaking with blood from deep wounds Slade left behind.

Slade looked around. The environment definitively wasn't safe. And he had no idea what electricity could do to a vampire, but he figured it wasn't pretty. He slowed himself just a bit, so he could concentrate on where he was going, but he could still out-speed Killian and attack him.

Killian grunted and growled deeply, reaching out to take the blade as much as he could with no avail. Frustratingly enough, nothing Slade did seemed to take Killian down. Injure him yes, but the deep sword gashes he left didn't seem to bother him at all. Even though he didn't show it, Slade could tell certain movements were hindered, so he was at least doing _something_.

Slade growled back, dashing around at Killian. He began to aim for the spots he _already_ attacked, rather than try to cut open new wounds. He focused on the existing ones, and due to his speed, Killian was all but powerless to let the little nips and bites slash through him.

Killian grunted as Slade stabbed him in the torso again, finally a look of pain on his face before he reared back to break his skull with no avail.

The doors busted open as the police came in, "LAPD, hands in the air!" He screamed, a gun aimed at them.

"Fuck me…" Killian spat blood to the floor and turned towards the cop, bashing him against the wall. There was nothing left of his head after the punch, "Slade, get the hell out of here, get Tess and go behind the Fast Buck _now!_ Let me handle the cops!"

Slade stopped. Killian was vulnerable right now. He could easily end him while he was dealing with the police. But instead he deactivated all his Disciplines, scooping Tess off and leaving the destroyed building.

He felt Tess move slightly in his arms, her bright eyes peeked open and she held onto him tighter. The sound of the sirens started fading as Tess rested her head in his chest, "I…thought you were going to die…" She whimpered.

"You…you're not mad at me…for stabbing you…?" Slade asked.

Her eyes closed again, "No…I…was his human shield…you didn't mean it…"

"Yes I did…" He said, then he was, _very_ quietly, "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay…it's healing…"

They heard heavy footsteps as Killian walked into the alleyway, even with his thick Kindred blood, it was dripping behind him, "You're both alright?"

"Yeah…" Slade said briefly.

"Anyone show up yet?"

"I…I think it's maybe that guy over there…" He nodded towards a hooded man, "Hey." Slade said, a little louder.

"Y-Yeah?" The hooded man asked, "What do you want?"

"You the guy with the tape? Isaac sent us."

"Yeah. I mean, no! Who the hell is Isaac? I don't know what you're talking about! Get the hell outta here!"

Killian growled, "Look, man, just give us the tape, no questions asked. You want money? What do you want?" Something about the way Killian put Slade under the impression he had quite a bit of experience with illegal deals and exchanges.

"Money won't save me where I'm going…" He muttered.

"What do you mean by that?" Slade asked.

"I just want out…I just want out of this whole thing! I don't want anything to do with that damn tape!"

Killian looked perplexed, "What's the hell is this…?" He asked, "Look, my old man made snuff tapes all the time, what's the big deal?"

"Oh, you have no idea man. The girl on the tape. The things they do to her. It…it just ain't right…it just ain't right! And now…something's watching me…I swear…something's after me!"

"Someone's after you from watching a fucking porno? Look, whatever, just give us the tape, we'll handle things. I'm sure I've seen worse in my own bedroom."

"No, you haven't…I swear…everyplace I go…something's watching me…I feel something…in shadows…sometimes my phone rings…and the only thing on the other end is just…heavy breathing…shit…I'm out, man. I'm out of this whole damn thing…"

"Then just give us the tape and leave town." Slade said.

"What?" He asked, "I don't have it. I stashed it somewhere. Look, you need to find Ginger Swan's-"

The hooded man looked around suddenly, "Shit! Did you hear that? Aw, fuck this, I'm getting the hell outta here!" He ran away, only for the trio to be deafening by a blood curdling scream, and then a sudden silence, followed by the sound of a manhole cover opening and quickly closing.

Tess shuddered in Slade's arms, "What the hell did we just get ourselves into?"

"Nothing." Killian rolled his eyes, "Bunch of newbies, all of you. You'd be surprised how aggressive people get over the drugs and the rights over who's camera was used and who's thong went in who's apartment…yeah, people die over it every day, it's nothing." He said as he ripped a tooth out and threw it aside so another one could grow in, "Ginger Swan, he said? Sounds familiar…Isaac might know about it…"

"Should we see what the hell happened to that guy?" Slade asked as he squeezed Tess a little bit closer.

"Yeah, I guess…" Killian muttered as he strolled over, before he turned back, "Either of you got a gun?"

"No…" Tess said slowly.

"Damn." He turned back to the manhole and kicked it open, peeking inside, "Hey? The hell's going on down here?"

There was nothing down there aside from blood speckles and a severed arm. But for some reason it caused Slade to started shivering. He backed away from the manhole in fear.

It was the same cover where that demon popped out and started all of this. "Get back from there!" Slade shouted.

Killian looked confused, kicking the manhole shut and stomping on it a few times, "Alright, alright, jeez…" He said, "Let's just get back to Isaac…"

Tess looked up at Slade, "What's wrong?"

"Monsters live under there, I swear to god." Slade said, "That's why I was Embraced in the first place, because one of them jumped out and attacked me. Whatever this snuff film is about, it isn't good…"

"Wait, wait, what kind of monsters are we talking about?" Killian asked, a serious look on his face, "Like…werewolves kinda shit…? Cause if there's werewolves, I'm out…"

"No…not werewolves…just these creepy little…demon things…"

He seemed to relax a bit, "Well…I think a conversation with Isaac's overdue."

The charm of the jewelry store rang as the three Kindred entered, Killian still looking like he got hit by a truck, "So turns out this is a little more fucked up than we thought. Whoever the hell was supposed to give us the tape chickened out and then turned into sewer chum."

Isaac looked perplexed, he quickly stood up, "What the hell happened to you? You were only supposed to get a tape…"

"Never mind that. The guy before he died said something about a Ginger Swan…do you know anything about that?" Slade asked.

"Swan…Swan…not an animal…a celebrity. She was one of the most beautiful actresses, seventy years ago at least. There wasn't a man who wouldn't give up his family, career, or anything else for one night with her."

"Where is she now?"

"That depends…you believe in an afterlife? Ginger Swan's been dead since the fifties. Twenty years after there were still grown men weeping at her grave. I don't know how she's relevant, but I have faith you'll figure it out."

Killian crossed his arms, "I doubt there'd be anything at the graveyard…"

"It's worth a shot." Slade said, turning towards the door, "Thanks Isaac."

They entered the graveyard mausoleum, searching through each individual grave until Slade said, "Guys…I found it." He held a tape out, the label was worn and partially torn up, the entire tape looked like it had seen better days. The title on it read 'Devilspawn Fleshfest.'

Killian raised a brow, "What kind of sex tape name is that…?"

Tess shook her head, finally seeming able to stand on her own, "I think we're beyond the snuff tape….this is something entirely different."

Killian picked it up, "Well, Isaac's got a TV, might as well watch it at his place and see what's up."

They went back to the jewelry store, Slade handing Isaac the tape. "I'm in a hurry to find out what's behind all the hype, so…get comfortable." Isaac said, "I _do_ have a feeling that whatever's here may be of use to all of us…"

The tape started out crackly, at first it seemed it wasn't going to work with all the static. But then the movie jolted into a scene in which a girl was running for her life, in a house that was outlined with a beige substance, plastic perhaps? There was also blood and odd pieces of wood jutting out of the walls. She ran up the stairs, it soon became apparent that she was running away from the demonic monsters. They had some humans features, deranged albeit. They were simply heads with arms coming out of the side of their head. Their hands equipped with extremely sharp claws, and their faces had fanged mouths and horrid red bloodshot eyes. They panted like mad dogs as they chased the poor woman. Slade's eyes widened in horror, as he easily recognized the monsters on the tape.

The woman ran all the way upstairs and into another room, a bedroom possibly, but it was hard to tell, everything looked the same with that odd beige wallpaper. She panted for a while, for a few seconds nothing could be heard other than her panting and the sound of flies buzzing. But then the camera zoomed out to a bed made out of an odd dull white material. Three more of those monsters were on the bed, camouflaging perfectly with the wallpaper. The woman begged for help and cried, but now she was trapped, as the monsters ran at her.

The monsters consumed her, blood spraying around everywhere. The screen eventually faded out and it eventually showed a logo of a skull with a bunch of waves around it, with the words 'DEATH MASK PRODCUTIONS' along the bottom. Strange feral breathing could be heard as the logo was being shown, most likely belonging to those monsters.

"…did she just die…?" Killian sat back, "The hell kind of snuff tape is this?!"

"It's more disturbing than I was led to believe." Isaac said, "You can understand my concern now, can't you?"

Slade swallowed hard, finally finding his voice, "So…these…these demon things are having an uprising?"

He nodded, "It just so happens that around the time this snuff film started circulating, the Nosferatu disappeared. I tried to elicit help in tracking down the source of this tape, and for the first time in many years, I was dismayed by their absence."

"So…the events are connected?"

"I assume it does. It's awfully coincidental otherwise. And those creatures…I don't know how many professional FX houses that could pull those off-"

"They're real." Slade said, "I was attacked by one a few months ago. It almost killed me. That's why I'm Kindred in the first place."

He nodded, "I do recall VV telling me about a demon…it all makes sense now…though it seems that stray one that attacked you now has a family…"

"So…the Nossies are gone?" Killian asked, "They can't just disappear, can they?"

"There's no telling how many of them are left alive down there…" He said, "There's a problem though, in that the film's incomplete…the first half is damaged. We need a complete copy."

"Any clues where it'd be?" Killian asked.

"Behind the spit-shine gloss of the Hollywood dream factory, there's another city churning out a vile by-product for the furtive consumption of a debauched audience. I have no doubt the film's found its way to another smut peddler. I'd ask around."

"Flynn." Killian said, "He's gotta know."

"I think the sun's coming up soon…" Slade said, "We should get back home."

Isaac nodded and bid them farewell, then he looked at Killian, "Let them search for that on their own…"

"I'm off the hook?"

"I don't want you to get killed over LaCroix's dirty work." He said, "Leave it to them, if they find the completed tape, wonderful. If not, then it's only Camarilla fledglings who take the downfall."

He nodded, then reached in his back pocket and handed him a stack of cash, "You might need this."

"Killian, I'm more than financially stable-"

"Just take it. If it's less than what's on the bill, call me." He pat the desk a few times, "I gotta go buy a new shirt."

Outside the jewelry store, Slade told Tess to go ahead, mostly to hold back his tears. Hold back his tears of pure misery. He tried to brush them away, but to no avail. To everyone else in his school, she was just some girl he went to prom with. But to Dragomir and Tess, the two who knew him well, they knew all about April and the impact she had left on him. So how, how after all this time could he have forgotten April?

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, we decided to replace the whole 'Samantha' encounter by tying it to someone central to the roommates' past life in school. Just like how, unfortunately for the Heather Poe fans, we did away with her as well, because we figured we had enough ghouls running around. Thanks for reading!


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-four! Since last chapter focused on a quest, this chapter is the flipside. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Silently, the bunched fabric hit the ground, a small cloud of dust puffing up into the cold, windless air. The scruffy patches of grass did nothing to help the clouds of dirt that slowly clouded around their feet as they walked across the small yard, which was bordered by a tall picket fence with chipped white paint. Bright white lights shone in from rural light posts from a little distance away, casing long and frightening shadows into the yard.

His boots made silent scruffs in the dirt as he kicked his shirt aside and faced Anastasia, "Sorry about the shitty grass. Haven't got a lot of rain down here." He turned to the fence, "It's empty as hell out here. Even if I didn't put up that fence, we can use disciplines and no one will see a thing."

"Cool." She said, sighing and falling back on the ground, captivated by the nature.

He snickered as he looked down at her, "If you hate the cities so much, why do you live in one?"

"I don't know…" She kicked her shoes off, "I was never really in one place for a long time. Cadmus and I moved from city to city, playing one gig after another. Then we stopped really seeing each much after his wife died…then I got Embraced…huh…I guess I was always a Gangrel at heart…cause they travel around a lot too, don't they?"

"Yeah, I lost track of how many of these shitty little houses I've moved into…I don't know what I'm expecting, they're all terrible…"

"Mmm-hmm…" She said, closing her eyes. Surprisingly it looked as though she could easily fall asleep on the dirty ground within minutes, "I'd be completely fine without a house…"

He crossed his arms, "What, you just sleep out in the pouring rain? Hide your food in a hole in the ground?"

"Come on, it wouldn't be that hard. I'd find a cave…I'd feed on people if they were available…or rats…hell…I could feed on pigs or cows if there's a farm nearby…"

He laughed, "You're one in a million alright…"

She peeked an eye open, then she sat up, "I guess we should train, huh?"

"I guess if you just wanted to nap out here you could, I got other things to do."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda blowing Kent off right now, he wanted me out in Tennessee for whatever goddamn reason…needs more manpower or some bullshit…"

"Kent's _in_ Tennessee?"

"According to his last call. But who the hell knows where he is now."

"Come on…" She stood up and dusted her bum off, "We all know what you'd rather do, dick around with Kent, or train _moi_ …"

"Even if you were Jack's twin brother, I'd rather train with you." He said, "So how do you want to do this? I used to have some of those football training dummies but they kinda got torn to shreds…"

She shrugged, "I don't know. How did you make your Protean better when you were like me?"

"Sabbat. Cams. Anyone else who pissed me off." A greenish glow surrounded him, "So I think you got enough fuel."

"Just in battle? That's how you got better?"

He nodded, "I've been hanging around this area for just about two decades now, gave me plenty 'a time to get stronger. C'mon, lay it on me, I got blood bags inside."

"You…want me to attack you?"

"I don't see any other targets."

She gave a short nod. Her face looking hesitant, cautious, almost sweeter than anything Skelter has seen before. She grew out her bestial features, then she ran forward to claw him.

He took the hit well, not as well as she would have, but it didn't leave any sort of fatal injury. He took whatever she had, it seemed he was gauging how much power she had and where she attacked. After about a dozen attacks, he jumped back, "I'm gonna fight you back without Protean, I want you to pay attention to what I do."

She gave an obedient nod, running in for another attack.

His fist reared back and landed in the palm of her claw, throwing her momentum off. Before she had the chance to use her other claw, she felt his knee connect to her torso with enough force to knock her back. "You gotta watch your blind spot." He said, "You're leaving your stomach open."

She plopped on the ground, grimacing. She wobbly got up, giving another nod, she then trotted on all fours to attack him, aiming down low. He seemed surprised as she hooked his leg and knocked him on the ground, a dust cloud filled the air around him. He laughed and sat up, "Hey, that was good! You're fast down low, keep that up and you'll have 'em all on their asses."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I didn't see it coming at all." He stood up, "Then when they're on the ground, you can do whatever the hell you want to 'em." His footing shifted, "Now let's say you get someone with stronger footing." He morphed into his beast form and waved her forward.

Anastasia swallowed hard, going in again on all fours, she did her best not to hesitate, trying to claw at him. Her claws connected to his leg, but he stood his ground, reaching down to swat her aside. She yowled as she was knocked back. Admittedly, Fortitude had spoiled her, and without it, attacks seemed to dig much deeper.

He snarled as he romped forward to hit her again, doing his best to avoid digging into her with his claws and just swat her aside. She growled and dove at him, going for his face.

He grunted and stumbled back, rubbing a paw over his face as she left a good sized mark. He deactivated his Protean, trying to open the eye she slashed over, "Good, good, you gotta aim for spots like that, the face, the tail, belly, all the soft spots"

She paused, "Are you okay…let's…let's take a break…or something…"

"You don't mind coming inside?" He asked, "It's not exactly as nice looking as the Last Round?"

"We could just sit out here." She said as her animalistic features went away and she sat next to her shoes.

"Alright, I'll get the blood then." He said as he left for a few moments, coming back with a shopping bag of blood bags that he threw in front of her, "Take however many you need."

She timidly took one of the bags, "Thanks." She said as she started drinking from it.

He sat down next to her and grabbed one himself, drinking it down quickly, a few of his wounds starting to seal up a bit faster. He looked up at the sky as the moon revealed itself behind the clouds, a little scythe in the sky. Now that he was still, she saw what had to be scars all over his shoulders and upper arms, a few around the sides of his torso, making her wonder if most of them were on his back. They didn't look like typical scars, however, they were small little stars, almost, like little puncture wounds of some sort.

She didn't get it at all. It was almost as if the person training with her tonight and the man she fought tooth and claw with a few nights ago to end the plague were two different people entirely. She looked ahead, "One day my Protean will be good enough to kill Victor. Then Cadmus."

He looked back down at her and grabbed another blood bag, "You better not get yourself killed with all that ambition."

"I won't." She crossed her arms, "They come to me. You've seen it yourself…"

He snickered, "The hell you do to get all that attention? It's like you go around with a piece of paper taped to your back saying 'fight me'."

"I don't know…" She sighed, "I was _so_ close to killing that slimy bastard too. He was handcuffed and everything…I would have won…"

"Handcuffed?" He asked, "Where the hell did you get handcuffs?"

"I don't know…one of his friends was a dominatrix or something…so I stole her stuff…"

"…..Tremere are just fucked up…"

"Pfft…you're telling me…cocky bastards…they'll be out of California soon, if I have anything to say about it…"

He pushed the bag aside, looking at the ground in front of them before he looked back up at her, "You need help, I'm there."

She half-smiled, "Thanks."

He put his face in his hands, rubbing them over his head. Sure enough, she could see possibly thousands of those little scars all over his back, "So…I guess we're acting like nothing happened…"

"What?"

"Outside the crack house?" He looked up at her.

"What of it?"

"…the hell you mean, 'what of it'?" He snapped, "I need an answer."

"An answer? I don't recall a question being asked."

"Don't be a fucking bitch about it." He sat back, "You know what I'm talking about. What do you want?"

"Oh yeah, no, that's really attractive when men speak to me like that…it's so charming." She frowned, "What? Are brats and bitches big turn-ons to you or something?"

He crossed his arms and looked away. "You're right." He said, which was frankly the last thing she was expecting him to say, "I shouldn't be calling you any of that. It's my fault, alright? I just…get pissed shitless when I see people like Jeanette and Killian…having their way with you…like you're some kinda toy…"

"I'm not a toy, Skelter."

"You think I don't know that? They don't deserve you!"

"Yeah, I'll worry about the nitty-gritty details, okay?"

He sighed his voice a whole new level of soft, even the crickets nearby were louder, "I just…worry about you…cause you're the only other Gangrel around and…" She swore she saw his eyes flicker over her body, "I don't want to see you get hurt. I like you, kid, no matter what it sounds like."

"Yeah…I think after all the free-for-alls I had when I was alive…I know what I'm doing…"

His shoulders dropped a bit, "Yeah…yeah, alright, my bad…you do whatever the hell you want, I'll get out of your hair…"

"Hey…it's okay…" She said, "What…do you honestly think I'm gonna die anytime soon?" She smiled, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know." He stood up and grabbed his shirt off the ground, shaking the dust off of it before he put it back on, "You need a ride home?"

"Sure." Her smile grew.

Skelter got his keys out of his pocket and took her into his house, just so they could get into the garage. He had a black pickup truck that had definitely seen better days, a few dents here and there, the fenders rusted away, and two different license plates. He popped the door open for her, then got in the other side, "Where do you live?"

"In an apartment complex at the edge of town." She sat as she took a seat.

The drive was almost eerily silent, "Did Jeanette at least talk to her sister?" He finally asked.

"Yeah." She said, "But her sister couldn't convince stupid fucking LaCroix…"

"Guess it doesn't matter anyway." He muttered under his breath, before his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. "Oh, goddamn…" He grimaced, "Fight or flight, what do you think?" He asked as red and blue lights lit up their shadows.

"Shit…" Anastasia swallowed hard, sinking into her seat, "Just pull over…"

He cut the wheel and put the brakes on, quickly putting his seatbelt on as the officer approached.

He tipped his hat back with the barrel of his pistol, "Do you know why I pulled you over?"

Skelter looked over, "License plates."

"What was that?" His eyes narrowed.

"License plates, I know, the other one's busted, it's no big deal."

"Oh, is it?" He asked, "So…I could…type those numbers into an archive and…no one else's license plates would come up?"

"I didn't steal them." He said flatly, "Just gimme the damn ticket."

"You weren't wearing a seatbelt either."

"Yeah, I know."

"Neither is she."

"Great, whatever."

He narrowed his eyes at Anastasia, then looked back at Skelter, "ID, please."

Skelter sighed as he reached over and opened the glove box, handing him a stack of paperwork, "I got places to be." He said as his eyes flicked to the clock and saw that the sun would rise in a little less than an hour.

"I'm sure." He said as he skimmed over the information and handed it back, "All of this is…horribly out of date…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get it updated, gimme the goddamn ticket already."

He looked over at Anastasia, "What are you doing with the passenger, sir?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Is that a threat?" He narrowed his eyes.

"The hell kind of threat would that be?" He had enough, "Just give me the damn ticket before I blow your head off, _that's_ a threat."

"Sir, I need you to step out of the vehicle."

Skelter growled as he got out of the truck, then grabbed the officer by the throat and slammed him up against the side of his truck, his pistol firing aimlessly, "The hell kind of business is this, driving around at five in the morning for no reason?" Skelter hissed in his ear.

The police officer grunted as Skelter held his arms back, "To catch…shits like you…driving around and kidnapping girls…stealing license plates….and-"

The man was never able to finish, because Skelter pulled a gun from his belt and shot him in the back of the neck. He stuck the gun back in his pocket and hopped back in the truck, flooring it, "Should have just done that earlier…" He grumbled as he looked at the clock and sped up a bit more. "Fucking assholes…I fight for your goddamn country and you pull me over like some kinda crackhead…"

"Sorry…I didn't think there would be police around my area…they're usually never here…" Anastasia said quietly.

He gave a deep sigh, "It's cause the see a black man driving around with a little white girl, they think the goddamn world is falling apart at the seams…then a gang drives by and there's nothing they can do, they're helpless…" He sped up a bit more, "Waste of money, that's all they are…"

"The Sabbat would be dead by now if the cops were actually effective…"

"It's the Prince's fault, damn clown can't manage money for the life of him…he's got over half the population homeless, the other half is made up of thugs, and then three or four police officers with thirty-eights running around trying to fix the problem…"

"Exactly." She smiled, "That's L.A. in a nutshell."

He sighed as he pulled over to her apartment complex, "Guess I'll see you around the Last Round."

She nodded, "Bye, Skelter."

"Yeah, see you." He said as she closed the door and went inside. He rubbed his forehead and opened the console, taking out a cigarette and lighting it before he pulled out and started driving home, wondering if getting caught by the sunrise would really be that bad at this point.

* * *

The swirling of wine entering a glass was heard as Victor walked into Venus's office, she was sitting at the couch on her laptop, taking a sip from her wine, "Hello, love. Missed you."

"Hello." He smiled back, "Has…has everything been alright here?"

"Right as rain. One particularly strange client confessed some interesting sins, but I like to keep my customer's secrets."

"You'll have to forgive me, I haven't found the time to mention you to my Regent." He took a seat next to her, giving her some room, "There was an interesting chap who visited us in the Chantry the other day. A…fledgling, is what we Kindred call it. A newer, younger vampire. That, and I had to end disease plaguing this town…"

She closed her laptop and sat up next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder, "Your work and mine seem to be on two entirely different tiers of stress…"

He eyed where her head was for a moment, then faced forward, "Not for a second did I ever assume that you have it easy here, running a club. If you ever need assistance, or if someone ever gives you trouble, remember that I am always here."

She took his hand in hers and nuzzled her face against his neck, gently planting a kiss there, "Thanks, love, I'll keep it in mind, as always."

He raised a hand and felt his neck where she kissed him, "I also paid that…wretched girl a visit…"

"Did you?"

He nodded, "It appears another predator beat her and her obnoxious friend within an inch of their life, so I merely toyed with them. Revenge is not an ideal cuisine if consumed all at once. It must be savored."

She gave a little sigh before she reached up and turned his head towards hers, seizing his lips with hers.

He kissed her back, with a passionate, albeit, novice response. He was hesitant to touch her bare skin, even though he was wearing gloves. He closed his eyes and got over it after a moment or so, placing his hands on her waist and kissing her a little harder, sighing her name as they kept making out with each other. He pulled away eventually and said, "So I see the blood bond is in full effect…"

"Blood bond?" She asked, slightly out of breath, "I hate to break it, dearie, I've felt this way for quite some time. But drinking from your wrist was certainly kinky. I wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Venus…" He said, flustered. It certainly was odd, if not at the very least humorous to see Victor, who usually had such an air of confidence and professionalism about him, look so reserved and nervous.

"What?" She smiled, "Too much? I have no limits, Victor, you have to let me know if I'm pushing it, or I'll just keep testing newer waters."

"How is it you already trust me so easily?" And like that, his professionalism returned, "I just thrust you into a life you have no idea about, and I'm more or less blindly leading you down its path. I could be ten times worse than Boris for all you know, and yet…you seem perfectly fine with me."

"It's cause you have that look in your eye." She pinched one of his cheeks. "That little twinkling star, a little light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak."

"A light at the end of the tunnel…hmm?" He asked with a smile.

"Uh huh." She squeezed his hand and kissed him again.

He kissed her back, closing his eyes. He eventually reached out and delicately held her face, firmly sucking from her bottom lip, and occasionally her top lip. She let out a series of delighted sighs, sitting up a bit more and positioning herself so she was straddling his lap, her hands tangled in his hair.

"You'll have to forgive me." He said as he ended the kiss, "I haven't tasted anything aside from…blood…blood…blood…"

"Oh, you're more than welcome to all the tasting in the world…so long as it won't make you sick…"

"I appreciate it." He hugged her close. She hugged him back, resting her head in his chest before her hands fisted handfuls of his coat and she kissed his neck. He gently rubbed her back, "What do you know about guns?"

"Guns…" She sat back and gathered her wits the best she could, "Not much…I know how to fire a pistol…I could probably figure out how to reload it…"

"I see." He said, "I was just thinking that the mess against Anastasia would've been made less…troublesome…if I had a firearm of my own. I usually rely on my Disciplines too much…Disciplines being…vampire powers…they work perfectly against humans, like Boris and his mafia…but…when my hands were bound…I was quite akin to a sitting duck. Again, I thank you for saving my life…" He squeezed her.

"I certainly wasn't going to watch her take your life with my own equipment…"

"Yes…" He stifled a chuckle, "The Anarchs can be rather…resourceful…when it comes to that…" He paused, "My only problem is I have no experience with using a gun…I had always relied on my Disciplines…but…that will have to change in these ensuing weeks."

"I'll teach you what I know, but there's no promises any of it will be helpful."

"Perhaps we can learn together." He held her shoulders and started rubbing them.

Her eyes closed and she rested her head on his chest, "Yes…that would be lovely…"

He gave her another squeeze, "Excellent. Tomorrow I'll purchase a gun. Something light, yet effective. After that I'll make sure to speak to my Regent about you…if…I can draw up a story to tell him."

"Anything I could do to help?"

"I haven't the slightest clue…the Tremere are very…studious and scholarly…in other words…they usually don't turn club owners…" He paused, "In other words, I'll have to lie…a minor sin in the grand scheme of things…"

"Am I going to have to meet any of these scholars? Should I brush up my vocabulary?"

"I will give you warning in advance if any of my peers are to visit." He said, "But…processes like these usually take months…if not…years…most Kindred have incredible patience, and why shouldn't they? They live forever, it's not as if they're going anyplace."

"I suppose that makes sense…" She mused, entwining her fingers with his, "I'll do my best not to make a fool out of you."

"I…apologize for putting all this pressure on you…I really wish there was another way."

"It's alright, sweetheart, I've been in much worse situations."

"You have." He squeezed her, "That's why I want to keep you safe. You deserve much better."

She smiled and kissed him again, "You're too good for me, Victor."

"What can I say, you have…captivated me beyond my own belief…I always thought it was scientifically impossible for my clan to ever…partake…in such a behavior again…then I met you…and…well, you've been a curious variable in my theories about Kindred romance…many times when I am away from this place, I still think about you anyway, and this has only increased since you've become my ghoul…"

"What, are you telling me you love me or something?" She smirked, "What if I don't believe you?"

"You don't believe me?" He gave an amused smile.

"I don't."

"In that case, what can I do to make you believe that my feelings for you are genuine?"

"I'm not sure, I was going to ask you the very same thing."

"…does…me boiling Boris alive over the comments he said about you…contribute to anything…?"

She smirked, "Contributes to something."

"…I also admire your will…you seem to be untouchable…unbothered by anything around you…" She giggled a bit before she leaned in and kissed him, holding his face. "Also, your outward appearance…though I doubt an explanation on that is really necessary."

"Oh, I think it's entirely necessary." She said, "And I think these are required as part of your explanation." She held his hands and kissed both of them.

"Are they now?"

"Oh yes."

He held her close and kissed her a little harder, as usual, spending a lot of time sucking on her lips. She gave a soft sigh and squeezed her legs around him a bit tighter, rubbing his shoulders the best she could through all his layers.

"This…is probably the blood bond…" He said as he ruffled her hair.

"I don't think so…" She said, "I think I've wanted to do this for a long time."

"This…being…?"

She smiled, "Make it around all the bases…"

"Those…being…?"

"How old are you, exactly?" She smirked.

"Including my years as a mortal?"

"Of course."

"…" He looked embarrassed, "I'm almost ninety…"

"Almost ninety?" Her eyes widened, "I…I had no clue…"

"I'm sorry…"

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I don't know…the sound of being a ninety year-old man doesn't sound…very attractive…"

"You certainly don't look it…"

"No, I don't." He smiled, "That's the magic of the Kindred race, so to speak."

She giggled as she kissed his lips again, "I have an apartment, you know."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Means I can't afford to stay here all night and keep the lights on."

"Right, my apologies…we should…vacate the premises…"

"Did you want to come back to my apartment? I could sit in your lap just as well there."

"I…I'm afraid my Regent would find something amiss…if I'm not back…"

"Oh, of course." She sat back and combed her fingers through her hair, "Another night, then?"

"As soon as I can come up with a plausible excuse." He kissed her.

"Sounds divine."

As he got up to leave, he kissed her one last time, holding it out for a long while, and wishing that it would never end.

Then he remembered that she had to breathe, and he didn't.

He pulled away, "Sorry…" He said, "Got carried away there…"

She smiled and caught her breath, holding him tightly, "We're going to have so much fun…"

"Indeed we are." He gently rubbed her back, kissing her yet again.

* * *

 **A/N:** A very light, fluffy chapter, we hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a review if you can.


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-five! A very dramatic argument on display, followed by some more drama…I wonder which writer is responsible for this…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Killian tore his lips away from VV's, "Alright, why are you being so jumpy, what's up?" He asked, "You weren't like this last night."

"It's nothing, I promise." She said softly, sitting on his lap in the VIP room, "I thought I heard something."

"What's the big deal if someone walks in? Don't want to be seen with me or something?"

"No, it has nothing to do with you." She held his face, "Alright?"

"Yeah, okay." He said as he kissed her forehead, "You let me know if I'm doing something that bothers you."

"Of course." She rested her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back in entrancing circles, "Anastasia, have you spoken to her yet?"

"I haven't made my way to the Last Round yet…I talked to Isaac for a while, you already know that."

"I just…wouldn't want her to be upset…"

"It's fine, she's the most laid-back person I ever met. I could push her off a building and she'd forgive me."

"If you insist…" She rubbed one of his shoulders.

There was a knock on the door.

"Stay here, Killian." She said as she stood up.

He sat back, "Why would I leave?"

She opened the door and…

It was Slade.

"Oh…" Killian gave a deep sigh, "Alright, guess it's time to hit the road."

"Shh…" She shushed him, "How have you been, Slade?"

"Uh…fine…" Slade said, "What did you need me for?"

She closed the door, "I just wanted to talk. I heard you and Killian got in a fight."

Slade gave Killian a look, then he just said, "Something like that might've happened…"

"V, it was my fault, alright?" Killian said, "Let the poor kid go."

"I want this settled." She said, "You two would both get along, you're both fantastic artists, you care about others and you're very determined."

Killian rubbed one of his temples, "Look, sometimes stuff happens, let's just…kick it under the rug and worry about it later, alright? When the Prince gets killed, maybe then we can talk about it."

"No. I want it sorted out now." Velvet said.

"There's nothing to sort out." Slade said, "If…that was the only thing you needed me for…" He turned around to leave.

"Slade, please don't leave…" VV pleaded, "I just want you to get along…"

Killian held his forehead, "I was just pissed about Lark, alright? I took it out on him, he defended himself, nothing happened, it's not the end of the world."

"Please…" She gave him a saddened look.

He raised a brow, "What, you just want your boyfriend and childe to get along? That's it? Kinda selfish, dontcha think?"

She shook her head, "You have no idea…I just want the fighting to end…" Her eyes teared up, "Killian, your father was my sire's ghoul." She said, "And your mother was my best friend. She's dead because of him…because the fights they had, the stress he put her under…" She sniffed as she wiped a tear away, "I haven't seen either of them, but I know they're still out there, and I know they know I'm still out here…I just want two people I care about to get along for once…"

Killian seemed too shocked at the connection of his parents and VV to really say anything.

"Anyone who tries to get near Dragomir has to go through me first." Slade said, "Anyone. Camarilla, Anarch, Sabbat…whatever the hell the fourth side was. I don't care about how you two know each other, your history, or any of that. Dragomir comes first. Whatever asshole thinks they can get a cheap shot in at him has got another thing coming."

Killian sneered, "You don't get it, do you kid?" He stood up and poked Slade's chest, "My sister's dead cause of him. The person I was responsible for raising since I was four! I was told to kick her out the front door when she became a burden, to piss on my mother's grave for not having an abortion every time she cried." He spat, "Do you know how hard it was? Can you even fathom the kind of dedication I put into her existence? I'm sorry your little high school buddy from freshman year got himself in a ring of fire, but I'm not turning a blind eye to him. I'm not going to sit by and let her death be in vain, I'm not! I don't care what you say, his life was over as soon as he stepped in that door, and there's absolutely nothing your scrawny ass can do about it!"

"Killian!" Velvet exclaimed.

"What?" He spat as he looked over at her, "You just need to shut your damn mouth about how perfect he is and look at reality for five fucking seconds!" He spat.

Her eyes narrowed, "I think you need to do the very same. Did Slade kill Lark?" She raised a brow, "Did he?"

"No, but-"

"Then you have no right at all to talk to him that way. Ever. Do I make myself clear?"

"He's willing to put his life on the line for his friend's choice. He _supports_ him, what the hell do you see in him!?"

"I see potential. Potential that exceeds your own."

He scowled and took a step back, "What the hell, VV?"

"Velvet." She spat, "Velvet to you."

He snickered and shook his head, "You did not just say that… _you're_ offended? I pissed _you_ off? How the hell do you think this makes _me_ feel, huh?" He boomed, "The one person I could trust with everything, the one person I could trust to take my word and not let me down, turns their back on me for _him_? He might as well have murdered her himself!"

"I thought you told me you were willing to move on from her death." VV said.

"Oh, I'm sorry for getting a little emotional over my sisters fucking death!" He spat, "I'm sorry I'm acting so irrational about the whole thing, for wasting your time! Feel better now?"

"I'll feel better as soon as you stop acting like a child."

"A child? A child! That's what this whole thing is about!" He spat, "Your fucking childe! He's all you care about, isn't he? I could drop off the face of the planet and you wouldn't care, so long as he's around? What, do my words mean nothing to you? All that shit you helped me through, what, is it gone now? Now that he's here?"

"Of course not." She said, stepping closer to Slade, "But I will fight to the death to keep him alive, if it comes to it."

"Yeah, and what about me?" He asked as he threw his arms in the air, "You don't give a damn about me, do you?" His eyes narrowed, "You don't care about Anastasia…you just want me out of the way…"

"You know that isn't true."

"You fucking liar!" He spat, "All this for him! You're willing to defend a murderer for him." He motioned to Slade, "Are you out of your mind, V? What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"I'm willing to defend Slade from influences who are completely detached from reality. I will do anything I can to stand up for him, even if it means losing you."

He took a step back, "So…what…?" His voice was soft for once, "That's it?"

"If you're too dense to see that you can fix this, I suppose it is."

He grit his teeth as tears formed in his eyes, "What the hell, V?" He looked away.

"Alright, is everything out in the open now?" Slade said, "We done?"

"I'd say we're about halfway there." She looked over at Slade, "What is this about, Slade? What did he say that infuriated you?"

"What?" Slade asked, "Don't turn this around on me." He said, "He's a threat to Dragomir. It's as basic as that."

"So you fear the life of your friend? Was that all?"

"Yeah." He said, "He's the only person I trust."

She nodded, then turned to Killian, "So that feeling you have now…the feeling of losing me. You need to understand that's the feeling he has every time you mention killing his friend."

Killian sat down and threw his hands in the air, "Then why the hell did he kill Lark if he's such a good guy?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Slade said, "But none of your little Anarch buddies are giving me a clear cut of the story, so I say to hell with all of you then."

"I'd give you a fucking diagram if I could, but I wasn't there." He sighed, "Damsel probably would tell you a load of steaming horse shit about how he raped everyone in there or something…Skelter would probably tell you what he would have done if he was paying more attention…" He looked up, "Nines was there. He'd tell it how it happened. He's got no reason to lie."

"Don't talk to Nines." Velvet turned to Slade, "It's too dangerous."

"Yeah, cause the fucking Prince put him up to a Blood Hunt cause of sugar-tits. Put the most honest guy in the damn city against a Blood Hunt, sure, that's a great way to run a company. Who needs honesty?" Killian said, "I need a drink."

VV went to the mini fridge and took out a blood bag, pouring it into a martini glass, "What did Dragomir say about it?"

"He doesn't want to talk about it." Slade said, "It still bothers him."

VV handed Killian the drink, "Have you ever met a Malkavian, Killian? Really met one?"

"Pfft. Have I met one? I do work for Voerman every day, apparently she's a Malk, but I don't see any problems with her at all. I don't see anything wrong with Malkavians, that's not what I'm pissed about…I just…" He sighed and shook his head.

"Is it a fair assumption to say Dragomir's sorry for what he's done?" Velvet asked Slade.

"Yes. Very." Slade said.

She looked at Killian, "Then I don't see any reason for you to be upset. Lark was happy because of you. You made sure of that. Even in her death, I'm sure she was happy. You took care of her in a way that most parents would envy…so I don't see her loss as a loss at all. She lived every moment of her life to the fullest, there's nothing you should regret."

Killian gave a shaky sigh, "I…I guess you're right…"

Velvet smiled at last, wiping a tear stain on her cheek away, "Slade, are you willing to forgive Killian for his outburst?"

"It's not my place to forgive him." Slade said, "I'd be just as pissed as he was if I was in his place…I…I didn't want Dragomir to kill her…I'm…not proud about that…"

"She means the Internet Café." Killian said, "When I decided it was a good idea to beat the shit out of you. Not that I landed a single hit."

"Pfft, what? I don't care about that. I already know the Anarchs will be out to get me forever. I can't forgive Killian because he didn't do anything wrong."

"It was wrong of him to attack you like that, and talk to you the way he has been. The Anarchs aren't evil, Slade, that's never been their goal…" VV said.

"If anything, we're trying to be the good guys…trying too hard…" Killian sighed, "Especially people like Damsel…she got so caught up in Lark's death and Nines' disappearance…she hasn't been the same…she barks at her own shadow. Isaac's still in a war with LaCroix…just…writing hurtful letters back and forth at each other like two old geezers…Jack's been quiet…distancing himself from everything…he doesn't give a damn about any of this, about anyone…Skelter's had a stick up his ass since he went to Vietnam or whatever, he'll snap your neck if you look at him funny….and Anastasia….I have no clue about her. Last time I saw her, she was in my bed half asleep…she could still be there, for all I know…she just goes with the flow…"

"At least we can both agree that LaCroix is an underhanded slime-ball and needs to die." Slade said.

Killian laughed, "Yeah, I'm with you on that one."

Velvet sat down and took Killian's glass, finishing it before she handed it back to him, "I invited you both here for another reason as well."

"No threesomes…" Killian said.

"Oh, no, that wasn't my implication." She said, "No, there was another matter that's been troubling me recently…"

"Hmm? What's that?" Slade asked.

"Hunters…" She said, concern spread across her features, "I haven't seen Ash in days…I…I'm really worried they've got to him…"

"Ash? What happened to him?"

"He's…miraculously survived a handful of car accidents." VV said, "Which was enough evidence for the hunters to dig their noses into. They've been lurking around Hollywood now, especially in clubs…"

"Clubs? In here?" His eyes widened.

"Until recently, yes, there was one right under my nose…I was rather nervous…"

"You want us to go around and get rid of them all?" Killian asked, "I got some time to burn."

"No, no, of course not…" She insisted, "That would draw far too much attention…it's just…" She sighed, "For weeks, she was working here, keeping an eye on the other dancers and clientele. She's…only started suspecting me when I fired her for storing weapons in her locker…and I fear she'll be back."

"So you want us to kill one hunter?" Killian asked, "Won't that draw more of them out?"

She gave a shaky sigh, "I'm afraid that's one of our only options…so long as it's done quietly, we should have nothing to worry about, what with the other hunters…"

"Sure thing. What's she look like?"

"Bleached blonde hair…a broken heart tattoo on the small of her back…" She paused as she thought, "She dances under the name of Chastity, and I believe she's been working in the Sin Bin…"

"So we have to kill this Chastity chick?" Slade asked.

"So long as the Prince doesn't need you elsewhere." Velvet said.

"It's fine. You come before he does."

She smiled, "Thank you, Slade…"

"What's the reward?" Killian smirked.

"Well, that depends…I could give you some cash, if you'd like…" She looked at Slade.

"What about me?"

"You'll get a private dance."

"At my place?" He raised a brow.

"If you'd like."

"Worth it." He snickered and stood up, "Sin Bin, you said?"

"Yes…please be careful around the innocents, Killian…I know you…"

"I got it under control."

"Mmm hmm."

Slade and Killian left and headed for the Sin Bin, the man behind the counter seemed eager to greet him, he had a long ponytail, a rather questionable moustache, and a sleazy suit that looked decades old, "Hey, Killian." He said in a casual voice, "Bring in a curious newcomer?"

"Yeah, we were just wondering if there was a girl downstairs with a uh…broken heart tattoo on her back."

"Oh? Chastity? Yeah, she's working tonight. But if you're looking for someone to…pull your cork…I got better ones than her. She ain't exactly…adventuresome…know what I'm talking about?"

"I'm sure she'll do fine." Slade said.

"Alright, it's your dollar. But, if you want a private show, you'll have to wait for the booth customers to clear out first. The girls don't come out for one-on-one action until then."

"Yeah, thanks." Killian said as he started heading downstairs with Slade, "God, I remember when he had a full head of hair…I feel old…"

"You've been around that long?" Slade asked.

"If I were human, I'd be forty right now…it was my thirty sixth birthday when that bitch Embraced me."

"Jeez…everyone still looks so young as a Kindred…I can't get over that when they tell me their actual age…"

"I can't believe she grew up with my mom…and now she's my girlfriend…I dunno, something doesn't feel right about that…" He muttered as he looked around, "Please tell me no one's here…" He grumbled as he peered in the doorways, "Damn, there are."

"Shit…" Slade went ahead and snooped around, then he walked back to Killian, "There's two booth customers, and two dancers…one of them is Chastity…because I saw the heart tattoo on her back. But I have no idea how the hell we're gonna get all these people out of here…"

Killian thought for a minute, "You have a gun?"

"No." Slade said, "God damn it…I don't want to turn this into a bloodbath."

"I'll just scare them out of here." He said as he held a hand out, "Hand me a sword then. I won't break it this time, I'll give it right back."

Slade pulled one of his swords out of his sheathe, "You sure about this?"

"Yeah, no one will get hurt, then we just have to wait for the dancers to leave."

"Alright." He handed Killian his sword.

Killian held the sword, walking into the room with the first man. A second later, the man came running out in a blind panic. Killian came out and snickered, doing the same with the other man, sending him running off in a hurry. "Alright, that wasn't bad at all." He handed the sword back, "I just snuck up on 'em and told them if they scream, they die."

Slade smiled, "Alright, now we just have to get that other dancer out of here."

On cue, the door opened, and the brunette dancer looked from Slade to Killian. Slade quickly sheathed his sword, "Can I help you boys with something?"

"Some guy in the private room wants you. Says he'll pay two-hundred up front and add a-hundred for every thrill." Slade said.

"Oh, okay. I'll just head to the pleasure palace." She said, walking down the hall.

Killian gave Slade an approving nod, "You ready to go?"

Slade nodded, "She should be by herself in there."

Killian stepped into the little glass room, "Hey, you Chastity?" He asked.

Chastity narrowed her eyes, "Kindred…" She drew a katana and ran at Killian.

A blue blur went past them both. Slade drew two swords, one of them looked newer and shinier than the other. He already started slashing away at Chasity, an orange glow came off him next, as he kept slicing new wounds in her body.

Killian stepped back and closed the door, crossing his arms as he watched Slade go to work, "You need me, just yell, you're a lot faster than I am."

"Got it." Slade said, speeding around and slashing at Chastity, after a few minutes of this, Chasity fell like a sack of bricks. Slade sheathed both his swords, blinking a few times, "Huh…I guess sending us both here was sort of overkill…"

"Yeah, I almost feel bad for being here in the first place." He said, "Guess I'll have to deal with Flynn when he gets pissed about this."

"Should we go back to VV?"

"Yeah, she'll be happy to hear about this."

They returned to Vesuvius, VV was standing down by some of her dancers rather than hanging around the VIP room. She turned around and smiled at them, a few clients still had their eyes glued to her like she was some sort of angel.

"VV." Killian eyed over the clients, who quickly looked away, "Job's taken care of."

"Oh…I can't thank you enough." She said, "If we'd taken different paths in life…I wonder if we could have grown fond of each other…" She said softly, "A shame her life was lost, but you saved mine, and I'll never forget that." She said.

"Course." Killian said, "So…?"

"When we close." She said, then she looked at Slade, "Would you like some cash…?"

"It's fine." Slade said, "I did it for your safety."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Of course."

"Then I wish you the best of luck on your travels…" She said, "You're always welcome to talk."

He nodded again, "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"I swear, he was trying to…to kiss me or something…" Harper set her glass down on the table and held her forehead.

Mercurio raised a brow, "Kiss ya? I don' think so."

"You weren't there…" She shook her head, "Why did I like it…?"

"Blood bond." He took a sip from a bottle of beer.

"Damn it…" She rubbed one of her temples, "I wish I could be as lax about it as you are…"

He sat back, "So he calls ya up in his office and lectures ya for drinkin', and you come to my place and get drunk again."

"Well…I mean…" She blinked, "It made sense in my head…" She said in a tiny voice.

"You know, for a woman who wants kids more than life itself, you sure seem pretty careless with alcohol. You're gonna get addicted wit' this kind of attitude."

"Kids…" She scoffed as she sat back, resting her head on his forearm, "I'm never having kids. Not anymore." Her voice went back to its usual monotone darkness, "That dream died when I saw his…" She clenched her teeth, fisting the cushions in her hands, "His stupid face…"

Mercurio winced, "Ey, ey, lighten up there, buttercup…"

She relaxed and looked down, then saw that she wasn't grabbing a cushion, she was grabbing his leg. She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean it…"

He snickered and sat up, grabbing the bottle of wine from the table, "No more."

"No…don't take it away…please…"

"You're already drunk, what else do ya want?" He stood up and went into the kitchen.

Harper fell over where he was sitting, watching him walk off. "Ugh…" She held a hand over her face, "I'm so…horny…"

Mercurio walked back in, "Maybe I should jus'…drop you off somewhere…like…the Asylum or somethin'…"

"Oh god no…don't leave me at the mercy of Jeanette…I'm not _that_ horny…"

He snickered, "I don' know what you want me to do about it." He smirked, "Sounds like somethin' you should bring up to LaCroix."

"You're an asshole…" She sat up, "I just miss Dalton….if he were alive…I wouldn't be in any of this mess…" She combed her fingers through her hair.

"An' if I didn't have to buy that car, I wouldn't be in any of this mess neither…but…hey, shit happens."

"But that was your fault…buying a car with mafia money…you did that to yourself…"

"Yeah? And you fell in love with a guy who was in the military, you did it to yourself."

"Shut up…" She laid back on his couch, "It's just the alcohol…"

He sat next to her and hugged her, "You do all this to yourself, ya know. You could jus' take things one step at a time like I do, jus' let it all happen. I'm happy."

"I know…" She muttered, "I'm not as strong as you are…" She whimpered, "I cling to things…"

"I know you do." He pat her back and let her go, "You're a lot smarter than I am, I guess…maybe it pays off, all that thinkin'…"

She rubbed one of her temples, "…I completely forgot about him…"

"Eh?"  
"Cadmus…Cadmus Vanderbilt…I got drunk and…he…he was there…he didn't rat me out or anything…"

"Cadmus? Yeah, I know 'em. Good kid…not too typical for Ventrue, but he seems to know what's best."

"We had so much in common…" She said softly, "He lost his wife…and then got tied into this…I want to talk to him…" She decided as she sat up and swung her glass defiantly in the air, "I want…to talk to him…sober…"

"An' say what?"

"…I don't know…maybe I want to talk to him drunk…" She admitted as she finished her glass, "But it isn't fair…"

"What isn't?"

"…I don't know…" She laid back on the couch, "Why do you put up with me?"

"Cuz…you come into my house and take out the good booze and start yabbering."

"But why…? You could kick me out…you just…let me…even when I wasn't involved, you let me over to talk when we were in New York…"

He shrugged, a tinge of color on his cheeks that she was too drunk to recognize, "I dunno, you were a nice broad, what, was I jus' gonna kick ya to the curb and wish ya good luck?"

"Yes…"

He snickered, "Yeah, sorry Harper, not gonna happen. I think the best thing for ya is to jus' go to your room and get some shut-eye."

"I don't want shut-eye…I want…" She paused, "Never mind…I'll…get out of your hair." She stood up and dusted herself off.

"You wan' me to help ya get home?"

Her shoulders drooped, "That would be nice…"

"Yeah, sure thing." He held her forearm to help her keep steady as he led her the parking garage.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm…wonder what sort of things will come out of this…Hope you liked it!


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-six! Lots of Camarilla work in this chapter…or at least, people who are in the Camarilla…kinda…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I own my OCs.

* * *

He knew it was dangerous here. Not for everyday people, but for himself, Isaac would throw out anyone who worked for the Camarilla in his city. Or, at least, people as well-known as him. Victor figured it was well worth the risk, as he entered the front doors to the Luckee Star Motel, greeting the man at the desk briefly as he headed for room six, the key he had from the previous murder scene.

It seemed as he entered, that there was an altercation going on, although it was fairly one sided. A rather monstrous man declared in a deep, raspy voice, "My work here is done." He said, as he gave the other roommate one final slash attack with his claws. The man lay dead in front of Victor, and the killer jumped out through the nearest window.

"How curious…" Victor mused, taking a few steps forward, he felt the pulse of the man on the ground, "Dead." He said, "You must have been Mister Muddy, hmm? But who was the other fellow…was he perhaps the man I've been searching for, these many weeks?"

Something on the dresser caught his eye, it was a black business card, for the junkyard in Santa Monica. He smiled, knowing his next destination.

He headed to Santa Monica quickly, pulling the gate back and heading into a tiny shack. There was hardly anything of interest inside. He suspected it was most likely where the serial killer lived. He went outside to the junkyard itself, surveying the area.

He heard footsteps, seeing a figure in the darkness. He knew it had to have been the same man he saw at the Luckee Star Motel. He had little time to think about that, however, as a car, or, a scrap heap of what was left of a car flew towards him. Victor gasped and jumped back, seeing the serial killer make a run for it.

Victor continued the chase, ducking and diving for cover whenever another car came flying at him. The killer seemed more than able to throw multiple scrap heaps at once, and they made horrible sounds whenever they landed.

Victor dove for cover once more when he saw a stack of at least four cars slowly toppling down like a tower. He moved out of the way and kept progressing forward, eventually seeing the serial killer on a stack of cars. He lit a match and threw it on the ground, the weak flame sizzled and sparked, causing a huge explosion as both flames and cars flew everywhere.

Victor held an arm over his face as the explosion sounded, retreating once again. He scanned the destruction in front of him, trying to find a vantage point where he could sneak towards the killer without catching aflame. After a handful of minutes he snuck through and the serial killer was trapped, out of options. Victor had made it through his last trap, and now the two Kindred were face-to-face.

"No!" The serial killer said, "Back off, vampire! Stay the fuck back! I did nothing to you!"

 _Caitiff._ "So…" Victor chuckled, "I have finally found the one who has left all these killing peppered around the state, how interesting…"

"Why the hell do you care? I don't give a damn if you understand."

"Tell me why."

"Why? So you can pass judgment on me? So you can decide if those murderers deserve whether to be gutted? You'll never know how it feels! _Never!_ "

"Are you sure?" He raised a brow and smiled, "An allure of vengeance comes from your aura. And I do so enjoy the karmic retribution that can be brought by us when the world neglects giving those the pain they deserve. Please, enlighten me. It sounds as those these brutal killings were actually not so brutal in nature after all."

The serial killer narrowed his eyes, it was obvious he was still on the fence about trusting Victor, "My family, my children were butchered by small-time criminals just looking to rob a house, steal a car, take whatever. No sense to any of it, no plan, no ransom, just kill them because why? Because they were there? In the way?"

"I see."

"Not one of them paid! My whole family dead! My life gone! I'm supposed to let that happen?"

"So it _was_ revenge indeed."

"I tracked them down. Hunted them. One by one, I caught them all. The one you saw in Hollywood, he was the last of them."

"Ah, so your revenge is complete."

"Revenge. Justice. Whatever you want to call it. All I thought about is taking these evil animals, ripping them to shreds and licking their blood from my claws."

"Well, now that you've finished them all off, you can get on with yourself. I suggest hiding as a recluse somewhere in a remote country or area…as…you have attracted a lot of attention."

"I don't know. Butchering those bastards was the first time I've felt anything since my family was torn from me. I'm sure there are others whose crimes have gone unpunished."

"That isn't your place to decide." Victor frowned, "All of this. It's the beast talking. You need to leave now, while the going's good, or else you'll be a slave to your beast, like so many unfortunate Kindred around us."

"At least I put it to good use! How many vampires have used their powers for a just cause? At least I did something!"

"Yes, you've done admirably, now take your winnings and leave, before the Sheriff finally catches up to you."

"I can't turn my back on the evil in this world." The serial killer said deeply.

"Then what about your family?" He asked, "They may be joyful now, that you've avenged their killers, but do not keep walking down this path. They will not want to see your severed head rolling along the wooden stage floor for a fleeting few moments before it finally turns to ash."

He swallowed hard, shivering as tears slipped down his cheeks, "No…god no! It's got to stop! I can't live like this!" He sobbed, "You're right. Oh god, you're right! I'll never do it again. I swear. Forgive me."

Victor took a step forward and put a hand on the killer's shoulder, "Run, child. Leave this country. Run as far as you can and don't look back. Only stop running once the Camarilla's wrath no longer surrounds you. I shall turn my blind eye on this eve, and you will run free."

* * *

Miranda's eyes slowly fluttered open, she got out of her bed, and headed for the shower, setting her radio to play her usual gothic pop music as she was showering.

Lathering the shampoo in her hair, she thought, as the hot streams of water cascaded all over her body. Despite how obviously hot her shower was, she was shuddering. LaCroix was _so_ mad the other night. Madder than she had ever seen him. She knew that this was through no fault of her own. She looked for the sarcophagus minutes, if not _seconds_ after he ordered her to do so. Though she felt so incredibly guilty. She wanted to find Gary and get the sarcophagus to LaCroix by whatever means necessary.

She wished it was easy as it sounded, but to get to Gary, they had to speak to Isaac, and Isaac wouldn't want a thing to do with Cadmus or herself. So she had entrusted Slade and Tess with her mission. She was hopeful that they would provide some leads to where Gary was. Although trusting two fledglings to do so was a long shot by incredible measures. If this backfired, she thought as she shivered, she would have no explanation to defend herself against LaCroix's wrath.

She exited the shower with a tower covered up from her chest down to her ankles. She sat at her computer and checked for emails, surprisingly there was one, from LaCroix himself.

" _I have a certain financial interest in a restaurant in Hollywood called the Cavoletti Café. I have made an offer on the establishment that is more than generous, but it seems that the owners are remiss to accept. It is my understanding that a renowned food critic named Tommy Flayton will be writing an article about the restaurant very soon. Please intercept him there and make sure the review is unfavorable. – SL"_

Miranda read it over a few times. It seemed quite the departure from her mission involving the sarcophagus, perhaps LaCroix has calmed down a bit since the fiasco involving the artifact. She gave a smile, aside from avoiding Isaac, this seemed like child's-play. She got dressed and gather her things, heading for Hollywood.

The Calvoletti Café was a nice restaurant, it seemed. It was a shame that Miranda's mission was effectively going to close it down and replace it with whatever property LaCroix had in mind setting up here. She spotted a rather tall, olive-skinned man sporting black hair, a small, thin moustache, and a red collared-shirt. He was the most adequately dressed person in the café, so Miranda poked his shoulder, "Excuse me, sir-"

"Mmm…more flatbread and olive oil. And take back the chardonnay and open up a Chianti…let it breathe for twenty minutes, and bring it out with the ziti, m'kay?" He said.

"Uh…sir…I wanted to-"

"Wanted to know what? Interrupt me while I'm working? Do you understand that this is an important opening and I…emphasis _I_ …am going to _make_ , or possibly _break_ this restaurant?"

Her positive countenance faded. This man was already insufferable to her. _Foolish human. Thinking that a restaurant opening is such a momentous occasion._ "You must be Tommy-"

"Yes, hello." The man brushed her off, "Now go get yourself some _onion rings_ or _hot wings_ , or whatever it is you…eat…the refined palette of a gourmand is, oh…how to put it in a language you can relate to…trying to decide if this place if _thumbs-up_ , or _thumbs-down_."

"Tommy Flayton, correct?"

"Of course, what, do you not know me? Tommy Flayton? _The_ food authority of Los Angeles? Food critic for the biggest paper in the west coast? Radio personality for the KTLK…Chow-er…hour? Maybe if I reviewed more pancake huts, you'd know me."

Miranda pulled a bit of her kimono down. (Though it was cut low enough already), so more of her cleavage and breasts in general could be seen, "I just love your work."

"Oh…uh…thanks…"

"Why don't you and I ditch this rat trap and eat somewhere a bit…nicer…"

"You're wasting my time."

Her eye twitched. Suicide seemed like a pretty good option right about now. Not for herself, no, but for him. How could _this_ many men resist her appeal. It was California, there was such a large refuge of pig-headed men looking for a good time, why was she having so much trouble with this? She held a black-nailed hand out, a blue glow coming from it, "You will write a bad review. A terrible one."

"Yes…" Tommy Flayton said, "I'm going to write a review that will destroy this restaurant."

Miranda smiled, her work having been completed, she left the establishment.

A night or two later, she received an email from LaCroix, expressing his happiness that she completed her task.

" _I recently read Mr. Flayton's scathing review of the Cavoletti Café in the Sun, and I must tell you that I am extremely happy with his conclusions. You have done well. Please accept the payment I've left you in your mailbox. We will no doubt see each other soon –SL"_

Miranda smiled as she read it over, "Yes, sir. We will meet again soon. With the sarcophagus in your possession."

* * *

Genevieve looked around the dark graveyard, occasionally she skipped, but most of the time it was a confident strut. She would stop every so often to bend down and dust off the older looking graves, giving them a hug and wishing them well in heaven, or, in whatever other resting place there was. She eventually wandered right into a small cabin.

"Whoa there, sugar-puss." A man with dark hair and a black collared shirt said in a deep voice, armed with an impressive rifle, "Might wanna think about knocking next time I damn near blow your head off. Thought you might be a zombie."

Genevieve cowered, then she peeked over her arms and moved them away, tilting her head to the side, "You thought I was one of the night's children?"

"Who else would be waltzing in here in the middle of the night?" The man asked, "Name's Romero…I'm the caretaker here. Well, that is, I don't exactly keep people from getting in, although that is part of my job. No, you see, I'm here to make sure nothing gets out."

"Hmm?"

"See it's like this…every night 'round this time for the past…oh, several months now, the dead've been getting up with an itch to stroll down Hollywood Boulevard. Nobody knows why, but they're working on it. Till they figure it out, they needed a volunteer to patch the problem and I stepped forward. Problem temporarily solved, the baron's happy, I get to shoot zombies and guarantee I get my blood for another month. I've carved out a nice niche here."

"Ooh. I have a similar job. I make sure all the stars stay in the sky." Genevieve said, then she stared at well, nothing in particular, "You! Hey, you! Star! Go back up in the sky! Stay. Be good."

"Uh…right…so…uh…" Romero blinked, "You wouldn't be interested in watching the place while I go handle some business, would you? I'm not supposed to leave, or it might end up in a zombie holocaust or something. Like one time, these goths snuck in…whoo…wasn't pretty…"

"Perhaps." She said, "I need to consort with my other selves on the matter…"

"Uh…you know…" Romero said as he looked her over, "I know you're…technically dead and all…but goddamn you are one striking piece of ass! I mean, where the hell were you when you were still breathing, huh? That body. That…body…I don't suppose you'd be interested in a little…uh…you know…"

Genevieve shuddered and hugged herself, "I don't think Dragomir would appreciate me being shared…"

"Oh…" His expression faded, "So there's a Dragomir, huh? Shit, pretend I didn't say that, okay? I don't want any trouble."

She gave a slow nod.

"He a Malkavian too?"

Another nod.

"Shit…so he'll kill me in a slow and schizophrenic death. Look, I'm sorry. Just…don't tell your boyfriend, okay? We're cool, right?"

She nodded, "Let me help you kill the night children."

"Right, so I'll be back in about five minutes. If you should see any zombies in that time, you need to put them down. Now, they're dead, so you're either going to have to hack them up good or shoot 'em in the head. Just don't let them bite you."

"Will I turn into a night child if I get bitten?"

"No, it just hurts like a bitch."

She nodded, "I shall slay the night children."

Romero nodded and began to take his leave, leaving Genevieve all alone in his cabin.

Perhaps it would've been wise of Genevieve to mention that she _had_ no weapons whatsoever. She peeked outside the cabin, and sure enough, the uncivilized grumbling of zombies was heard as they all began to awake. She panicked, hiding inside the cabin, she looked around. She dug around Romero's chests for weapons and found a rather impressive sniper. She smiled as she loaded it up, then she ran outside.

She aimed down the sight and started firing away, reloading after each shot. As klutzy as she was, she picked it up quite easily. Once she learned how to line up multiple targets at once, she blasted away, killing four or five zombies at a time. At this rate, the zombies couldn't even _reach_ the gate, let alone bang on it for their freedom.

Genevieve gave her haunting, ghostly laugh, as she was killing everything around her, "It's like Tetris! Tetris, you have to line them up in a funny shape and then shoot them dead!"

As the minutes crept by, more zombies arose from their graves, more than before. The number of them was exponentially growing. This in itself filled Genevieve with a nervousness, but her aim was impeccable, and they were all shot down before they could reach the gate.

Romero looked shocked as he returned. Genevieve cowered, at first she thought he looked that way because she had used his gun without his permission, but he smiled and clapped his hands together, "Holy shit, you actually killed them all!"

Genevieve looked up from her cower, giving a slight nod.

"Damn, girl. I…I honestly thought I made a mistake leaving you here by yourself…but…you actually did it. That's impressive."

She nodded, "You can have your boom-stick back." She handed it to him.

"Keep it. You deserve it." Romero smiled, "Very nice work."

Her mind flashed back to Dragomir. _"I'll do everything I can to protect both of you."_ She looked down at her sniper, "Teach me how to use a boom-stick. Better."

"Better?" Romero asked, "But…you…you're already scary-level good…"

"I want more."

"Right, sure…tell you what. You can stop every night you're available, and I can train you. Hell, having an endless horde of zombies kinda helps with that, doesn't it? So yeah, I'll help you out, it's the least I can do."

She nodded, "Many thanks."

"Say, uh…wouldn't your boyfriend get…uh…jealous…if he figured out you were spending your free time with some stranger in the graveyard?"

"He'll know what it's for. It will help me hone my skills, my abilities."

"If you say so." He said, "Come swing by another night, and I'll teach you."

* * *

"Hey…uh…you two busy?" Edgar and Cressida heard a voice while they were in the surveillance room looking over Griffith Park.

Cressida was sitting in a wheelie chair, drinking out of a blood pack with a straw. However, when the voice was heard in the doorway, she jumped and the chair slid out from under her, she landed on her butt, "Son of a bitch…" She grumbled as she quickly got to her feet, "What do you want, Mitnick?"

"Uh…so you know how Gary's kinda…being difficult about all this sarcophagus stuff?"

"I think the whole show is rather funny, if you ask me." Edgar said.

"Well, it's good and fun, sure, but he won't let me leave until all this crap blows over…I just wanted to add a few more network hubs into the city in case of an emergency…" He crossed his arms, "Which…basically leaves my freakin' cheese hanging out in the wind…"

"Ooh…so we have more spying places? I always thought we already had plenty of those…"

"Yeah, well, there can always be more…right? And especially since Jack got hold of one of our cameras…I figured we might need more…"

"Ugh…" Cressida covered her eyes, "Please don't make me remember the sight of his hairy ass…"

"Yeah, that was a disaster…" Edgar said, "I couldn't sleep for weeks…"

"I'd hook you up along the way, make it worth your while." Mitnick said, "I got all kinds of goodies."

"Yeah, sounds more fun then watching this joker play with himself." Cressida muttered.

"Just uh…l-let me have some time to set it all up, alright?" He asked, "You know, tech-technical details? Just a few minutes…"

"Sure thing." Cressida said as Mitnick skittered back from wherever he came from, "Why does he act like some sort of Hercules on the computer and turn into a complete baby when face to face?"

Edgar shrugged, "I'm not sure. He was a hacker before Gary Embraced him. I doubt he got out much."

She sat back on the chair, "I've never been all that handy with technology…I don't know, I leave that kinda stuff for people like him to deal with. I'll take sleuthing around all night, I don't mind wasting up my blood pool with Obfuscate."

"I'm quite handy with both. My Obfuscate isn't as good as yours though. You can touch stuff…I wish I could do that…"

"I'm not nearly as good as Gary." She muttered, "Not that I really need to be as good as he is. He's aiming for Mask of a Thousand Faces. I couldn't give a damn about what I look like. I guess it's handy for you two pervs who want to spend every night with a different girl…"

"Hey, I never said anything about that."

"Well, if you looked like a Toreador, how would you spend your night, huh?"

"Don't even give me that blessing…" He crossed his arms, "Oh, to look normal again…"

"Well, that's what he's going for, at least…god, he already fucks up the Camarilla, think how much shit he could cause if he could disguise himself as any politician he wanted…"

"He usually has good intentions…once you sort through the twisted details…"

"Uh huh…sure…"

Mitnick peeked his head around the corner, "So…uh, yeah, I've got the information on the first of the network hubs. The...uh…terminal is in Santa Monica, in an old place called Megahurtz Computing. It's…uh…at the end of second Street, next to The A-Asylum. The only entrance is through the back door though, so you'll have to find an alley to get back there. All you have to do is power up the terminal, find the "Net Security" folder and run the "schrecknet" command. Pretty sure the password on the folder is "Gil Bates". Don't ask." He reached in his back pocket, "Oh, here, and take this. It's the key to get in."

"Where the hell did you get this?" Cressida raised a brow as she took the card and looked it over.

"I…h-have sources."

"…right…"

"Alright, I suppose our next stop is for Santa Monica, then." Edgar said.

The pair managed to leave the warrens pretty quickly, and just as quickly navigated through the sewer systems, walking their way to Santa Monica. "We're gonna go past The Asylum, think you can make it without seeing your lover?" Cressida asked.

"I think I can handle it. Why do you even care anyway? Are you jealous or something?"

"Jealous? Of your Santa Monica whore? No. I'm cautious. I don't want you slipping out from under me in the middle of a job cause she struts by and calls your name in her toxic little candy voice. Rat trap, that's all she is."

"If you ask me, she's a needle in a haystack. There's no other Kindred who will give that sort of opportunity to us ever again. Think about that."

"Velour. You pave your way into her heart, she'll let you do anything. She falls in love with a brick if it holds up her wall for long enough, too, it isn't even hard to earn her trust…then Gary goes around and takes pictures of her, calls her a skank, of course she isn't going to like him."

"Eh, Velour was never really my cup of tea…"

"Well, even then, you got Jeanette's sister to worry about…give her a loaded shotgun and I'm sure the first thing she'd do is go Nossie hunting…only after she blows her sister's brains out."

"Indeed. Therese is like a barbed-wire fence I have to climb over each time I want to see Jeanette. That's why I only do it on rare occasions."

Cressida crawled up the manhole and peered around, "Coast is clear." She hissed before she got out and crept around, "If some jackass walks by, I'll just drain them dry, I'm not in the mood for games tonight." She said, "You know Santa Monica better than I do, which way are we going?"

"This way. Around the corner." He said, wincing and then Obfuscating as a small crowd walked by, "Megahurtz, right? I think it's right here."

"Yeah…" Cressida said in a growl, peeved so many people walked by. She grabbed the keycard and stuck it in the door, opening it as they snuck inside.

Edgar looked around, then he deactivated his Obfuscate, Cressida wondering why at first, until he said, "This place is completely abandoned. I'd say it's been closed for at least years…"

"You think so?" She asked as she peered around, "Sure sounds like it…jeez, Auspex would be great right about now…" She deactivated hers as well.

Edgar poked around some more, finding a computer, "Damn…this thing is dead…there has to be a switch someplace, to power the whole building back on…"

"Is there some sort of control room?" Cressida asked.

"I doubt it, this place seems too small for that…" He walked into another room, "Oh, found it." He pulled a switch, and all the lights blared on.

She squinted and held an arm up before looking around, "Alright, alright, let's get this done…" She said as she approached the computer, "Eh…this looks more like your cup of tea than mine." She said, "Something breaks, it ain't my fault." She typed away furiously, logging in and typing in 'Gil Bates'. Her eyes squinted as she read the words on the screen, "Mitnick emailed us…says: Nice going guys, I'll email you with instructions for the next hub."

"Alright, I suppose we should ship out, then."

* * *

 **A/N:** Edgar and Cressida, partners in sewer crime, deactivating computers one virus at a time…Thanks for reading!


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-seven! Not the longest chapter, but not the shortest either. Lots of Camarilla peeps, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, the second scene has some friskiness, so feel free to skip over it.

* * *

Iphigenia walked inside Victor's office, but she saw that he was busy on the Chantry's landline. "Yes…I'm sorry son…there is no…cure…for vampirism…it's permanent. There…there isn't a…" He paused. Whoever was on the other end sounded hysterical with tears, "No…I'm afraid not. Apologies. There isn't anything I can do to help you with that…right…I'll see you in our future travels…farewell." He hung up, "Forgive me."

"Who was that?" She asked, a mask of fatigue on her face, "Or, more questionably, how did they get our number?"

"That was Slade." He folded his hands, "That young chap I introduced you to earlier." He took a sigh, "It appears he's run into an old flame…and…wants to go from Kindred to kine. I informed him that there's no such way as of yet to change back…"

"Oh…" She said, "I can't say I've ever reached that phase in my life, from which I've wanted to return to my kine days. I was weak then, I was mortal and frail…" She shook her head, "I'm just thankful to be alive…after playing quite the lovely political game of Scrabble and hoping I don't pick up any Fs or Us."

"Is that so?"

"Yes…I managed to be a good girl." She smirked, "Lots of head nods and 'yes sir's later, here I am. Seems all it takes to appease that little snake is to make yourself out to be a slave for him, that seems to tickle his fanny, so to speak."

"But of course. Would you expect another matter of discourse from him?"

"I expected him to at least pronounce my name correctly." She said dryly, "He spoke to me like I was some sort of…freak of nature." She said, then she continued in a British accent, "The Masquerade is a rule that is vital for us all to uphold, do you understand? Without it, we devolve to nothing but lowly beasts, no better than the Sabbat." She gracefully twirled her hands in the air as she went on, "You must understand how this affects me, having members of _my_ Camarilla go around and betray the primary law that holds us together. Need I remind you of the whereabouts of Nocturne Theatre?" She crossed her legs, "He thought I wouldn't view that as a threat?" She chuckled, "I should have brought a recorder with me…"

"There are many unsung tales of those who have met their death in the shadows of the Camarilla, due to his zealous desire to keep law and order firm. LaCroix is eager, to…show his…miniscule strength…as it were."

"Mmm…certainly isn't the only thing about the man that's miniscule…"

He let out a laugh, "Ambitious. Very ambitious."

Her smile soon faded, "Well, I should at least be thankful I wasn't coerced into revealing any motives of mine…that is where I would be beheaded. If he found out about Halcyon or Harmonia…it'd…it'd be over sooner than I could imagine."

"Now, now, they're family. I'm sure he would have to understand that." He said, then looked unsure, "Maybe."

"They're kine, they're a different species. I'm supposed to…sever ties with kine, as he would say." She shook her head, "I don't know how that man functions knowing he's the only one who can follow his own rules."

"It's not a question of the Masquerade, really. Even most Anarchs are capable of that. It's his…insidious opinion of himself…that, paired with the situation he's been placed in…"

She shook her head, "I'm thankful it's over…now I just…have to prevent myself from defiling the Masquerade again…"

"Well, in that case, I have some news for you."

"Is that so?" She asked with a smirk.

He gave a simple smile back, pulling a sheet of paper which was in between two of the books he had been reading. He held it out to Iphigenia. It looked like the exact same warning she had received, down to the letter.

"Oh, look at that…" She had a slight chuckle, "What on earth have you done?"

"I let the esteemed serial killer go." He said, "I…finally tracked him down…but…he was doing it to avenge his family's death…it…it revealed a soft spot in me. As you can imagine, I doubt our Prince appreciated it."

"Oh, of course…classic…" She shook her head, "He has nothing better to do. No, let's not set up arrangements to clear the Sabbat from all the alleyways, let's not set aside a fund to reduce the amount of unemployed kine, no, no, let's tax and have pointless hour-long meetings with Kindred who made a little boo-boo upon our existence…yes, that's a wiser use of our time…"

"I wish he wasn't so…thorough with his explanation…I am a bit older than the average neonate. On the other hand, I doubt his tiny Ventrue mind could comprehend the rankings of we Tremere. I cannot blame him for that."

She laughed, "He's probably much too focused on which colored ink he should use to write his next letter to the Anarchs…"

He smiled, "I had figured we could blot out our little marks on our good Camarilla names together."

"Oh, that I would be honored. I have no idea where to start."

"Hollywood." He said, "That was the first reason I was on the phone with Slade. It appears there's a…well…a pornographic cassette…on the loose…which possibly displays Kindred, whether the beings themselves or their powers. If we help Slade ascertain this tape, it may erase a Masquerade strike against both of us."

"Ah, sounds lovely." She said, "Not too hard at all, right? Hopefully?"

"I have no way of knowing." He said, "We'll have to avoid Isaac and his follower's watchful eye, or we will be ousted."

She nodded, "He's not one to wander the streets much, is he? We should be alright…"

He nodded back, pondering for a moment or two, "If…if worse comes to worse…he can just…make her a ghoul…"

"Hmm?"

"Slade…and his…old flame…if he truly does love her…he could…ghoul her…" He said, very slowly and with a lot of thought. Truthfully, Victor was jealous of Slade. He was a Toreador, one of the most free and careless clans when it came to these sorts of things. Toreador ghouls were unbelievably common. They _had_ no structure. No rules. If someone wanted to ghoul someone, they could just _do_ it. He, on the other hand…

"Oh, I wish I could ghoul Harmonia…how I love to fathom the fact that I'm going to outlive her….I'll have to Dominate her into forgetting how young I look every time we meet…either that or…sever ties entirely…"

"I don't see the difficulty behind that." He said, "You could easily ghoul, or Embrace Harmonia. I'm aware that family ties aren't necessarily qualifications for the Tremere Clan, but I could put in a good word to Strauss."

She shook her head and said lowly, "She would never survive."

"Very well. If the prospect of your sister growing old in front of you ever haunts you in your sleep, you need only to talk to me. You're official, legitimate. I know he doesn't show it, but you have our Regent's trust. Converting Harmonia wouldn't be difficult either. He would just have to take her to Europe to drink from the Council of Seven. Hmm, I could do it, if Strauss allows me."

"I'll…think it over…" She mused, "She can hardly sleep at night, she worries about the monsters under her bed…imagine what sort of hell she'd go through…and then there's Halcyon…though…" She smirked, "Considering how you've seemed to tame Therese, I don't have much to worry about with her any longer."

"Tame…is a rather strong word. I'd like to think _dealt with_ , is a more accurate turn of phrase…"

"Mmm, is that so?" She chuckled, "I suppose it is rude of me to pry into the lives of my elders…my curiosity has always been rather toxic…"

"As is mine." He said, "I believe that's why we're both a member of this Clan." He smiled.

She chuckled softly, "Well, I admit, at first I found it difficult to believe, but Miss Voerman is rather suiting to your taste…especially her clan, you seem to have a fascination with the mind of the Malkavian."

"Uh…yes…I do like studying Malkavians, when I have the time for it."

She stood up and dusted off her pants, "Well, I wish you both the best of luck…I should probably tend to my sisters."

"Both?"

"Yes…you and…Miss Voerman?"

"I already told you. The last time I saw Therese was when I was concluding our business deal with Halcyon."

"Then who is this lucky patron?"

"Lucky patron?"

She shook her head, "Oh, never mind it, dear. I've places to be, and I'm sure you don't want to waste your time with idle gossip either."

He gave a small nod, "I hope you and your sisters have a good evening."

* * *

The sigh was almost as dry as the pages he turned. For once, not a drop of humidity clung in the air, no, instead it was slightly chilled and dry, even in the safety of Slade's apartment. His glasses were thrown askew on the counter, as was his jacket, for it seemed whatever sort of concept map Dragomir was creating on the windows was exhausting. If he could sweat, he would have been coated in it. He was constantly gnawing on his tongue with his molars, tossing the marker he was using up and down in the air, his eyes skimming over the half a dozen textbooks open on the windowsill, and his notes, bubbles and jumbled up drawings left on the stained glass.

It seemed most of the bubbles had names of people in them, with dashed lines or filled lines drawn, connecting other bubbles together. Chicken-scratch writing took up the space over and under the lines, clarifying whatever sort of relation was there, perhaps. Outside the basic bubble-web, there were random notes jotted down, one that he was currently writing that seemed to dip into the mind of what others were thinking, the thoughts, the motives, the psychological damage, if there was any.

The phone rang and he jumped, dropping the marker to the ground. He turned himself to the phone, eyeing it over for a moment before it rang again. Confident he wasn't hearing things he picked it up, "Slade, what is it, my friend?"

"Dragomir…" Slade sniffed.

His countenance dropped, "Are you in trouble?"

"No…I…I just…do…do you think there's…there's a way to go back?"

"From this curse…?" He asked as he twirled the cord around his finger as he sat down on the couch, "That was the very topic my father had been researching since the day of his infection…as he called it…" He mused, "He may very well have had a pathway there, torches lit along the dark forest, if you will…but…seems those very torches sparked a fuse in his plans…any possible escape he might have found have been reduced to nothing but dust."

"Oh…damn it…I wish there was some way to turn back…" He sobbed, "God damn it…"

"If you don't want to deal with the sins of my actions, say the word, Slade. I can assure you, I understand…the last thing I meant to do was cause you harm…"

"No…it…it's not that…I…I…I saw April…"

"I thought it was December."

"No… _April_ …"

"The girl…?"

"Yeah…do…do you remember her?"

"I do." He said, "I didn't think anyone could be more optimistic than that girl. She saw flowers in every rainstorm, butterflies behind ever bees nest."

"I…I had to lie to her…tell her I wasn't who I was because of all of this vampire shit…Dragomir…I…I don't want this anymore…"

"You have two choices then." Dragomir's voice came in after a pause that made Slade wonder if he had hung up, "Take her into this world with us, or let her live and die as innocent as she's ever been."

"I…I can't do that…I can't force her into this…then she'd be at the mercy at all those old vampire bastards…I wouldn't want my worst enemy to be LaCroix's slave…"

"Well, there's the half-way path."

"…what…?"

"The half-way path." He said, "Like my father's test-subjects, they were far from human yet retained their mortality. One can escape the grasp of mortality by drinking from the veins of a Kindred once a month. It evokes a strong emotional connection, though can be useful in your aspiring dreams, I imagine."

"I still can't make her a ghoul…it's too risky…she probably has a normal life, a responsible family…shit…I also ran into some Anarch creeps too…but…I don't think they'll bother you after the impression I left on them…"

"Is that so…?" He asked, a twinge of nervousness in his voice, "The only Anarch I have plans of showing my face to again would be that of Smiling Jack…"

"…I don't even know who that is…" He sniffed, "Alright…I guess I'll leave you alone…shit…I…I miss April…I…I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her much since high school…"

"Slade, so long as you uphold a thin façade of Masquerade, you don't have to ignore her…Tess was long acquainted with Julius before she was sired…as much as I hate the scrap of California inbreeding, he did a splendid job of keeping her in the dark about our kind."

"Right…I…goodnight Dragomir…I don't think I'll be back at the apartment tonight…"

"Then…then please be careful, Slade…I…I don't know what I'll do without you…"

"And Dragomir?"

"Yes?"

"Not a word of this to Tess. At all."

He snickered, "Tess…Tess will not hear a word from the crevice of my mind, only the thorns on the outside." He waited a beat, "But I'm always here, Slade."

There was a dead static on the other end. But Dragomir's thoughts were interrupted yet again by Genevieve walking in with a confident smile on her face. She slammed a large and impressive sniper rifle on the table, "Hello, dear." She said.

He slowly put the phone back in the socket, his eyes nervously flicking to hers, "You…you purchased that, I trust?"

"I got it from a graveyard man."

"Graveyard man…?" He sat back on the couch and held an arm out for her to sit next to him, "I've never met the man, I didn't know someone resided in that little hut…"

She eagerly sat by his side, smiling at the window, "Ooh…you made a nice web. It's better than mine."

"You think so?" He asked her, squeezing her closer to himself as he planted a kiss on her cheek, "You gave me the idea. I needed some way to…recount this information."

"Mmm-hmm…mine was just about…my shell-mates…yours is a…Jyhad spider web…"

He nodded, "Hopefully it makes no sense to those on the other side."

She nodded back, nuzzling her head next to his.

He held her closer and gently kissed her lips, "Slade is facing…problems with his loss of humanity…if you see him again, I'd…I'd like for you to give him a hug."

"It's going to get worse." She remarked as she kissed him back.

He gave a weary sigh, "And it's irreversible?"

"It's unclear."

He lifted her up and sat her on his lap so she was still facing him, "Your little boom-stick, is it easy to use? I was wondering if I should take up firearms myself."

"Yes, of course." She kissed his shoulder, "I've been working on my true sight, so that I can aim easier. I can get more boom-sticks and then help you. We can be bullet-buddies."

He snickered, "Bullet buddies…I like that…" He hugged her close, resting his head on her shoulder, "How long will it take for them to stop hunting me like game…? When will my target rust away?"

"Ages…possibly…"

His eyes closed, "At least the Ventrue don't have true sight."

"It is rather fortunate."

He jolted as the phone rang, at first seeming excited, but then his shoulders drooped as he knew it wasn't his friend, "It's Jeanette again…I…" He held Genevieve's waist, "I'm not going to answer."

"You've met the Daughters of Janus?"

"One of them, at least. She has yet to show her other side to me. Not that I want her to. Therese wouldn't like me very much."

"I haven't met either daughter…myself…there's a certain…apprehension…holding me back…"

"I felt the very same…" He mused, "Then after my…devil's dessert, something about her little club attracted my attention. She told me she'd keep me safe…but…I know her heart lies with the Anarchs. Well, at least, half of her heart."

She nodded, "If your heart still lies with her, I understand…I would still want to be your lap cat…in that case…"

"Of course not." He said, his thumbs slowly sliding up and down the smooth skin on her stomach, "You're my one and only, dear, she's merely a piece of my shadow's puzzle." She smiled, kissing him on the lips and getting cozy in his lap. "Now you…" He rumbled pleasantly as the kiss ended, gently squeezing her hips. "You are a piece of _my_ puzzle…a _big_ piece…"

"I hope I'm not one of the corners."

"No, you're right about here." He pointed to where his heart was.

She kissed his chest once he moved his finger away, living a set of black lip-prints, "There I am."

His eyes widened as he looked at the lip-print, then he gave her a sly grin and kissed her neck, "Can I tell you a secret…?"

"I hope one of my selves will remember it."

He gently rubbed the small of her back, whispering in her ear, "One of my eyes turned red…because there's a little devil inside me that lives behind my eye…sometimes the little devil makes me do bad things…like frenzy or diablerize…or put thumbtacks in unfortunate places…and then sometimes…the little devil makes me take one look at you…and turns me into nothing more than a predator with you on my mind…"

"Me?"

"Mmm hmm…" He combed his fingers in her hair as he leaned in and whispered, "But I have no intentions to _drain_ your body, of course…I want to fill it…"

She smiled, "If my womb weren't a dead place…I'd like to fill it with our children…" She whispered back.

He purred and hugged her closer, before he snickered, "Our children would be…completely mad…"

"Indeed." She giggled. He gently kissed her lips, then he pushed himself away from the back of the couch. He kept his hands on her waist, letting her situate herself on top of him. She leaned forward and kissed his lips hungrily, kicking her high heels off and giving him a squeeze.

He leaned over a bit and peered at her legs, "How…tall are you, exactly?" He asked, estimating she was somewhere around a foot taller than he was.

"Two and a half chairs."

"Ah…I see…" He said slowly, having no clue how tall that was in the slightest, "Taller than me, I think."

"It's possible."

His hands rubbed her back, slipping underneath her crop-top. He massaged her shoulders before his grin grew and he unclipped her bra. She sighed and decompressed on top of him, kissing his neck. His fingers slid through her smooth hair as he traced his fingers over her smooth stomach, leaving gentle kisses along her neck and collarbone. She sighed a bit more, pulling her shirt off and squeezing him.

As the bra straps slid down her shoulders, he gently tossed it across the room, "Greenhorn won't be home, if it was any concern of yours…"

"I already sensed that he was in a different venue tonight."

His fingers slid away from her hair as he rubbed her temples, bringing her head closer so he could kiss her forehead, "I love that insight of yours…" She smiled, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them off, then she rubbed his chest, kissing him on the lips.

He kissed her back, keeping his kisses slow and gentle, the opposite of anything he did with Jeanette. His calloused hands gently rubbed down her sides to her hips, where he massaged them thoroughly. She shuddered as she let out a groan, her hands shook as she kept trying to rub his chest.

His hands found her shoulders as he gently lifted her up, only to roll over so he was on top. From there, he reached down and unbuttoned his pants, peeling them off. And, of course, because it was Dragomir, he went commando.

She smiled and immediately felt up his rear, squeezing the cheeks and thrusting at them with her palms. He snickered as he left wet kisses along her collarbone, gently palming her breasts before he peeked an eye open to watch her reaction as he activated blood buff.

She closed her eyes and sighed, spreading her legs and whispering his name. He slid her panties off with a finger, grinding his length against her core for a good while as he left warm kisses in the crook of her neck. She bit her bottom lip, letting out chorus of groans with each hump. Her lower waist shuddered as she made an attempt to climax.

A grin appeared on his lips as he slowly, painstakingly slid inside. He licked really whatever he could get his tongue on, her chest, neck, jawline, and everywhere in between as he sped up the rhythm. She let out a shriek, spreading her legs a bit wider and trying to keep up with his movements. Occasionally an airy sigh would be let out, which was followed by a deep groan, as her shaking hands tried their best to rub his back while he was filling her.

Any sounds he made were deep grunts in the back of his throat, as he'd occasionally position her hips in a specific angle, or lift one of her legs a bit to reach an even deeper spot. His blood rushed through his system twice in the entire bought to ensure she reached a peak at least once before he gently let her go and rolled himself over so she was on top.

She gave a gentle sigh, stroking his cheek with her hand, still occasionally sighing his name. Chastely, he pressed a kiss against her lips as he closed his eyes and rubbed her waist, "You have very sexy legs…"

"I shall fascinate you with them…next time…"

"Oh good….they were out of my reach in this…" He searched for a word, "Setup."

"Did you want to pleasure yourself again?" She asked, "Perhaps I could sit on your chest and you would be able to play with my legs."

His eyes widened with delight, before he kissed her nose, "I want these ideas to bake in your mind…for us to use when the time calls…"

"Very well." Her eyes closed as she squeezed him, "This one is always here for you."

* * *

"Alright…Mitnick's email says that our next spot for the Schrecknet is in Nocturne Theater. We have to put one of these cameras high up in one of the rafters and then login into their terminal to turn it on." Edgar said, "And apparently we can't kill anyone in there so…it's already not my cup of tea…"

"I can do it solo if you want." Cressida offered.

"What? I can Obfuscate past a few lousy guards." He said, following her up to the theater. "Huh…last time we were in that damn theater was when that new kid got Embraced. You ever meet him? Velour's childe?"

"No, he's a Toreador. Doubt I'm ever going to really meet him personally, though I've watched him a lot for the Prince."

"That must be entertaining."

"He's a good kid, from what I've seen. That other kid? Julius's kid? Yikes."

"Tess? That girl we had to take notes on?"

"Yeah. Made a great first impression, sure, but she's a real bitch."

"Yeah, Toreador are sort of a crap-shoot that way."

"Even if she was a Nosferatu, she'd be a bitch. Worse than Imalia." She muttered, "Not only that, she's aspiring to sleep around with as much of L.A. as Voerman and every prostitute on the street combined."

"Ugh, she was Embraced by the wrong sire…"

"I'd almost rather Gary Embrace her."

He let out a snicker, putting up an Obfuscate once they reached the theater, seeing a grand total of two police officers spanning the large empty stage, "Oh, come on…Mitnick easily could've had Imalia do this…how weak does he think our Obfuscate is?"

"I think it's more of a case of how antisocial he is…" She muttered as she looked around for cameras.

"Screw this…I'm going to climb up to the rafters and plant this thing…" Edgar snuck past the officers and climbed up the later, a few moments later he climbed back down, "Alright, now we just need to find the computer and then we can get out of here…"

She nodded and started creeping around, checking behind curtains, then she stepped down a hallway and entered a doorway, looking around. She crept forward as she saw a computer and looked closer, typing away frantically. "Looks like the job is done."

"I suppose Mitnick will contact us for the next network hub…wherever that is."

* * *

 **A/N:** Can't wait to get started on the next chapter, this one had a scene that definitely leads into what the next chapter's all about. Hope you liked it!


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-eight! This is another chapter exploring some of the characters' backstories. Remember that VV chapter? Like sire like childe…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

He wasn't asking for much. Just _one_ person. Just one student, to be in this class with him, but, no. Well, it was likely that he was taking all the high classes, with all the geniuses and overachievers. Slade didn't classify himself as normal, per say, but he certainly didn't want to deal with the stress load of classes that Dragomir was in.

At least he wasn't the only kid that looked lost.

The jumble of students stood around idly, some chattering with each other, some standing against the wall looking like statues, with wide terrified eyes.

And then the teacher walked in. Mid-forties, probably, lanky, tall, with a nice suit and green tie. "Morning." He said, his voice was warm, not exactly deep, and had a rasp to it that implied he was a smoker, "Everyone sit somewhere, I don't give a damn where, we'll sort that out later."

Everyone sat down, a few people snickering and exchanging glances. The way the teacher spoke was already different from middle school.

"Alright, seats are full, so I'm assuming everyone's here. My name is Mister Parker." The teacher sat at his desk, "I'm not going to bother to write that down because I'm pretty confident you know how to spell. I've been teaching here for twenty years, so I know all the little sneaky crap you guys are going to try to pull when I'm not paying attention. I'm not afraid to give detentions or suspensions and ruin your permanent records, so just keep that in mind." His eyes did look jaded, bags under them as he glared around at each student in the room. "And I'm not one of those asshole English teachers who will grade your essays based off of my opinion of you. I don't even look at the name on the paper when I grade, I just go off of writing. Unless you piss me off. Then I wish you good luck."

Some of the students laughed before he continued, "I'm not going to give a syllabus or anything, that's all a big waste of time. My priority now is making sure you don't all shit yourselves, so I'm going to sort that out." He stood up, "I'm giving each of you a partner, so you're all going to do a little one day project." He started pacing around, "You're going to meet your partner, get their name, learn about them, and then present that information in front of the class. Any questions?"

Silence. One student raised their hand. "Can we pick our partners?"

His eyes were slits, "What the hell do you not get about 'I'm giving you a partner'?"

"Sorry…" He muttered.

"Great. The person sitting next to you is your partner. Get to work." He said as he sat at his desk again.

Slade turned to see a girl sitting next to him, she looked over at him with big brown, doe-like eyes. "Hello." She said in a sweet, soft, high pitched voice. "I'm April."

Slade smiled, he certainly could've been given a worse partner, "Uh…Slade…" He held a hand out, "Nice to meet you."

She smiled back, her hand was soft and tiny in his, "Nice to meet you, Slade." She said, "Where are you from?"

"Oh, I've been here all my life." He said, "My mom does a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff with movies, so…I know the streets Hollywood like the back of my hand."

"Really?" Her eyes widened, "That's so cool! What sorts of movies has she helped put together?"

Slade blinked, he was used to being sarcastically laughed off about these sorts of things in middle school. To be both genuinely and maturely complimented like this was strange to him. "Usually she does a lot of the new action movies out. She tries to go for lighter dramas or romances…but she takes what she can get…"

"Wow, that's amazing! I always wondered if I'd meet some stars when we headed out here."

"Oh yeah? Where are you from?"

"Well, my sister insisted we move…" She mused, "I lived in Arizona a few months ago…Ash Fork, but I'm sure you've never heard of it…" She giggled timidly, "Well, they had a high school there I was set up to attend…and then….well, long story short, my sister flew down from New York to move me to California. She said it was safer…but…she's always been a little crazy." She smiled, "I'm in Thousand Oaks now…a bit of a drive…"

"Really?" He asked, "Did you like Arizona?"

"I loved it…well, I love the sun…I guess if you don't like the heat, it's not very fun."

He snickered, "I guess you have a point, there."

Her smile was unfading as she quirked her head to the side a bit, combing her fingers through her short blond pixie-cut, "Do you have any hobbies?"

"I usually paint or draw."

"You do…?" She asked, "Do you have anything with you?"

"What…on me…?" He smiled nervously, "I…uh…well, they're not _that_ good…no…I…I guess I'm practicing…you could say…I mean, if everything works out…that's what I want to go to college for."

"Wow…I wish I could think ahead like that!" She laughed.

"You still have a lot of time, though."

"I sure hope so…" She said nervously.

Parker stood up, "Alright, tomorrow we'll do presentations." The bell rang, "Go get lunch."

As the students flooded to the cafeteria, Slade spotted a familiar figure sitting by himself at a table, drinking out of a thermos that was probably tea.

"Hey, Dragomir." Slade pat his back and sat across from him, "I've been looking all over for you, buddy."

"Guess we don't have any of the same classes." He said, his quiet voice hardly audible in the cafeteria.

"So how was your day so far?"

He gave a small sigh, "…stressful."

"Huh…I feel like my day should've been stressful too…but…I don't feel…nervous or anything…I feel happy…"

"Really? Are your teachers nice?"

"I mean they're okay…I was paired up with someone cool, that was probably it. It wasn't some jerk or asshole like what would happen to us in middle school…"

"Yes, at least there aren't any more…" He searched for a word, "Aspiring football players in my classes…"

"What? You mean the jocks? That must be nice." He said, "I was paired up with this chick. She was pretty nice, I'm glad I ended up with her and not some douchebag…"

"What was her name?"

"April." He said, "I hope we get paired up again sometime. She seemed easy to talk to."

"That's always nice." He said, "I'm supposed to have a partner for my chemistry class, but she wasn't here."

"Jeez, who bails on the first day of school?"

"What was her name…Therese? Or Tess? Something like that…"

"Huh…leaving you out to dry…what a jerk…"

"Hopefully she'll be back…" He said quietly.

"She'd better. No one screws my friend over and gets away with it."

* * *

"Would it be strange to just…suddenly become a vegetarian?" April adjusted her backpack over her shoulder as they were walking to the cafeteria.

"What? No…I don't see why it would be…" Slade said.

"I just was thinking about it the other day…I hardly eat any meat in the first place, I might as well cut it out in total…maybe I'll be healthier."

"It's a possibility." He shrugged.

"What do you have for lunch?" She smiled.

"Uh…probably a sandwich…damn…I don't even remember what I packed…these back-to-back fencing practices are really taking it out of me…"

"Is fencing any fun?"

"Oh yeah, of course it is." He said, "It just…takes a lot of work…well, I should say, it takes a lot of work if you _care_ about the sport itself. Like…twenty percent of the team is just lazy slackers who don't do shit and are only in it cause their mom forced them to sign up for _something_."

She laughed, her cheeks turned pink whenever he made her laugh so much, "I was thinking of joining myself because May wants be to, but now I'm not so sure…"

"Yeah…well, as soon as winter's over, then it's drama club for whatever play we got going on this year. I sure hope it's a good one. Well, at least with the drama club, it actually feels like we're one big family. Fencing…everyone's kinda in it for themselves…I mean, I have a couple fencing buddies…but drama club, it's actually pretty warm and inviting."

They walked into the cafeteria, "Drama club sounds like fun…I just don't think I'd fit in…"

"You'd have to be comfortable on stage, that's the biggest thing. I don't know, you strike me as a bit…quiet…to be an actor, no offense, of course." He smiled.

"Yeah, I get really bad stage fright…" She said, "Well…um…I'll let you go sit with your friend."

"You wanna sit with us?"

"You'd let me…?"

He shrugged, "I don't…see why not. We're friends, aren't we?"

She hugged him as she giggled and followed him to the table.

It seemed Dragomir had also brought a guest over. Slade recognized something about her, but he couldn't place what. Dragomir sat up, "Oh, Slade, this is Tess…she…didn't have anywhere to sit."

Her mischievous face looked more dangerous as she smirked, "How lovely it is to meet you, after hearing so much about you."

Dragomir's cheeks blushed a bit, his nervous eyes looking even more paranoid, "I…I didn't tell you that much."

"No, you told me everything I need to know." She said, "Nice to meet you, Slade." She held a hand out.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." Slade said, shaking her hand. Now that it was there second year in high school, Slade was pleased that Dragomir made a new friend or two aside from himself, but there was something about this girl that he didn't like.

April timidly sat next to Slade, taking her lunch bag out and nibbling on a stick of celery.

"I had no clue you had so many friends, Dragomir." Tess said.

"Well…" His dark eyes darted around, "It certainly isn't like I don't have any…"

"How long have you and Slade known each other? First grade?"

"Yeah, about…about that long…"

Tess looked from Slade to Dragomir, "That's adorable."

"Maybe we should sit somewhere else…" April said quietly to Slade.

"No, it's fine." Slade said, then he cleared his throat, "So Tess, how long have you known Dragomir?"

"Since freshman year." She mused as she walked two fingers up his spine. He choked and spit up his tea, she laughed, "He's in most of my classes."

"Huh…I see…" He said a sandwich out and took a bite of it.

April leaned in, "That's Tess Perry…she's like…the smartest girl here…she'd be years ahead of us if she showed up for school…but she only makes about a-hundred days…I thought everyone knew about her…"

"I don't." Slade mused, "It's probably because she's only here for a third of the school year…"

Tess took a bite of her banana, "Slade, you're on the fencing team?"

"Yeah, that's right." He said, "I'm sabre."

"Ooh." She said, "I'd love to fence, but it interferes with mock trial…" She mused, "What do you think you're going to go into when you graduate? I suppose you do have two more years to think about it…"

"I'm going to find an art program." He said, "Cause I paint a lot."

"Oh, that must be why I recognize you." She said, "Slade Lockwood, yes? I overheard the art teachers speaking about you. They sounded very impressed."

He gave a chuckle, "I guess I improved a bit since I was a kid."

Her bright violet gaze landed on his lunch, "Do you have enough food?" She asked, "I brought a sandwich I'm not hungry for, if you'd like it." She handed the wrapped up sandwich to him.

"What? No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

She unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite.

"Tess, if you aren't hungry, why are you eating it?" Dragomir asked.

She took another bite, then dabbed her mouth off, "Because it looks good. Sometimes I can't help but dive into things that just…look irresistible…"

Dragomir cheeks flushed, "Uh huh…"

April wafted the air in front of her nose, "It smells funny…what's on it?"

"Worcestershire sauce." She said, "It's my favorite."

Slade caught a whiff of it too. It definitely a distinct smelling odor, that was for sure.

"I'll never forget when you tried to eat that in front of the teacher…" Dragomir muttered.

Tess's laugh was deep and almost frightening, "Yes, he took it and tried to eat it before he realized what it was…"

"Um…so…Tess…" April said as sweetly as she could muster. She must have done a good job, because Tess looked on with adoration, "I find it hard to believe you don't have any friends…"

"Do you? I'll take that as a compliment. I love your hair, by the way."

She blushed, "Oh…uh….thank you….I just thought…you were so popular…"

"Popular? No. Well known? Sure. The boys don't like it when I hurt them for flirting with me. And the girls think I'm a monster…so…no, I don't have any friends."  
"Well, there's always us." Slade said.

She looked around, seeming taken aback by the kindness, "…well…I'm touched." She smiled, "I just…figured I was an annoyance…"

He shrugged, "You're welcome to sit with us. I mean, everyone else is building their own friendship circles. So why not us?"

"Well…thank you…" She said with a brighter smile, "That means a lot to me, Slade."

* * *

"Hey Slade, what the hell is with that tie?" A student asked as he brushed by Slade, presumably one of his fencing buddies.

"Go to hell." Slade swatted him away. A rainbow tie was now over his blue button-up shirt. He made it himself, and he had been getting mixed reception about it ever since he came into school at the beginning of the day.

As he closed his locker, he saw someone standing there with a beaming smile, it almost frightened him.

"Whoa!" He jumped, "Hey, April, you scared me." He smiled.

"Sorry." She giggled, "I…I wasn't sure if you wanted to go out and get something to eat with me. We can ask Dragomir and Tess too, if you want."

"Oh, okay. That sounds like a great idea."

"Do you know where their lockers are?"

"Yeah, I got it." He headed over to the two of them, "Hey, you guys want to go get some lunch?"

Something about the look on Tess's face was off, she looked pale and angry, her eyes distantly staring at the floor. Dragomir stuffed at third textbook into his backpack, "Yeah, that sounds great." He said as he closed his locker, "Where?" When he turned and faced Slade, Slade recognized that look in his eye when he was hiding something, trying to push it away.

"Uh…is this a bad time?" Slade asked.

"No." Dragomir said, "It's…it's a really good idea." He said, then he looked at Tess, "Right?"

"Mmm hmm." She looked up, "Of course, I'd love to come. I can pay if you'd like." Though the listless look in her eye had faded, she still seemed off.

"What? No, it's fine. I got cash on me." Slade said.

"Alright, then…then let's go." Dragomir said as they left the school. It was rare for Dragomir to lead, or to speak for someone else. He nervously fiddled with his collar on their way there, which was at least restoring to Slade to know that his best friend wasn't someone in a disguise.

They entered the nearest café, sitting at a booth and setting their bags down on the floor. Tess stood up, "I have to use the restroom, I'll be back. Could you get me some sort of green tea?" She tapped Dragomir's shoulder.

"Just tea? Anything else?"

"A scone? I'm not fussy." She said as she left.

Dragomir sighed and rubbed one of his temples, "Did you hear what happened?" He asked them as Tess left.

"No. What the hell's going on with Tess?" Slade asked, as he and April sat down.

"She…um…" Dragomir's cheeks turned a hue of pink, "Got caught in the locker room with another girl. She wasn't punished or anything…but…everyone's been making fun of her…" He said, "I…I didn't know she was capable of crying, but…"

"Oh my goodness…that's awful…" April said, "Is she okay?"

"Well, she didn't get physically harmed or anything…" He said, "It's just…now that she's….come out of the closet, so to speak, she's been greeted by an army of hormonal teenagers who are…less than accepting…"

"Damn…" Slade said, "I had no idea…we'll have to get together and buy her something…to make her feel better…"

April paused, "Do…do you think she's in there crying?"

Dragomir paused, "She…could be…"

The waitress came over, "Hi. What can I get you?"

"Two green teas." Dragomir said, "And…um…two scones."

"What kind?" She asked, "White chocolate or dark?"

"Um…dark." He decided.

"Okay, anything else?"

"I'll have a small cappuccino…if that's okay…" April said.

"Of course."

"I'll take a green tea too." Slade said.

"Okay, I'll be back when it's finished." She said as she walked off.

A few minutes later, the waitress passed out their food and drinks, not only that, but they finished them off too, "Shit…" Slade said, "I guess she's not coming out…"

Dragomir's throat bobbed as he finished his drink, "Why are high schoolers so cruel?" He muttered.

"I'll go talk to her." Slade stood up, he walked over to the restroom and entered, looking around, "Tess?"

One of the stalls was closed, he heard her sniffling from inside, "Slade…?"

He stepped to the opposite side of the door, "You alright? Everyone's worried about you."

"They are…?" She sniffed, "I'm sorry…" He heard her rip some toilet paper, probably to dry her tears, "I'll…I'll be right out…"

"Are…are you okay?" He asked, "Dragomir told me everything…he told me that people were giving you a hard time about it…"

"I don't care about the people…" She muttered, "Or maybe I do…I'm just…I'm just a broken gear in society…I'll never amount to anything…I can get to the top of the planet with my intellect if I wanted but…I just don't have any will to…I don't have any motivation…I'm just a complete waste…"

"No you're not. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. No one person can just…be perfect at everything. You can't just, give up after this. You have our support…I mean, three people may not sound like much but…" He paused, "Isn't it quality over quantity?"

"Yes….yes…you're right…" She opened the door and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, hugging him, "Thank you, Slade…"

He was surprised by her hug, so much so that he barely was able to catch her, but he squeezed her back, "Everything's gonna be just fine."

"I can see why Dragomir trusts you with his life…you're…you're the kindest person I've ever met…"

"Hey, I'm just doing what's right. Anyone can do that."

"Oh…you'd be surprised…" She muttered as she looked at herself in the mirror, pulling her hair up into a bun and giving a disappointed sigh, "Something's wrong with my head…but you don't care….so it doesn't matter…"

"What? Nothing's wrong with you Tess. April, Dragomir, and I don't judge you for that shit. Not one bit."

She took a shaky sigh, "Of course…let's just…go back out there…"

* * *

The lights could have been a little brighter, the colors a little less vibrant too. But, Slade supposed that was the best the school could budget. What else could he pick on? He certainly didn't like the tension in the air, Dragomir trying not to choke in the suit that looked a bit too small on him, Tess was way too adult-like for his liking, and April…

Well, he had never seen her look so beautiful.

She always wore sweaters, jeans and boots in the winter, something fuzzy and conservative. In the spring or late fall, she'd wear short sleeves or ripped jeans, but she would never show too much. Now was different.

Her gown fit perfectly, a white ball gown with opera gloves, a diamond necklace and small white roses in her hair. The satin material fell down to her ankles, revealing open-toed high heeled shoes. She had lip gloss on, as well as a dusting of light blue eyeshadow.

Really, even if Tess and April weren't there, he'd be uncomfortable. It was senior year, being a child was done. And what way to realize that than to look at his friends and see how true it was.

Dragomir had grown significantly, from being a bullied scrawny kid his freshman year, to a quiet yet bulky young man who Slade knew could give a witty comeback, and a punch to the gut if that wasn't enough. He had a path, as well, a goal in his life, what college he was going to attend, what he was going to study, the type of career he was going into and where it was. It was as if he was walking a path of stones he set out for himself.

He knew Tess was well endowed, but he never saw her look so classy. She looked like a different person. Not like the quirky girl he met his sophomore year, or the instable girl he helped in the café bathroom his junior year. She was a woman now, smiling and chatting to anyone who walked by. Valedictorian, no less, it made him wonder how someone as successful as she was would manage to not leave them in the dust.

Slade himself was in a light blue suit, with his trademarked tie tucked in for those close enough to see.

And April? Well, the innocent little girl that she always made herself out to be, really still was there. She'd look around nervously, like she did the first day of school, take a sip of her drink and play with the food on her plate. At least there was someone else who wasn't ready for this next step.

"What do you say, guys? Should we toast?" Slade asked.

Dragomir looked nervous, April looked confused, and Tess just smirked, "To what?" She asked as she took her glass.

"I don't know…to our…multiple year-long friendship. I…I feel like that's something we need to do."

"I concur." She raised her glass.

Dragomir tugged at his bowtie as he held his glass up. April lifted her glass up, "I thought this was typically done with champagne?"

"Well, I asked Bruno to bring some booze, but it appears they…" Tess looked around, "Confiscated it. And him as well." Dragomir shook his head.

Slade rolled his eyes, leave it to Tess to make a joke at a time like this, "Alright. A toast. To our friendship. May it transcend into our adult lives."

"Cheers!" April was the only one who spoke as they clashed glasses and drank from them.

"So…" Tess rested her head on her hand and looked at Dragomir, "What are your plans?"

"Me?" He asked, "Well…" He gave a shaky sigh, "I'm not entirely sure…I was going to go to college but…as things are, I can't afford to live anywhere…I don't know what's going to happen yet."

"Where are you living now?" Tess asked, "The cafeteria?"

"No." He said, "I'm living with my sister…but…only for a few more months…then…they're kicking us out…"

"Kicking you out?" April asked.

He laughed nervously, "It's nothing, really…what are you doing, Tess?"

She seemed hesitant to change the subject, then she sat back, "I haven't thought about it yet."

"Really?"

"I'll see where I go from here…we still have a month of school left…"

"What about you?" Dragomir asked as he looked at April.

"Me?" She asked, "Well…" She sighed, "I didn't want to say this so early…I still feel bad about it…"

"Are you pregnant?" Tess asked, "We're here to support both of you."

"What!?" She gasped, her face lit up bright red, "No! No, no! I'm moving!"

"Oh….that's certainly less dramatic…"

"April…you're moving?" Slade asked, "Where?"

"I'm not sure…" She said softly, "May said she can't afford to pay for both of us here, so she's moving somewhere cheaper…she was looking at Nevada…"

"I wish you and your sister the best of luck, then." Tess said, "I only wish I could have met her."

"Yeah, she a lot older than us or something? I don't remember seeing her here in school." Slade said.

"She's about six years older than me." April said.

"Oh, that makes sense."

Tess looked back to Dragomir, "Dragomir, why don't we live together?"

"…hmm?"

"Let's live together." She said, "I can pay for the cost of your living expenses until you get enough for yourself. You too, Slade. It's only fair, you took so much care of me."

Dragomir seemed floored, "Tess…you…you don't have to…"

"I insist." She said with a smirk, "I'm sure we could find a little apartment somewhere and live together."

"Yeah, that would be a great idea." Slade smiled back, "It'll save us a shit-ton of money too. We're all good friends. I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Wonderful." Tess said, standing up and tugging on her cocktail dress, "Dragomir, dance with me."

"Wha…?" He looked up, looking absolutely petrified.

April sniffed, when Slade looked over, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks, "I'm so happy for you guys…"

"April?" Slade asked, "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know…it's selfish of me…"

"What's the matter?"

"I'm just…so glad you guys get to live together…and sad that I can't live with you…"

"Hey, it's okay." He smiled, "This won't be forever…a little bit of distance isn't going to kill our friendship, is it?"

She shook her head, "No, no, you're right…"

His smile grew, then he looked out at the dancefloor, "Jeez, I can't believe Tess and Dragomir are dancing…"

She smiled at last, "They do look kinda silly…"

"Did…uh…did you want to dance?"

A blush spread upon her cheeks, "Um…sure…." She stood up and gently took his hand in hers.

Color went on his cheeks as well. He gently placed a hand on her back and squeezed her close, "You feeling okay?"

She nodded as she gently wiped her tears away and held onto his shoulder, the other held onto his left hand.

"I know…it's nerve-wracking…going our separate ways, but we'll keep in touch."

She nodded, "I know we will…but if we don't…well…" She squeezed his hand tighter, "I wish you the best of luck, Slade, in whatever you do. Just have fun with it…if not for yourself, then for me."

"I won't ever leave you alone." He said, then he held her a bit closer, "You look very nice tonight."

Her big doe-eyes closed just a hair, "You think so…?" She asked softly, "I think you look very nice too."

He chuckled softly, holding one of her cheeks with one hand and kissing her on the lips.

Her lips were even softer than he imagined, but she kept them closed, closing her eyes as she held him close.

* * *

"Damn it!" Slade sobbed, as tears ran down his cheeks. He threw his yearbook against the wall, it tumbled on the ground next to three others. One for each year of high school. Defeated, he fell back on his bed. He had no idea why he reminisced about the biggest moments from each of his high school years, or why it was now, but it certainly haunted him.

" _We'll keep in touch. I won't ever leave you alone."_ He remembered himself saying.

 _Damn it!_ He thought. _I'm a filthy liar, a filthy, filthy, liar! I should go to hell!_ He seethed. _Damn it, who am I kidding…I'm already there. Jesus, I thought all this old vampire bastards were like, a-billion years old…one of them doesn't know how to change back?!_

Sure enough, he had been spending most of his time calling every vampire he knew on how to turn back into a human. Sadly it seemed LaCroix was probably the oldest vampire he knew, but he didn't _dare_ bring this problem to him. He didn't trust LaCroix to tell him the truth over the matter anyway.

 _How…how could all of this have changed so drastically? We…we were four amazing friends in high school…but now…Dragomir's insane…he pretty much stuck the middle finger to both the Camarilla and Anarchs…Tess is a bitch and the biggest slut in the country…and…and the worst part is…I had to lie to April about who I was to preserve this stupid Masquerade…I…I just want April back! Please…April…don't leave the state! Don't give up on me! I want April!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Slade, a Toreador in life, a Toreador in death. Will he ever get her back?


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N:** Here's chapter forty-nine! The next part of the snuff tape comes to an exciting conclusion. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Tess knocked on the door to the apartment the three of them once lived in together, then a second times, Slade finally answered it, looking as though he hardly got any sleep last night.

"Slade…" She said slowly, "We…we need to go look for smut peddlers…Killian mentioned something about a man named Flynn, we'll have to start there…"

"Yeah, I met him the other day." He said, slamming the door behind himself, (making a horrendous sound), "We were helping VV out with a favor."

"Oh…alright…." She said, "Then let's go find him and get more info about this tape."

They left the apartment complex, eventually being greeted by two familiar looking Tremere.

"Slade, it's good to see you again." Victor smiled, "You remember Iphigenia, right?"

"Of course I do." Slade gave a small smile.

"It's nice to see you again, Slade." Iphigenia said with a smile, before she turned to Tess. Her eyes narrowed, "…it…can't be possible…"

Tess raised a brow and looked over Iphigenia, before looking back to her face, "What is it, dear?"

"Do you know a Mister Lockheart?"

"Why?"

"Oh…just curious."

Tess crossed her arms, "Yes, he's a close friend of mine."

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss…?"

"Perry. Tess Perry."

"Miss Perry." She said as she shook her hand.

"A close friend." Victor said, whiffing the air, "So _you_ have been the mysterious invader to our Chantry, fledgling."

"Invader?" She asked, before she chuckled softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude…Leo invited me, I never come in without asking."

Iphigenia sighed, "We'll have to have a word with him."

"Indeed." Victor agreed.

"I don't know about you guys, but this doesn't surprise me at all." Slade muttered.

"Yes, well, would you two like to fill us in on this cassette dilemma?"

"Yeah, we're heading to the Sin Bin to go see if we can get any leads on it." Slade said.

"Sin Bin?" Iphigenia raised a brow, the piercings that studded the area glistened in the streetlights. She smirked and gently elbowed Victor, "I don't think you're going to enjoy this."

"Now, now, it's to wipe both our records clean…I'm sure certain…elements of comfortability…can be ignored for the time being." Victor said. She chuckled softly as they made their way towards the Sin Bin.

Tess looked over at Iphigenia, she had to look up to meet her eye, "I like your top."

Iphigenia looked less than impressed. "Mmm. Thank you."

"And your piercings are gorgeous…you know, usually getting so many piercings can be a real turnoff but…I think you made it look irresistible."

"If you're lucky, perhaps you'll survive the flames our Regent casts upon your flesh."

Tess's eyes widened, she looked away and stopped speaking. Slade laughed.

Iphigenia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Slade, tell me what you can about this tape."

"It's creepy as all hell, that's for sure." Slade said, "It…I don't know…it's just messed up…"

"In all honesty, our connection to this case is to attain a Masquerade Redemption." Victor said, "Is the activity on the tape supernatural in nature?"

He nodded, "Very. Isaac thinks it's why the Nosferatu have largely disappeared."

"My word…who could device such a stratagem?"

"That's what we're looking into." Tess said quietly.

The bell that should have rang when they walked in was broken. Flynn smiled as they walked in, "I remember you kid, you came in with Killian." He then smiled at the ladies, "Some kinda night for a double date, don't ya think? So which one's yours?"

"This…this isn't a date." Slade said.

"Ooh, really?" His smile grew.

Slade regretted every decision he ever made at that point.

Victor cleared his throat, "We're looking into the matters of a particular…film…you have…"

"We got everything you ever need here." Flynn said.

"No. This is a little more specific…" Slade said, "Death Mask Productions. Ring a bell?"

"Those guys? What to you wanna know?"

Tess seemed too disguised to even respond, it seemed looking at Flynn made her sick. Iphigenia spoke instead, "Do you have any of their tapes?"

Flynn narrowed his eyes, "You a cop?"

"Do I look like a cop?"

"Don't play games with me. Every cop across five states has been trying to track these bastards down…it's not even black market…more like _black-hole_ market…I don't deal in that kind of product. It's not in this store."

A metallic clang was heard as Iphigenia put her hands on the counter, her rings clashing against the surface. She leaned in, her chest more or less in Flynn's face, "It isn't? Are you _sure_ about that…? Because if we find it within this building, I am more than capable of using that charming little ponytail as a handle and grinding that pretty little cherub's face of yours into the asphalt…"

"I'm calling the cops on your crazy ass." Flynn spat.

"Wait." Slade said, "We have this partially completed tape from them and we need the complete copy."

"A tape. You mean _the_ tape? Look, get the hell outta here! All of you! I don't want any part of that. I hear people seeing that tape ain't been coming home for dinner, if ya know what I mean."

"You have to know something."

"Forget it, man. I don't know what the hell you're talking about. What? Who're they? Seriously, get the hell outta here."

"God damn it…" Slade muttered.

Iphigenia stood back, looking steamed, "I don't care what you've _heard_." She growled through clenched teeth, her yellow gaze was piercing, "It is beyond selfish to let the people impacted by this film suffer silently for the sake of your own pointless existence."

Tess elbowed her, "I thought you were after a Masquerade redemption?" She spat.

"Tch…" Iphigenia crossed her arms, "Keep your mouth shut, halfwit."

"Please…" Victor folded his hands together, "Whatever information you have will be reliable to us. I implore you."

"Stop bothering me and get the hell back to fairyland, string bean." Flynn snapped.

Slade grabbed Flynn by his cheap suit and dragged half his body over the counter, "Listen." He growled, "We're not going to ask again. Tell us whatever you know about the tape. Or else." His eyes followed Flynn's hand which was slowly starting to reach for a phone, "Go ahead, call 'em." Slade cracked one of his swords a fourth of the way out of it's sheathe, "I might just have a death wish."

"O-O-Okay…" Flynn backed away, half-cowering, "Look, all I know is a guy calls on a payphone down the street every once in a while. He'll say something like, 'the moon is a terrible mistress' or…some creepy shit like that…"

"And he knows something of the tape?" Iphigenia asked.

"Yeah. All you have to say is, 'who walks the night with demons of dread.' Supposedly, you'll be told where to meet the guy to pick up the product. I don't know for sure…I…uh, never tried it. Scared the shit outta me."

"Alright, thanks." Slade said, starting to take his leave.

"Hey wait, you might as well know this. Word on the street is that they didn't even make the video. They're just distributing it. No one even knows where it came from. I'm telling ya…whatever you're in, get out of it now."

Iphigenia chuckled deeply, "If there was a way out of this life, I'm sure we all would have taken it already…"

Tess sighed as the door closed behind them, "I didn't know Tremere could be so…intimidating…" She mused.

"Intimidating…" Iphigenia chuckled, "It's instinct from the days where my heart still beat, I suppose."

"We typically prefer to keep our presence less…upfront…" Victor said.

"Alright, a payphone, he said, right?" Slade asked, answering the nearest ringing phone by a convenience store. After a beat or two, he rejoined the others, "Luckee Star Motel. Room two. That's where they'll be."

"Hmm…that's where I got the key to receive the Masquerade Violation in the first place…" Victor said.

"That's…rather peculiar…" Iphigenia mused, "I suppose the only answer is an investigation."

They entered the Luckee Star Motel, heading to room two. Inside there was no one to give them the tape. The furniture looked wrecked and the lone lamp was overturned. Blood was everywhere. Mainly they were in the shape of handprints, but they looked far from human.

Victor took a whiff of the area, tracing the blood streaks with his gloved hands, "I suppose our rendezvous is cancelled, then…"

Tess's eyes were wide, "What…what could that have been…?"

"I have a sneaking suspicion." Slade said, he picked up a key card, "Remember that Internet Café that Killian and I destroyed?" He looked at Tess, "This is a key to the back. It's our only lead."

She nodded, "Alright, let's head there then."

Iphigenia looked around, "I…should have brought another weapon with me…"

Victor's eyes widened, as he remembered the lengthy conversation he had with Venus about purchasing a gun, "As should I…" He said quietly.

They went to the Internet Café next, but business seemed to be as usual. Everything was fixed and customers were puttering about. Slade led the way as he unlocked the door to the 'Employees Only' room.

"Jeez…" He looked around, then up a flight of stairs, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"I concur…" Iphigenia said lowly as they looked around, "I'll lead, if you'd like."

"It's fine, I doubt they're going to-"

The door at the top of the stairs busted down, as one of the tiny demons from the tape and from Slade's nightmares bolted at them. It latched onto Slade with a horrid conviction, letting out one grating shriek after another. Slade screamed as its fangs dug into his flesh. He reached behind himself for his swords, but the beast had more momentum. Slade toppled down the stairs, slowly being eaten alive.

Iphigenia's eyes widened as she jumped down the staircase and grabbed the demon by the arm, throwing it against a wall and punching it in the head.

The monster flew back, eventually steadying itself. It jumped for Iphigenia next, mouth open wide. Slade jumped in for her defense, cutting the monster away until it exploded in a pile of gore and flesh. He weakly panted, "Jesus…these damn things almost killed me…when I was alive…it was why I was Embraced…"

"I suspect there will be more of them…" Victor said.

Iphigenia wiped the blood from her hands on her pants, "It's no wonder Isaac's interested in this…" She mused, "The Camarilla has all right to be concerned as well, this is a hazard to kine and Kindred alike." She turned to Victor, "And the production of tapes…whoever is behind it wants to get our attention…"

Victor gave a slow nod, "We shall proceed with caution."

The innards of the backrooms were characterized by cheap stage sets, bloodied floors and walls, and dead porn stars. Although they had little time to keep track of that, as three of the little demons ran at them at frightening pace, hardly able to keep control of their rabid behavior.

Slade swallowed hard, not wanting to be their meal again, he used a speed enhancement, darted around the room and going to slice the monsters. A blue blur began to knock the monsters back.

Iphigenia got a knife out, trying to use it against one of the demons. As it seemed to do very little damage, she stepped back and held a hand out to use Blood Strike a few times. Slade and Iphigenia's combined teamwork took down the trio, but around the corner another trio of monsters ran at them.

Victor held a gloved hand out, a dark charm was heard, as the three monsters writhed in agony and began to vomit up blood, "Attack them while they're immobile." Tess dashed forward with the same amount of speed Slade had, kicking the beasts a few times until they gave pitiful screams and turned to ash.

They went down a few more halls and into a new room, seeing a man in a sheltered off room holding a video cassette. A monster jumped in and ate him alive, however, killing him and leaving the tape on the table. "Shit…" Slade tugged at the door handle, "It's locked, we're gonna have to go around the long way."

They went down a flight of stairs, of course, being greeted by more monsters immediately. Slade sped forward, turning into a blue blur again, he was able to kill the monsters a bit quicker this time, taking out two out of three of them in a handful of seconds. "Impressive, Slade." Iphigenia said with a smile, using Blood Strike to wipe out the survivors.

"Thanks…" He panted.

"Over there! A survivor!" Victor pointed.

In front of them was a thug cowering for his life, "Ah, Jesus, man…what the…what the fuck is going on around here? D-Dead…everyone s-slaughtered…o-oh…oh g-god…don't make any noise…t-they'll hear us…"

"You work for Death Mask Productions?" Slade asked.

"Yeah, yeah…I mean…n-no…uh…fuck it! Yeah, I'm with them? You the cops?"

"No." Iphigenia said, "The tape, you have it? We'll take it, you don't have to worry about it."

"No…I don't have it…I…I think someone had it upstairs…"

"What the hell?" Slade asked, "I mean why the hell do you have the same monsters on your tape running around?"

"Y-Yeah…I k-know…but we didn't make that shit. One of the guys stole it…f-found it in that creepy house on the hills. We just copied it and put our names on it. Worst thing we ever did…worst thing I ever saw!"

"House on the hills?" Tess asked.

"Please, please…get me outta here…" He looked up in fear, "Oh no! Ah!" A monster jumped down and consumed him alive, it then jumped at Tess.

She screamed and fell back, grabbing its arms and trying to get it off of her. Iphigenia kicked it in the head like a soccer ball, Tess panted and held her forehead. Slade ran in to finish it off. "Alright." Slade looked ahead, "So he said upstairs…"

"But the only stairs are the ones we came from." Victor said, peering around, "There's a ventilation shaft up there, on that stack of boxes. We'll have to climb through there."

Iphigenia nodded as she crawled on top of the boxes, pulling the grate off of the vent and throwing it on the floor as she crawled inside, "Ugh…it reeks in here…"

Tess crawled up and followed her, a smirk on her face as she followed Iphigenia. Slade rolled his eyes and reluctantly went after Tess, and he was followed by Victor. At the other end, they saw the snuff tape on the table. Slade picked it up, "Hmm…yeah, this one looks less damaged than that other one we found."

Iphigenia's eyes skeptically looked around, "Let's leave, quickly. Before something happens."

The other three nodded, as they left the room. The sound of broken glass was heard, as one of the monsters jumped out the window and attacked Tess from behind, eating away at her back. Tess screamed as she fell on her face, completely defenseless against it. Iphigenia grabbed it by the arms and wrestled it to the floor, she pinned it down rather quickly, "Slade, kill it!"

Slade pulled his swords out and slashed at the thrashing creature, it blew up in a pile of gore and ashes, "Jesus…damn things are everywhere…"

Iphigenia panted and stood up, dusting herself off, "I'm…going to have to take quite a few showers when this is said and done…"

"I'm going to need to feed…" Slade said, "Oh, come on!" He growled, seeing a new trio of monsters. He sped forward, again using a speed boost to take one of them on. Iphigenia held a hand out and used blood strike on one of them, when it got too close, she knifed it down. Victor held a hand out as well, causing the remaining brood of monsters to vomit up blood, making them easy pickings for Slade and Iphigenia.

They made their way out of the Internet Café, the front of it was completely deserted, as the patrons most likely heard all the screaming and monster attacks. Victor looked at Slade and Tess, "Whatever you do, when you return that tape to Isaac, do not tell him that we were helping you…it could lead to…dangerous…repercussions…"

"Very well." Tess said, "We'll keep quiet about it."

Iphigenia sighed, "I wonder just how many more of those things are lurking in the shadows…"

"I shudder to think the same thing." Victor said, "Well, we'll be off now, farewell."

Slade took a heavy sigh, "Alright, let's take this thing back Isaac…and then do whatever bullshit he wants…"

"Are you alright?" She asked with a hint of concern. He didn't respond, he entered the jewelry store first, followed by Tess.

Isaac rose from his desk, "You two look as though you've seen a ghost."

"Worse than that. We had to fight an army of those monsters to get this thing." Slade said.

"Then this is no doubt the work of a fiend. Hand me the tape…there might be something on it that might give us some…insight, as to what its motives are." Isaac said. Slade handed him the tape and Isaac began to play it.

The movie began with a girl knocking on the door of a blue house, it didn't look out of the ordinary, on the outside, at least. Once she walked in, everyone recognized the interior, the odd pasty wallpaper, the strange wooden substances sticking out, and the monsters roaming around. Eventually three of the monsters chased the woman up the stairs and it ended the same way to defective one did.

"The house in the tape, I know it. It's in the Hills. King's Way, if I'm not mistaken. My guess is that the fiend that made this tape is using them to hound the Nosferatu, which would explain their sudden absence. They're trapped." Isaac said, "Well, it's unfortunate that the Prince needs you to see the Nosferatu, because it looks like this fiend knows how to get at them, and I doubt he's going to draw a map for you. Looks like King's Way is your only way in, unfortunately."

"Kings Way…?" Tess asked, "I can't say I've ever heard of it…where is it?"

"It's about a quarter mile, to a half-mile away northeast, in the Hollywood Hills, six-zero-nine, it'll be."

"Right…" She said as she nervously looked at Slade, "I'll keep that in mind."

"If I don't hear from the Nosferatu in the next several nights, I'll tell LaCroix that he's going to need a new leading man and lady and I'll march my own troops up there."

"Of course, of course…" Tess said, "We'll be back with enough time to ensure that doesn't happen."

"If I may give you one final word of warning, do not trust LaCroix. Do not play the damned politics of the Camarilla. This city hasn't needed them in a long time, and won't, ever."

"I already don't trust LaCroix." Slade muttered as he headed for the exit.

As the door closed, Tess shook her head, "What an old fool…"

"I'm glad you finally figured out that all these old bastard vampires think we're tools at best." Slade said.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Well, we'll just have to see how it all plays out…"

* * *

"Killian…" Damsel looked up, for once, she didn't look pissed. She stood away from the door, then hugged him, "Hey."

He hugged her back, "Hey."

She scrunched her nose up, "Ugh…why do you reek of perfume?"

He pat her head, knocking her hat off, "Good to know you still have your priorities set straight."

"Hey, shut the hell up." She snapped as he started going upstairs. She scooped up her hat and ran after him.

As Killian walked upstairs, the three people standing around turned their attention to him, "Hey, Killian, nice to see you in one piece." Jack said.

"Yeah…I woulda' stayed down there a little longer, but one of your little buddies down in San Diego kicked me out."

"One of my buddies?" Jack asked, "This buddy got a name?"

"Big John?" Killian said, "He was pissing me off to be honest."

"Big John's in San Diego?" He asked, "The hell is he doing down there?"

"I don't know, but he knows about the sarcophagus."

"Course he does." Jack said, "Soon the whole world will know about it, especially since the Prince is making such a huge deal about it."

"What the hell were you doing in San Diego?" Skelter asked.

"I dunno." Killian said, "Kinda annoying how everywhere I went in L.A., there were cops hunting me down."

"No shit. That's what happens when you kill fifty people."

He swatted a hand, "It's fine, it's fine. Where's Nines?"

"What, you need your little Masquerade shield?" Skelter challenged, "No, he took the hit one too many times. There's a goddamn Blood Hunt on his head. Maybe if you stayed here and actually helped us out, you wouldn't be so out of the loop."

"Skelter, chill." Damsel said, "Getting angry at him won't do any good."

"Oh, that's real sweet coming out of your mouth." He grumbled.

"Look, I heard about the Blood Hunt from Isaac." Killian said, "I also know the bitch who called it on him. I was just asking where he went."

"Griffith Park." Damsel said quietly, "You keep your mouth shut about it, alright? The only reason I'm telling you is so you know where to go if he needs help."

"That's the only reason I was asking." He held his hands up defensively, "He's alive though?"

"As far as we know." Skelter said.

Anastasia smiled and stood up, "Nice to see you again." She gave Killian a big hug.

He hugged her back, "Yeah, how have you been?"

"I've been okay…what about you? Have…you been feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I'm a lot better." He said, "I wanted to apologize too, for being such an asshole…"

"No, no." She squeezed him tighter, "You weren't an asshole. You were fine."

He chuckled and pat her head, then turned back to everyone, "Sorry if I was a dick to you guys."

"'Pology accepted." Jack said as he fumbled around for a cigar.

Damsel smiled as she saw the embrace between him and Anastasia, "I get it."

Skelter still looked furious, he grumbled something under his breath as he went downstairs and presumably left.

Killian narrowed his eyes, "The hell did I do to piss him off? Breathe funny?"

"He's been touchy lately." Damsel said, "I guess he misses Nines."

Jack looked out the window, "What I wanna know is whose perfume that is. You totally reek, man, you get your hands on some kinda blood doll or somethin'?"

"Nah, I was hanging out with the Hollywood Anarchs for a while." Killian gently broke the hug, "Did some stuff for VV, there are a ton of hunters down there."

"Hunters?" Damsel asked.

"Yeah, cause Ash is a fucking idiot, goes around and gets in car crashes, miraculously survives. That kinda stuff."

"Isaac always says he's going to get him under control, but Ash never listens…" Anastasia said.

"Course he doesn't. God, he pisses me off." He growled as he sat down, "V's always telling me to give him a second chance, try to talk to him, I can't do it. He's an ass."

"Yeah, I can't really stand him either."

Damsel gave a small sigh, "Well…Killian, we were all worried about you. We thought you'd get yourself killed after that killing spree. And really, we oughta kick you out for that…but I guess we can forgive you."

"Course you can." He said with his charming grin, "Cause I'm just so damn pleasant to be around."

"Ugh, shut the hell up." She snapped, leaning in, "Now I really want to kick you out. You realize I'm the denmother, right? I decide who comes in and stays out."

"Go on, then." He crossed his arms, "Kick me out. Dare you."

She growled and sat back, crossing her legs, "I really should, cause I don't like Velour."

He raised a brow, "What the hell did VV do to you?"

"She's hardly an Anarch. She just does whatever Isaac does. She's too clingy and flimsy, she has no say. You're not special, _everyone's_ special to her. She'll sleep with anyone who calls her pretty, she's just gonna break off whatever kinda shit-show you two set up when she meets someone else."

"She is not."

"Yes she is. She's a Toreador, she falls in love with her own mirror for god's sake. When she breaks it off, you better not go on another goddamn killing spree cause I warned you." She crossed her arms, "And my word is golden. I warned Nines about Tess, and what does she do? Screw him over. Velour is bad news for you, Killian."

"She is not." He insisted, "Shut your damn mouth for once, Jesus."

"Guys, we shouldn't fight." Anastasia said, "Killian just came back, let's go easy on him. He had to deal with Lark's death harder than any of us."

"Yeah, I'm sure remembering all the times he threw darts at her feels real great." Damsel muttered.

"Hey, shut up." He said, "She liked it." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall where Nines usually stayed and smoked, "There are two fledglings, Cams, doing work for the Prince in Hollywood. They wanted to know where the sewer rats are, so naturally Isaac, being the evil bastard he is, sent them off on some other little job as a distraction. Or, maybe it was more of survival test. Either way, apparently the Nosferatu have the sarcophagus?"

Jack laughed for a good while.

"Ugh, what would he want with the sarcophagus?" Damsel asked, "I don't like him…"

"Gary?" Killian asked, "You ever meet Gary?"

"No. But I've seen him, and I don't like him."

Killian shook his head, "Well, anyway, I've been trying to figure out what they wants with the dumb old box."

"To end the world?" Anastasia guessed.

"I don't think they're that angry…" Killian said, "Should we do something about it?"

"Nah…" Jack said, "Just leave 'em, man. Trust me, aright? Don' worry about the sarcophagus. No matter what, we'll be fine, so long as we don't get involved."

"…you sure?" Killian asked, "Seems…kinda detrimental to stay away from something that could…kill us all…shouldn't we…secure it somewhere or something?"

"Just leave it, man. Let it happen. Take a page from your girlfriend, or ex, or whatever you kids are callin' each other nowadays…"

"Yeah…" Killian looked over at Anastasia before he looked back, "Alright, if you insist…"

"So now that you scared the shit out of us." Damsel snapped, "What are your plans?"

"My plans?" He asked, "I came here to _get_ plans. I have no idea. I'm used to Nines hanging around and telling us what to do…"

"Yeah well…" Damsel sighed, "He isn't here…"

"You sure he's even alive?" Killian asked, "How the hell do we know he's not already dead? There aren't a ton of vamps out there now hunting him or anything…did they already get him?"

"Don't go saying shit like that!" She spat.

"What? Where's your evidence?" He asked, throwing a hand in the air, "I'm waiting."

She pouted and crossed her arms, "I don't have any goddamn evidence…I just know he's alive…"

"Uh huh…" Killian muttered as he crossed his arms.

Damsel bit her lip and looked around, before she nervously reached in her pocket and grabbed a cell phone, flipping it open and mashing a few buttons in at lightning speed.

"Who the hell are you calling?" Killian asked.

She held the phone up, ignoring them. In fact, she stood up and walked over to the railing to avoid them even more, "Hey…Nines?"

Jack lost it with laugher, "Aw, lookie there!" He pointed, "She's gotta call her little boyfriend now! Killian, you scared the shit outta her! Ha, ha, ha!"

Killian laughed as well, "Hey, Damsel, when's the wedding? Or, or is it Missus Rodriguez?"

Damsel pulled the speaker away from her mouth and turned, "Shut the fuck up, you clowns!" She spat before she held the phone again, hugging herself with the other arm, "Yeah, everyone's alright…of course…" She said, smiling, "Killian just…thought you were dead…I figured I'd call to make sure you're alright…"

Jack snickered, "Daw…who would have guessed?"

"I did." Killian grunted out.

"Leave her alone." Anastasia said.

"What, you jealous?" Jack leaned over and elbowed her.

"Not at all."

"Oh come on, not even a little?" He asked, "All the girls drool over that kid."

"I love how you call him a kid…he's like a-hundred years old…" Killian muttered.

"Yeah, he's a kid." Jack said, "He's only been around since the Great Depression, big whoop."

"Honestly, I'm glad I missed all that." Anastasia said.

Jack pet his beard, "I think I was out of the country during the Great Depression…considering I don't remember it much…"

"How the hell you manage to remember anything at your age confounds me." Killian said.

"Guess the brain is a funny thing, huh?"

"Or at least yours is."

Meanwhile, Damsel straddled the railing, sitting up against the wall as she spoke with Nines, "Must be lonely up there."

"Yeah, no one but me, myself, and the werewolves." He said, his voice sounded distant over the phone.

"There are really werewolves up there?" She asked.

"Haven't seen any, but I've heard at least one." He said, "Either that, or it was a Gangrel."

"Yeah, it…it had to be." She decided, kicking her feet back and forth as she watched the other three bicker, "Skelter misses you."

"Skelter?" He asked, "Did he say something?"

"No, but he's pissy. And I mean _pissy_. I can't even talk to him anymore without him having to go throw a fit somewhere."

"Yeah, I guess that's my fault, isn't it?" He asked, "I shouldn't have left so abruptly…"

"What else were you going to do?" She asked, "Wait a week, pack your bags? Walk out the door and _bang_ , there goes your head?"

He laughed shortly, "Guess when you put it that way, I didn't really have much of a choice."

She listened to the others laugh, probably at her, before she spoke softly, "I miss you around here too."

"Yeah, I can tell."

"Shut up…" She muttered as she hugged herself tighter, "It's just not the same with Jack and 'Stasia…damn, now I'm calling her that too…"

"What, 'Stasia? Is that what Jack calls her?"

"Yeah…" She rubbed one of her temples, "At least Killian's back…I was worried he'd get killed out there."

"He went out and made a mess again, huh?" He asked, she heard muffled sounds on the other line, he must have been moving somewhere. "Least he's pretty good at cleaning himself up."

"Hardly…" She said softly, "He…he needs you to cover him up that well. The Prince is gonna get on his ass again without you here to protect him."

"I don't know what you want me to do about it, Damsel."

"Nothing…nothing, I don't want you to do anything." She said, "I just worry about you, alright? You're making me crazy! What if something happens to you? How are we going to know?"

"You see this thing you're doing right now? That's how you'll know something happened to me."

"But what if something happens and I don't have my phone on me."

"In all honesty, Skelter will get the first call. Then you. Then Anastasia, or Lark- …or Killian…"

"It's weird without her, isn't it? She's only been around for a year or two at most but…"

"Yeah…"

"Well…Killian said he knows where Tess is." She said, "He…he said he'll kill her. Well, he didn't, but I can tell him to."

"No, no, don't get anyone near her."

"Don't tell me you're still all over her."

"She had to have a reason for just calling me out." He said, "No one is dumb enough to frame the person who saved their life."

"She is."

He sighed, "Look, I'm pissed about it too, Damsel, but there has to be a reason for it. I want you guys to look into that, instead of killing Tess. Because what is her death going to do?"

She paused.

"Exactly." His voice came back in, "Find out why she framed me. Get a way to bring that evidence to LaCroix, that's the only way to call off this damn Blood Hunt."

She sighed, "You…cocky little piece of shit…" She listened to him laugh, "I'm glad you think this is so damn funny! What if she just framed you because she's a Cammy bitch who wants the Anarchs dead? Then what? Then we look like idiots!"

"I mean, you're already an Anarch, so I don't think we have anything to lose."

"Nines!" She screamed, he laughed even louder. Despite her anger, a smile was on her lips, "You son of a bitch, you're so lucky you're in that damn park or I'd kick your ass into the goddamn sunrise!"

"Yeah, I bet."

She sighed as her head hit the wall, Killian headed downstairs, "Look, it's getting late…I have to go before the sun _does_ rise…"

"Alright, Damsel. You take care."

"Please don't die, Nines. Swear to fucking god."

"I don't have any plans of it."

She heard the line close and grit her teeth, whispering through the line anyway despite how she knew he wasn't there, "I'm not ready to lose you too, you big jerk…don't you dare leave me…"

With Jack and Killian already out the door, Anastasia was preparing to leave when she realized Damsel was still upstairs. She turned around and headed up the stairs, "Damsel? You okay?"

"Yeah…" She hopped off the railing and put her phone back in her pocket. Her eye make-up was never perfect, but Anastasia could see it was a little smoggier than usual, "Sorry, didn't mean to hold you guys up."

"It's fine." She smiled, "Worried about Nines?"

She gave a shaky sigh and nodded, "He's gonna get killed…I just know it…he's…he's not careful enough, he says he hears fucking werewolves up there, why can't he get out of LA? Get out of the state, out of the country? Just until someone takes the goddamn Prince's head off?"

"Hey, he'll be fine." She squeezed her, "Nines is a legend, did you forget? A little Blood Hunt isn't gonna do anything to him."

Damsel felt like a rock in her arms. "Yeah…yeah, you're right…I just…ugh, never mind, I'm just losing it."

"It's okay. We're all here for you." She gave her a squeeze.

"Sorry about…Killian…"

"What? What about him?"

"You know…"

"…what? Him and VV? As long as he's happy…then I'm okay with it."

She smiled as the hug broke, "Does anything piss you off?"

She shrugged, "Not much."

Damsel giggled a bit, "I'll remember that." She said as they left together, "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Damsel."

* * *

 **A/N:** Aw, a rare side of Damsel on display…maybe she isn't all oil and vinegar. Hope you liked it!


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty! (streamers, balloons, etc.) Or, the chapter fifty spectacular, as SigmaFang insists…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Victor walked down the long and harrowing staircase, brushing off the attacks from the numerous monsters that had clawed or bitten him. Blood splatters were all over the walls and flies buzzed around on occasions, as the tan substance coated on the walls hardly seemed like typical decorative material. "What's this?" He asked to the lone figure standing in the room, "Not even a 'hello'?"

Andrei looked up from one of his experiments, taking a big whiff of the air, "What…is that smell?" He grumbled. A beat passed by, and then he glared at Victor, "Cursed Tremere blood hangs heavy in the air. Relatively young, too. Squirming larva, of the wretched brood who stole their immortality! Tell me childe, are you scared? Do I frighten you? Is my knowledge of you unnerving?"

A small smile appeared on Victor's face. "I don't believe we exactly stole it from _saints_ , did we?" He asked, looking around, "No. Exceptionally not. I don't believe many Kindred were _sorrowful_ for your infectious kind after seeing the amount of damage you blatantly do to kine on a nightly basis."

"Oh, childe of Caine. The sights in this haven pales in comparison to my ancestral estate. Comfort…is a custom. And all of this artifice brings me closer to my home. Do not-"

"Yes, yes, I know all about your clan weakness." He said, "What I'd _really_ like to know is what interest you have in the pornography department."

"Oh yes…the tape…merely a test. Certainly not intended to fall into mortal hands. Fortunately, we are in the age of mortal trickery and illusion."

"So you're mobilizing troops of flesh to start a war?"

"No, no, no. Childer like you are only concerned about how the game ends without carefully placing the pieces in the correct order. War will come, within time. That is not the nature of my plan. To take out a large body, it is better to cut off its senses, one-by-one, until it is nothing more than a defenseless bag of flesh. I am first going to gouge out the eyes of the Camarilla. The sewers are clogged with my creations. I will kill, or drive the Nosferatu from their pestilent nests. Without the sewer rats to guide them, the Camarilla will be blind to the Sabbat's designs!"

"What do you hope to even gain from that?"

"It is not for me…it is for the will of the Sabbat! The Camarilla is stunted, dead and festering in the womb, good only as pawns to the fathers. Even now, they answer the call of the Ancient and seek to free him from his torpor."

"What do you mean?"

"He slumbers within the Ankaran Sarcophagus, one of the fathers whose return shall hearken the Reckoning. Gehenna is at hand, and the Camarilla are unwittingly speeding us towards our doom."

Victor paused. Strauss didn't dare speak about the many possibilities of what was in the sarcophagus. He heard LaCroix talk about it in many Primogen meetings, but Strauss was quiet on the subject. Victor did hear off-hand conversations that there _could_ be an Antediluvian inside. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Whether Gehenna was coming or not. "I fail to see how crafting an army of monsters will stop Gehenna."

"You ignorant fool! You are blind! The sarcophagus must be destroyed!" Andrei growled, "I will rob the Camarilla of all its organs until it withers and dies, and I will seal away the sarcophagus!"

"I won't let that happen."

"You cannot stop me, Tremere worm. Or…is the real reason you arrived at my temporary haven to reclaim the lost members of your lineage? Neo and Ebony?" He chuckled, "I'm afraid they prefer working in the Sabbat to your heinous Camarilla."

Victor clenched his fists in a seething rage, he briefly remembered the two students who he practically grew up with in the Tremere Chantry, their tutelage under Strauss. And most importantly, where it all went wrong. He shot out a blood bolt, it smacked Andrei in the chest. He staggered back, giving a feral hiss, as the stolen blood quickly returned to Victor.

A red glow came from Andrei's hands, "If that is your wish, Tremere larva, I will extinguish you harsher than the sun's rays!" He pulled a mound of flesh from his wall, stretching it around like clay. His red glowing hands molded it into a large, foreboding beast with fangs, claws, and agile legs. It gave an uncanny resemblance to a sort of raptor from the times of the dinosaurs. It ran at Victor with its claws out.

Victor gasped, he slowly backed away, then he held a hand out. The monster heated up and began to float in the air. It grew rapidly, bubbling up from the inside until it was boiled alive. It roared in pain as it blew up and died.

Andrei winced as the steaming blood and chunks of flesh flew everywhere, "Do you enjoy my creations, Camarilla whelp?"

"Vicissitude…" Victor panted a little, "Any monster you send at me will meet the same fate that one did…"

"Oh, is that so?" Andrei smirked, "Are Cainites not inherently gifted with _three_ Disciplines from their Embrace? You seem to be forgetting that I possess two other Disciplines." He held a hand out, and colony of bats flew out of him, "Now…that vitae you _stole_ from…give it back!"

Victor gasped again, he tried to outrun the bats, but he couldn't. They gnawed on him with their fangs, and he felt his blood pool being drained more and more. Blood Boil drained a third of his blood pool to being with, and these bats were not helping matters in the slightest.

Andrei gave a loud, booming laugh, retreating to another wall, as his hands glowed red, he switched back to Vicissitude. He molded more soldiers out of the flesh in the wall. These were the simpler monsters from the snuff film. The pack of rabid monsters ran at Victor, some leaping at him to consume him.

Victor waved a hand, a red glow came from it, along with a dark charm sound. The monsters all started vomiting up blood, paralyzed in a stricken position of agony. Victor then took this chance to make a beeline towards Andrei, to finally get some decent damage on him.

On second thought, getting up close and personal to a Tzimisce flesh-crafter was most likely not the _smartest_ idea. He skidded on the ends of his boots to a stop, retreating in fear as Andrei chuckled deeply and stepped closer towards him.

Andrei held a hand out, sending out more bats to attack Victor. Victor watched the bats closely, anticipating on when to dodge. But it seemed he had forgotten about the head runners from before. They have since recovered from their vomiting fit, and were ready for a counterattack. Because of this, he was being chased from both the land and in the air.

Victor screamed as he was swarmed by the foot of the staircase. The monsters ate away at his flesh, and the bats stole away the last of what was in his blood pool. He was going to die down here, in this miserable, infernal hole of damnation. That, or he would lose his own will and frenzy, presumably right into the arms of Andrei to be flesh-crafted into one of his creations. "V-Venus…" Victor choked out, "Forgive me…"

"Move away." Andrei barked, and his creations ceased their meals momentarily, " _I_ will finish this wretched insect."

Victor shivered in fear. Why was he, the Tremere Magister, the subject of such extreme embarrassment and humiliation? First to a Gangrel nobody, and now this? He had to act fast. He grabbed the Odious Chalice Pisha had given him, and chugged from it. It wasn't particularly full. If he was lucky, it would have given him the strength for _one_ more attack. Victor wobbly stood up, launching a blood bolt straight at Andrei's face. Andrei hissed, then he roared, but in this instant Victor bolted, being chased by the head runners even as he began to make his exit out of the house.

* * *

The ashes that landed on the floor were silent, but the deep sound of the dart penetrating the wooden target on the wall was not so soundless. Neither was the sound of the door creaking open and slamming shut, followed by boot steps.

His focus was relentless, he grabbed another dart and threw, hard. It hit the other dart, and fell to the ground since the spot was already preoccupied.

"You know, you don't see many Gangrel with aim as good as yours." Jack's voice said.

"Yeah." Skelter's voice was as quiet as ever, "I know."

"You see the news?" He asked as he leaned against the counter.

"No."

"Well, they said some crazy guy in a black pickup truck is linked to the death of a police officer."

Skelter turned to face Jack, "When the hell did you start caring about the news?"

Jack snickered, "Since it was as funny as that." He laughed loudly as Skelter smothered his cigarette against his jeans and flicked what was left to the floor, "What the hell happened?"

"Nothing…" He muttered, "It happens every day, I don't get why the hell they gotta report this one."

"I dunno, he was some sort of family man. Volunteered in schools and stuff, you know, that type of asshole who uses his good deeds to get away with shit."

"Yeah, I know…that's why I shot him…"

Jack snickered as Damsel and Anastasia walked in, "The hell are you two jerks doing here so early?" Damsel asked, "The sun just set, you know you have to wait for me to come in here first."

Skelter turned his attention back to the dartboard as Jack stood up and crossed his arms, "There's no harm in it." He said, "Just a few bumble-fucks still hangin' around."

"It's you I worry about." She muttered as she pointed at him and stood in the doorway, "You. Not even Killian."

"Killian isn't even here, man." Jack said, "Must be fuckin' his girlfriend down in Hollywood…"

"I can't wait for that to come crumbling down." Damsel crossed her arms, "Then he's _really_ gonna lose it."

"Not when we have 'Stasia the Mediator." Jack said.

"'Stasia the Mediator can't be used to fix all our goddamn problems, Jack. She has a life of her own."

"No, really?" He asked with a fake sense of shock.

"Just get upstairs." She spat, "Before I stick my foot so far up your ass, it'll come out your mouth." Jack snickered as he headed upstairs.

The door swung open and Killian walked in, "We playing darts?" He asked.

Skelter put the darts down and crossed his arms, "No."

"Look man, what's your deal?" Killian asked, "What did I do?"

"Nothing." He said shortly before he went upstairs.

"Jesus…" Killian said, "Maybe I'd swing by more often if he and Damsel were a little less bitchy…" He ignored Damsel's frustrated pout.

"How's everything going in Hollywood?" Anastasia smiled.

He smiled back, "It's pretty calm down there, for now. Isaac's managing everything pretty well, as usual."

"He ever mentioned anything about those two Cams again?"

"We've seen them around." Killian said, "They're still doing shit for the Prince. I mean, it's not like we can kick them out or anything…but…it'd be great if they left…"

"Is VV okay?"

"Yeah, she's alright." He said, "She's a little preoccupied with her childe…she coddles him like a fucking baby, worries that he's gonna get himself killed every five minutes…"

"…I can't believe he's friends with the guy who killed Lark…"

"Yeah…I tried to kill him the other day…destroyed the Internet Café and everything…then V pulled us both in her room like a fucking principal and made us sort it out. I can't say I'm not pissed at him, but he hates LaCroix, so he's not a complete waste of space."

"It's still like a major backfire…we saved his damn life…thought it'd make an Anarch outta him…"

"That's the exact thing I said!" He threw his hands in the air, "But nope, he's still pissed at us for trying to kill his friend. Dragomir, his name is."

"Dragomir's the Malkavian guy?"

"Yeah…then she called me racist for hating him, even though I do work with Voerman every other day. I have no problem with Malks, I just hate people who kill my fucking sister."

"Whatever, we'll kill both those bastards when the time comes."

He sighed and sat on the counter, "But then what?" He asked, "When we kill Slade, the kid who we fought to save, then what? V's never going to forgive me. Never. And the Cams would shove it in our face so hard, it'd be ridiculous." He said, then in a snobbish voice, he said, "Oh, you killed the fledgling who I planned to execute? Well then, I suppose it was right of me to kill him, he was a mistake and never should have been brought into this life. I can hear it now. Isaac's respect would go down the shitter, and Nines would be killed on the spot, no ifs ands or buts about it."

"Hmm…I guess you have a point…I never thought about that."

He jumped off, "Damsel, you got the place covered down here?"

"Of course." She said as she looked up at him, "What, you think you need to help me or something?"

"I was just asking…" He muttered as he went upstairs with the others.

"I can stay down here, if you want." Anastasia smiled.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Damsel said, "I can just…only take so much of him running his cocky mouth. Sooner or later he was going to bring up something stupid."

"Who? Killian?"

"Yeah…I have no idea how the hell you two got so close…I think I'd rather eat twenty Big Macs then spend a night with him."

The door to the bar busted open, as Cadmus walked into the bar, "There you are." He said, "I hope I'm not interrupting something." He added sarcastically, "I know how busy you all are at work."

"Cadmus." Anastasia seethed.

"You ready to come back or what?"

"Leave her alone." Damsel bared her teeth like a dog, "Go back to your little ivory tower, you fascist dick."

Cadmus held a hand out, a blue glow coming from his hand, "You will go to the furthest corner of the room and curl up into a little ball for the rest of the night." He said, Damsel left the room, then he looked at Anastasia, "Look, can we just get on with this? I'm sick of you acting like you actually make a difference here."

"Just go home, Cadmus."

"No."

"The hell you want with her so badly?" They heard Skelter's voice as he rushed down the stairs. Any kine that were still lingering fled rather quickly. He aimed a gun to Cadmus's head, "Show her some goddamn respect and do as she says."

Cadmus raised a brow, "Look, baldy, why don't you go bully some kids in the park or something. You're wasting everyone's time."

His gun fired without hesitation.

Cadmus took a step back, more annoyed by all the blood in his hair and face than anything else. He wiped most of it off with the back of his hand, "Ooh, I'm real scared there, tough guy…" He looked ahead, "Jeez…there are less of you guys each time. Where the hell is Rodriguez?"

"You guys called a Blood Hunt on him." Anastasia said.

"Pfft… _you guys_ …like I actually had something to do with it."

"He was framed for killing a Primogen by LaCroix."

"Yeah. By LaCroix. That's it. I had nothing to do with it."

"Yes you did."

"You're right. First…I woke up beside him in bed…then I sensually whispered in his ear the idea to frame Nines Rodriguez, then after that I—"

"Alright, I get it."

"I'm not that smart to come up with a plan like that by myself." He frowned, "Besides, you should've seen this coming. LaCroix isn't going to come down here in your bar and try to confront you in a _fair_ fight. So this is how he's going to go about getting rid of you. How this even surprises you is beyond me."

"…are you trying to help us kill LaCroix?"

He shrugged, "If he dies, then I just get a new boss. Miranda would honestly care more about that than I would."

"And what about getting Nines back?"

"That's not my problem."

Killian came barreling down the stairs, Jack following him but stopping in the stairwell. Killian pushed past Anastasia and Skelter, a terrible grimace on his face as his fists lit up with Potence. He reached his arms out to grab Cadmus before Skelter grabbed him by the collar and held him back, "Get outta of here, lick, you don't know a goddamn thing." Skelter said to Killian.

Killian turned his head around, "What the fuck is your problem with me? There's a Cam right there and you shoot him with your little peashooter like it's gonna do something?"

"He's Anastasia's brother!"

Killian's eyes widened as his Potence fizzled away, he turned to Cadmus, "…the hell…why are you a Cammy?"

Cadmus raised a brow again, "What? Are you going to bullshit me some speech about how the Anarchs are…'the way to go'? Who is this turd anyway?"

"He…he's…Killian…" Anastasia said quietly.

Cadmus recognized the look on her face immediately, "Gross." Jack gave a loud laugh.

Killian hit Skelter in the chest, Skelter reluctantly let go of his collar. He dusted his shirt off and glared at Cadmus, "How about we put this sect drama away for five minutes?" He asked, "Why are we trying to kill her brother?"

"We aren't." Skelter said, "Are you even capable of listening?"

"Sorry I haven't been sitting around here on my ass doing nothing like you lazy assholes."

Skelter grabbed him by the collar, this time by the front, they were face to face, Skelter's fangs particularly frightening, "Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here and talking like you're some big shot? How old are you again?"

"I just lost my fucking sister, how the hell do you think Stasia's gonna feel if we kill him?"

Skelter looked like he could shoot lasers from his eyes, "Same way I felt when I shot my brother in the back of the head."

"Alright, alright, enough of this." Jack pulled them apart, "You're all a bunch 'a pissy teenage girls, all of you." He crossed his arms and looked at Cadmus, "Why don't you both just become independent if this is such a problem?" He said as he looked back at Anastasia, "You do work for whoever you want, it's all about self-preservation. Then no one gets hurt."

"Because after I kill Caesar, we're leaving the city. End of discussion. No more vampire problems. No more drama. No more bullshit. People won't even know we're vampires where we're going. To hell with this city." Cadmus said.

"What? You want to go back to our old lives? Where everything was great and happy for you?" Anastasia narrowed her eyes, "Go back to singing in a band and acting as if we had the rest of our lives?"

He blinked, "What's so bad about that…?"

"I rest my case."

"Gee, I didn't know being the Anarch whore was so much more fun."

"Fuck you!" She snapped.

"Don't pretend it's anything else!"

"Like you're any better with Miranda…"

"Pfft? That bimbo? Look, she's fine to work with and all, but I don't do anything with women. Not since Elspeth. If you think her and I have sex in the closet all day, you're badly mistaken."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"You know I'm not lying."

"What about that fucking sarcophagus you're trying to bring to LaCroix?" She growled, "You're gonna bring that thing to him!"

"I'm not a part of that project. Miranda is. I could care less." He said, "See, LaCroix figured out I don't really do the stealth or diplomacy bullshit, so he just drops me in one Sabbat warehouse after the next, and I slaughter everything in my path."

"But when he opens it—"

"Not my problem." Cadmus said, "If everything goes off without a hitch, Caesar will be long dead and we'll be out of the state by then."

"Then why are you a Cam!?" Killian asked furiously, "You hate the Prince, you don't do any diplomacy or paperwork, what the hell are you doing, man? Are you just so damn set on proving your sister wrong, you're on their side? What good is it doing you, a fuller wallet?"

"Of course." Skelter said, "That's the only reason anyone's over there."

"Pfft, yeah sure. Even an idiot like me knows the Camarilla's the safest bet. Out of all four sides, it has its shit together the most. I figured it would be the safest place to carry out my mission to kill Caesar. After that, I'm gone." Cadmus said.

"Tch…" Jack shook his head, "Leave it to the Ventrue to stab people in the back…"

"I have had enough." Skelter said firmly, "If you're not gonna throw your cape in the fire, then get the hell out of here. You aren't getting your sister, she isn't yours."

"I don't know what your fascination is with telling me to 'get the hell out of here'. I'll just come back. I always will. You can't stop me." Cadmus said, then he looked at Anastasia, "Look, is your little harem of Anarch men done with begging me to leave, because the only way I'm _actually_ leaving, is with you."

"I know what will settle this." Anastasia said, "We'll have a fight. If you win. I'll go with you."

He looked surprised, "If you want to embarrass yourself, that's fine by me."

"I'm stronger than you!" She snapped.

"You've never been stronger than me." He said, "I was the older brother. I always overpowered you. And I always took care of you. Now, I'm doing what's best and taking you out of all this vampire bullshit. Once and for all."

"We'll see about that." She clenched her fists.

"This should be good." Jack said with a smile.

"Anastasia, you can't…" Killian's eyes were wide, "What the hell are we going to do without 'Stasia the Mediator?"

Skelter held a hand over Killian's chest, "Let her do what she has to do."

"But…" Killian swallowed hard, "We can't just lose her—"

Skelter turned to Cadmus, "Where is this fight going to happen?"

Cadmus shrugged, "Where did you have in mind?" He looked at Anastasia.

"We'll go out back. It's pretty late at night, and it's pretty obscured from the public. We'll be able to use our Disciplines without any fear." Anastasia said.

"I'm not sure I'll have to."

She glared at him as they headed out back. Occasionally, speckles of rain would hit one of their faces, and thunder boomed from afar.

Jack stood between them, Killian and Skelter sat against the wall of the building a distance off. Jack looked back and forth between them, puffing a cloud of smoke into the air through his nose as he spoke, "On one side, we got 'Stasia the Mediator, faithful Anarch since eighty nine, badass Gangrel with Fortitude like a tank. And on the other side." He looked at Cadmus, "We got Cadmus. Her brother. And a Ventrue. I'll let that speak for itself." He dropped his cigar and stepped on it as he stepped away from them, "Have at it." He pulled a thirty eight from his back pocket and fired at the sky.

"You never told me what happens if you win." Cadmus crossed his arms as he stood opposite his sister, "What? Am I not allowed to come back ever if I lose?"

"If you lose. You die." Anastasia said.

He froze, "Beg your pardon?"

"Face it, Cadmus. I'm doing you a favor. You just mope around and bully people as a Kindred, and all you care about is your dead wife. Wouldn't you rather join her than just stay here a moment longer? Think about it."

"…this is a fight to the _death?_ "

"Can't handle it?"

Cadmus's eye twitched for a while, he slowly pulled out a dagger, just letting his stone cold glare to the talking.

"A knife…that's it?" Anastasia seethed, "Don't underestimate me already!" She grew bestial features, as well as a green glow, as she ran at Cadmus.

Cadmus took the hits rather well. Scarily well, in fact. Anastasia was clawing at him with all her might, but she wasn't tracking much blood.

Killian grit his teeth, "This isn't right…I can't stand by and let this happen…"

"Yes you can." Skelter said, "And you will. You can't interrupt something like this, no matter how dire it is."

"She could fucking die!"

"She will if you doubt her like that."

Anastasia reeled back as Cadmus slashed at her with such force that she winced in pain, "We…we aren't brother and sister…on this battlefield anymore. I'm gonna…treat you…like any other…good-for-nothing Cammy…"

Cadmus didn't say anything. He stood back and waited for Anastasia to come at him again. When she did, he punished her again with a volley of slashes.

Anastasia fell back, "What the hell? I…I have Fortitude on…and you don't…"

"You're also wearing a silk dress. I'm wearing at least inches of leather." He gave a smile, "Clothes make the man, right?"

Skelter sneered as he sat up, "Remember the training, Anastasia! Don't let yourself get carried away!"

Anastasia growled, running forward and clawing at his legs. Cadmus flinched as his legs buckled down and he fell back. Anastasia mauled him, tearing away at his flesh.

Skelter laughed and stood up as he watched in awe, "There you go!"

Killian winced, "Damn, you kick his ass, 'Stasia!" He stood up with Skelter and cheered, "You got it in the bag!"

Jack watched on silently, watching the moon crawl over the horizon as he listened to the violent brawl.

Once Cadmus had a limb free, he punched Anastasia off of him. He gave her a volley of punches in a row. If it weren't for Fortitude, her jaw would be broken. She snarled and created a distance, while Cadmus regrouped himself. The rain was falling a bit heavier now, but it did nothing to rid the two fighters of the blood all over them both.

Anastasia ran at Cadmus again, Cadmus stood his ground, it seemed he preferred to patiently wait for his opponent to approach him in scenarios like these. Once she got close enough, he tossed his trench coat at her face, blinding her for a moment or two. He drove his knife into her gut, as she flinched he reached back and tied the two sleeves on his jacket together. If she were mortal this move alone would asphyxiate her. He slashed at her body numerous times as she tried to blindly track him down.

But it seemed it was his turn to tackle her down. He gutted her like a predatory animal, eventually taking off yet another jackets and binding her legs together. While she was stuck like this he continued his onslaught. He backed off once she was coated in blood. Lightning flashed behind him when he took his axe out, "So you're gonna treat me like I'm just another Cammy, huh?"

Skelter had to hold both of Killian's arms back to prevent him from interfering. As he struggled to hold him back, he screamed at her, his voice so loud, it didn't even sound like his own, "Animalism, 'Stasia, use Animalism! Stop panicking!"

Anastasia motioned her hands out, and ravens flew out to caw and peck at Cadmus.

Cadmus growled and raised an arm, "What the hell are these?" Anastasia ripped free of both of Cadmus's jackets, growling as she darted at Cadmus. Cadmus shrugged her off easily. Both auras of Fortitude and Presence began to glow off of him as he put his knife away and drew his battle axe.

"He has an axe?" Killian panted, "What the hell kind of Cammy has an axe?"

"The same kind who's ready to kill his sister." Skelter answered bluntly.

Anastasia ran at Cadmus again, this time she took more of Skelter's advice and went to claw at his face. Cadmus threw his last jacket at her, tripping her and leaving her wide open. In a black tee-shirt, Cadmus reared his axe back and slammed it into her gut. A few cracks were heard as she coughed up blood and flew back, crashing into a dumpster. He stood there patiently, waiting for her to get up and charge at him again.

Killian gave a shaky sigh, his entire body shaking like a dog's during a thunderstorm. He suddenly tore away from Skelter's grasp and barreled towards Cadmus. His speed wasn't nearly that of Nines, but it was considerably faster than usual, his forearms lit up with blue plasma.

Skelter's amber gaze searched for Jack, only to see he was gone. He turned his attention to Anastasia and ran towards her, scooping her up over his shoulder and running.

Cadmus defended Killian's blow, "Oh look, the Anarchs aren't going to hold up on their end of the deal. Big surprise."

"No one else is dying on my watch." He snarled as he reared back to uppercut him. He blocked him with the flat side of his axe, narrowing his eyes.

Anastasia suddenly stirred in Skelter's arms. She wrestled herself away from his grasp, Skelter wondering why the heck Anastasia would abandon him, but then he saw her blood red eyes, as well as the fact that her bestial features were still showing strong. She yowled bloody murder for Cadmus, attacking him in a blind rage.

Cadmus batted her away, she coughed up blood and fell into a mud puddle. "Oh, that's right. Brujah and Gangrel frenzy a bit more easily than the other clans, don't they? Hmm…I guess holing a bunch of them in one dump of a bar and slapping a faction label over them isn't the _best_ of ideas, now is it?"

Killian skittered back out of the way, "What the hell do we do?" He asked nervously.

"You take care of Cadmus." Skelter got out his gun, "Don't you dare kill him."

"You're not going to shoot her, are you?"

"You leave that to me." Skelter said as he ran in and reared back with the butt of his gun to hit Anastasia in the back of the head. Killian swallowed hard and ran in with his Potence flaring, trying to grab Cadmus and pull him away.

Cadmus's eyes narrowed to the size of dots, a blue glow came out as he held a hand out, "You will build a castle, made entirely out of mud, with your bare hands." He said. As Killian knelt down and started playing in the mud, Cadmus glared at Skelter and Anastasia. Anastasia growled at both Cadmus and Skelter, being slapped around by the butt of Skelter's gun, "You _really_ don't want me to start actually _caring_ about this Jyhad shit, Anastasia. Look at you! Look at what you've become!" He fumed, "You're an animal covered in mud and blood! The only thing you can do for yourself is whore yourself to your harem and laze around! You can't even think for yourself! What the hell happened to your humanity! And _I'm_ the depressing one?!"

"She's free with us." Skelter insisted, putting an arm around her waist as he gave up and just took any sort of attacks she laid on him, "She only turns into this when you're around. She's happy, she's peaceful and surrounded by people she cares about here, not by megalomaniacs with axes!"

"She would be safer out of the state altogether and you know it." He said, "You Anarchs lose members left and right, I don't want it to be her. If you _really_ cared, you would agree with me on that at least." He narrowed his eyes, "But then again, I know why you want her to hang out with you guys. I wasn't born yesterday."

His eyes narrowed as he flinched when Anastasia dug her claws in his back, his body lit up green with Fortitude. "I don't even want to know what the hell you're trying to imply. We aren't apes compared to you, Cadmus, we're no better than you are." He said, his voice low as always, "We're all monsters inside and out, whether we're backstabbing Camarilla, or muddy, disorganized Anarchs. You really think escaping Jyhad is going to change the nature of what you've become?"

"…of course it will…" He said, "There has to be a safe place… _somewhere_ …"

"There's a reason our clan are drifters, and it ain't because we're following the moon." His eyes narrowed, "We're animals now, all of us. Even if you live out in Antarctica for god's sake, nothing will be different. If you want to survive, you have to uphold the Masquerade, if you want food, you need to prey on what you once were like wolves to sheep. There ain't any amount of running that can accomplish what you're looking for."

Cadmus turned away, the only noise for a few moments was Anastasia aimlessly frenzying. He started to walk around and retrieve his fallen coats. They were matted, muddy, and covered in blood, but he put them back on anyway. Then he started to walk away.

"We don't want her dead, either, Cadmus. We'll do everything we can to make sure everyone's safe, we put in the same amount of effort you would."

He paused, taking a deep, sorrowful sigh. Then he started walking again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, was that at least somewhat interesting? Let us know with a review, it really makes our day :) Thanks for reading!


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-one! Both Cadmus and Miranda are looking around for different people…and they stumble into distractions…wonder how it plays out. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, Miranda gets a little rowdy in the second scene. If you're not a fan, skip over it.

* * *

Cadmus's entire mindset was in a blur. Whoever saw him in the street turned around and walked the other way, as he was littered with mud and blood. His tattered jackets and glare on his face terrified most of the local kine. He peeked his head into a bar, thinking he might've seen Miranda for a second or two.

He wasn't searching long before he saw someone else sitting at the bar, someone who he wasn't looking for, but sure was surprised to see. She threw back what looked like a seventh shot, then turned to Cadmus. "Mister Vanderbilt…?" She asked nervously, her cheeks flushed.

"Yeah, that's right." Cadmus said, "Harper, right?"

She nodded slightly, "Funny how…fate keeps sending you to me when I'm drunk off my ass, isn't it…? If only…we could meet when…" She rubbed one of her temples, "My head isn't stew…"

"Right…I…gotta go…" He turned to leave.

"Would you like to stay and…talk…?"

"…I'm not sure…"

"I…I understand…" She muttered, "Just a lowly ghoul…that's all we are…Mercurio gets sent off in the brunt of battle so he can die quickly…and me…I pick things up off the ground so he doesn't have to dirty his hands…and I write reports so he doesn't get headaches…and I talk to the people he doesn't want to waste his breath with…because I'm the lowly little ghoul…"

He sighed, "I get it, LaCroix's an asshole, you don't have to tell me twice…"

She chuckled softly, then stacked her shot glasses in a small little tower, "Today was our anniversary…my husband's…"

He turned to face her, "Yeah, I stopped celebrating those…"

"How long has she been dead…?"

"…at least twenty years…the bastard who killed her is still playing tricks with me about it though…"

She shook her head, "I'll never know his killer…I'll never know his cause of death, I'll never know where he went, where he was killed…where his body is…" Her eyes leaked with tears, "I never got to say goodbye…he didn't tell me anything until he was gone…"

"Same here…I…I sure as hell didn't get to say goodbye to her…"

"What was she like?" There was a look of sincerity on her face, of innocence, of care.

He looked down, no doubt saddened by having to bring her up, "She…she was great…the…the best person out there for me. No one else ever understood her, but I did. She…she was so dark and mysterious…she…she just needed a hug…to…to make it all better…"

She chuckled softly, "She must have depended on you a lot…"

"No…no…of course not…she…she could do shit by herself…but…maybe…maybe that's why she died…maybe I sheltered her…from the world." He looked at his hands, "Damn it…it really it all my fault…"

"Now…don't….don't say that…I'm sure she loved her life…and everything you gave to her…"

"…I'll never freaking know…"

"Come sit…" She pleaded.

"I…I don't know…"

"Please…? I…I just want someone to talk to…" She said softly, "He doesn't let me talk unless I'm doing a job for him…he locks me in my room like…like Rapunzel…"

"Look, I got blood and shit all over me…are you really that drunk to not be terrified of me?"

"I know you were just…doing work for the Prince…"

"I wasn't…actually." He said, as he sat next to her.

She looked over him, "Argument?"

"Nah…the…Anarchs were pissing me off…"

"The Anarchs?" She asked, "They frighten me…the things they would do to me…I don't even want to think about it…"

"Eh, they're not so tough…"

"They're just like us, aren't they? Just…closer to the Beast…"

"Pfft, yeah, sure, whatever…"

She giggled softly, then flagged down the bartender and asked for another round of shots before she turned back to Cadmus, "Hmm…I was about to ask something…but…with Kindred such as Jeanette lurking around, it's really a dumb question…"

"What?"

"Well, I wasn't even sure if vampires could have sex…cause you can't eat, so your organs are shut down…but you can think and sleep…so your brain works…I don't even know how or why it works…it's like how sunlight turns you to ash…it doesn't make much scientific sense…"

"They can have sex." He said. It was a bit disturbing how confident he was with that answer.

She laughed, "Then you speak from experience." She eyed over the three shots she was handed, taking one and downing it.

"Me? Hell no…"

"Oh…caught up with your wife…?"

"Of course I am. Why the hell would I have sex with anyone else?"

"Because…she's gone…?" She asked, "I…I've been contemplating putting myself back out there…maybe it's just to spite Tess…who lectured me about ignoring my boss's advances…"

"Your boss?" He asked, "You mean LaCroix?"

She nodded, "I had to do a job with Tess once…she said that this coat he bought me…was a way of him saying he likes my ass…"

"Pfft…I'm not sure Tess has much real estate on the issue…"

"Of course not…" She downed the other two shots, "Ugh…I…I shouldn't have done that…" She rubbed her stomach, "There goes my lunch…my…wonderful…Surfside Diner salad…mmm…"

"Wish I could still eat…" He muttered.

"I try to take advantage of things like that…" She said softly, before she looked up at him, "Did…did you want to come back to my room for some…some…" She covered her face with a hand, "I don't even know…terrible movies?"

"I don't know…I should probably get back home…my ghoul's waiting for me…"

"Oh, you have a ghoul…?" She asked, even more out of it, "What's…what's her name…? Is she pretty…? Or is it a mister ghoul…?"

"She's a girl." He said, "She…she's a bit private with that kinda stuff. She'd probably kill me if I told you her name."

"Oh…alright…I can…" She hiccupped, "Respect that…well…I'll let you two get back to each other…see you around, maybe…if I live to see another day…"

"Maybe lay off all the alcohol for next time."

She pouted, "Hey…that…that isn't fair…"

"What isn't?"

"I…" She clung onto the counter so she wouldn't fall, "I don't remember…"

He helped her up, "You need help." He said, "I'm taking you back to Ventrue Tower."

She gently held onto his arms, her deep blue eyes looking distant, then they closed as she planted her lips on his.

"Ah! Get the hell away from me!" He backed up, "What the hell are you doing?" He snapped, "Ugh…you smell worse than the Anarchs do…"

She landed on her rear, holding her head as tears trickled down her cheeks, "I'm…I'm sorry…" She whimpered.

"Look, let's just go back to Venture Tower, I'll help you to your bed."

She shook her head, "No…no…I can't…just leave me…go on with yourself…"

"It would just be back to your room…LaCroix wouldn't have to know about any of this."

"But…I just…kissed you…"

"Yeah, I know…you're also drunk…so…I don't think you really mean any of this…" She laid back on the floor and gave a pitiful moan. "Come here." He lifted her up and carried her into a cab, telling the driver to head back to downtown.

* * *

A peculiar smell caught her attention. She definitively shouldn't have been this far into Hollywood, if it could've even been considered as _far_. She was in the graveyard, which, as far as she was concerned, was on the _outskirts_ of Hollywood. She had meant to track down Slade or Tess and ask them about their progress on getting Isaac or Gary to talk, but she was having trouble finding either of them.

While she couldn't find them, she _did_ pick up a smell, one she was used to catching. She entered the lone cabin in the middle of the graveyard.

"Whoa there, sugar puss. Might wanna think about knocking next time, I damn near blew your head off. Thought you might be a zombie." A man in a black collared shirt said as he put his gun down.

"A zombie?" Miranda asked.

"Who else would be waltzing in here in the middle of the night?" He asked, "Name's Romero…I'm the caretaker here. Well, that is, I don't exactly keep people from getting in, although, that is part of my job. No, you see, I'm here to make sure nothing gets out."

"Nothing gets out?" She repeated, "Like zombies?"

He nodded, "Hey, you wouldn't mind watching the place for me, while I leave for a couple minutes, would you?"

She raised a brow, killing zombies wasn't exactly on her to-do list tonight, "Why don't I help you with your errand instead? What you're going out for?"

"Uh…not sure that would be your cup of tea…there…"

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Well…uh…sometimes…a guy needs…the release…putting a forty-four slug through a zombies brain doesn't provide…you know what I mean…temporary affection…"

"Sex?"

He felt a lump in his throat, how direct she spoke about it wasn't doing his pants any favors, "Yeah…that…"

So _that_ was what she was smelling. Given her ability to prey on intoxicated club goers, she could easily smell the feelings of want or desire. And _this_ was the strongest case she had detected in a long while. "Why don't we just have sex?"

"…uh…what?"

"You heard me." She reached for the ribbon securing her kimono.

"Really?" He looked surprised, "I…I didn't think a woman with a body like yours would…would _want_ men pestering you for sex…that's why I didn't even bother asking…but if you want to—"

Her kimono fell to the ground, "I don't mind." His jaw dropped, he was left unable to speak for a moment or two. She took her stockings off, giggling, "I think that's my favorite part of sex. Next to the orgasm, of course."

"Hot…damn…"

She walked up to him and played with his collar, "Well, Mister Romero…are we going to do this or not?"

He nodded quickly, "I just…I don't know…hot women don't usually waltz in here…and…want to have sex with me…"

She unbuttoned his shirt and laid back on his couch, "I'm waiting…" She crossed her legs.

He gulped and took his shirt off, then his pants, gently laying down on top of her. She giggled deeply and held his face, kissing him eagerly on the lips. He kissed her back, there was still a big chunk of him surprised that his night would take a turn like _this_.

She gave a sigh and uncrossed her legs, spreading them a bit as they kept making out with one another. He looked back a retreated a little, rubbing her legs and putting an extra amount of pressure by her inner thighs.

She sighed louder, "Lower…" She begged occasionally, "Lower…"

"Lower?" He asked, looking around for what she meant. His only guess was her feet, so he crept back even more and started rubbing her feet and ankles.

She bit her lip and groaned, moving her legs apart a bit further, as her hips quivered with a grueling anticipation.

"Wait…" He looked up, "Are…are you going already?"

"Oh…yes…"

"But…how—"

"Just keep doing that…"

"Really?" He asked, "I always thought…girls hated the whole…foot scene…there…"

"In many cases I'm not like other girls…"

"Seriously?"

"Why do you think I don't wear shoes?"

He shrugged, rubbing her feet a bit more, surprised when she continued her climax.

Eventually his desire overcame him, (that tends to happen when a girl is letting herself loose right in front of him), and he crawled up a bit, groaning as he finally touched her breasts after staring at them all night. She was much too busy sighing and shuddering to reciprocate much, but in no way did she stop him from rubbing her back and breasts.

He looked back again, crawling back to start tending to her sex.

Her eyes widened as she felt his mouth inside her. _This_ was one of the advantages to being intimate with anyone non-Kindred, they could still ingest fluids aside from blood. She let out a scream, her legs tight around his neck as he kept exploring her womanhood.

She closed her eyes, trying desperately to picture LaCroix with her in the same scenario. _"I knew it was a prosperous idea of mine to have you look for the sarcophagus. You've done everything so well, and without fail. A determined pupil such as yourself, why don't we rule this city together?"_ "Sebastian…" She whispered quietly, so Romero wouldn't hear.

One of her galaxy eyes eventually peeked open, she looked him up and down. Romero was no LaCroix. Their bodies were two entirely different playing fields. She rolled her eyes, "My turn."

He looked up, "Your turn?" He repeated.

She beckoned him a little closer, once he crawled up, she pulled his underwear off, rubbing his enlarged shaft with both hands. (Another advantage to sex with kine, they didn't need Blood Buff). He groaned and rattled about, he hardly had enough time to get used to the sensation as she stuffed his entire member into her mouth.

He groaned, "Holy shit, my nuts are in there too! Don't bite!"

She wasn't. Her fangs could retract.

"How the hell can you even fit all of that in your mouth?"

She rolled her eyes. Did he forget that she didn't need to breathe? She could stick a few cocks in her mouth if she was physically able. (No doubt she's tried).

"Alright…" He closed his eyes, "I…I think I'm going to go soon…"

Her eyes widened, she opened her mouth and freed it of his member, "I can't intake anything other than blood, remember?"

"Oh yeah…sorry…" His eyes darted around, "So…should I just…finish you off?"

"Yes, go ahead." She moved her legs apart.

"Sure you're good?"

"…maybe rub my feet a little again…for stimulation…"

He nodded, going back to rub her feet, once he saw how into it she was getting, he went in to penetrate her, giving a loud groan in the process. He pushed harder and harder, and she gave a resounding sigh back, spreading her legs a bit further to give him some more room.

When she could tell that he was finished, she bit into his neck and drank a bit of blood from him. She left him lying on the couch, putting her socks and kimono back on. It may not have been LaCroix, but she did enjoy it at least somewhat. And even if the sex wasn't good, she pretty much had a faithful blood doll from now on.

* * *

Seeing as VV wasn't in her VIP room, Slade checked the lower floors, seeing VV carrying a couple trays of empty glasses. "Slade." She revealed her warm smile, "You'll have to forgive me, one of my dancers quit, I haven't been able to get a hold of a replacement quite yet. I'll be right up."

"Alright, I'll wait upstairs." Slade said.

He wasn't waiting upstairs long, he figured it must have been easy for someone with VV's charm to get a few minutes to herself. "How have you been?" She asked as she gingerly closed the door.

He sat down on one of the sofas, "Uh, I've been fine."

"I do hope the Prince hasn't been too demanding with you."

"Well…that…yeah…I'm on this big mission now cause of him…"

"Big mission? You…aren't talking about the sarcophagus…are you?"

He nodded.

Her shoulders sank a bit as she leaned against the door, "He can't…he can't involve you into that mess, it just isn't fair…" She said softly, a lost look on her face, "What if…he wakes some sort of…demon from there…? You don't deserve that…"

"It wasn't him really. It was this Ventrue chick named Miranda. She can't talk to Isaac, so she wants me to do it for him. Isaac and I have since found out that the Nosferatu are trapped."

"Trapped?" She asked, "They live under here, don't they? What could possibly be trapping them? Have the kine sealed away their exit points?"

"It's not kine…it's…it's those demons…like the one that attacked me…"

She was speechless for a moment, then she shook her head, "I should have told Isaac more about them…it's…it's my fault, really…I had no idea they thrived down there…whatever they are…"

"I guess I'm going to learn a lot about them soon."

"You don't have to deal with them, do you?"

"That's where I'm going next. We found out where they're coming from and that's the next link to the sarcophagus. I guess killing those monsters will free the Nosferatu."

She looked particularly stressed, "That's beyond dangerous…why does it seem as if he's trying to kill you?" She walked closer to him and sat beside him, gently hugging him and closing her eyes, "I never meant to bring you into any of this mess, Slade…freedom can never come soon enough."

"No. I won't." He said, "Not as long as LaCroix's alive…"

She felt how tense he was in her arms, "It won't be long." She said firmly, trying to spur some sort of lighter mood into the room, "He's been here for hardly a year, and already has over half the Kindred population against him. Leaders like him don't last. Even if they're immortal."

A pause went by, "There was something else I needed to tell you."

"Mmm hmm…?"

"I'm not going to last very long if Jyhad if I have you playing the part as my soccer mom, if you know what I mean."

He could see the hurt and confusion in her eyes, and it was almost startling how quickly and efficiently she was able to push it away, "I'm afraid I'm not following."

"You need to let me handle some of my problems on my own."

"You're asking for more independence?"

"That's right."

And the hurt look returned. This time, she couldn't douse it away as swiftly and quietly as she could before, she had to look away. She had to stand up, she had to pace across the room and look down at the little pool of fake lava in the floor, away from Slade, "I'm sorry…we do…tend to spoil our childer, don't we?" She asked with a smile that he could not see as she threw her hands in the air with dismay, they didn't even make it up past her elbows, "You'll have to forgive me…I've just…been trying to give you the guidance I never had…being left sireless is painful, but I'm sure being smothered is just as much…" She turned her head just enough so at least one of her eyes could meet his, "Can you find it in your heart somewhere to forgive me?"

He stood up as well, her not having her sire around was news to him, "Look, I know you mean well…and there's nothing to apologize for…but…I need to be my own type of man, in this world. That is if I even want to keep living as a Kindred. I need to confront all these issues with a man's mindset. If…if I have you fight all my battle for me…" He trailed off.

"I understand, Slade. I'm not upset with you in the slightest, I'm upset with myself…please understand." She pleaded, before she turned to face him, "I will give you the freedom you desire, I know it isn't something you find very often…I just thought…since I had taken your life away, I should do everything I could to help you, but that was a selfish thought…" She brushed a lock of hair out of her face, "There's no need to visit nightly either…even monthly…you need only focus on yourself, alright? I'll always be here, so long as the Anarchs have Hollywood in their possession. This will always be a safe place for you, no matter how difficult Isaac may seem. He understands."

"VV…I don't want to cut you off completely…I just…I just need to fend for myself, okay? I can do it. I fought things and people these last few months that you wouldn't believe."

She smiled and nodded, "I understand. I'm sorry for overstepping the boundaries."

"It's okay." He walked forward and hugged her, "I just…I don't know…I still don't understand how you split Killian and I up like that…"

She smiled as she hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder, "Don't tell him I said this…but the man acts just like a dog…with enough authority, he'll listen to anyone, unless he thinks he's the alpha. And since I knew his parents, he was in no room to argue. Really, he'll get along with anyone, given enough time. I knew you two would get along, I just needed him to stop and think for a moment or two. He was almost killed the same way you and I were, after he Embraced his sister. He understands your position."

Slade wasn't sure how much of that to believe. No doubt Killian would strike against Dragomir at some point, and Slade would be there to defend him. He honestly thought Killian would kill him in his sleep at this point, but he wouldn't act on his distrust, not yet, "Right, I'll keep that in mind."

It seemed as if she read his mind, "Slade, if he lays a finger on you, I'll never even look in his direction again. And that's enough influence for someone as simple-minded as him to leave you and Dragomir alone."

"Yeah, I know." He said, turning away, "Well, if that's all you needed me for…"

"Well…there was something I needed help with, but I understand you're busy with the sarcophagus. I'll ask someone else."

"What is it?" He turned back around, "If it's anything like that Chastity business, if probably shouldn't take long."

"Yes…similar…" She said, "There's an aspiring screenwriter and motel manager who occasionally comes into the club and talks with the girls…it really would be none of my business at all, if he didn't mention one of his…particularly concerning screenplays…"

"What?"

"I believe Misti told me it was…about a secret society of creatures that found themselves dealing with inner beasts and persecution from elder monsters…sound familiar?"

"…how the hell did he get his hands on that…?"

"A very concerning question that will…undoubtedly increase the amount of hunters, if he ever manages to get it published somewhere. He's just such an endearing and creative fellow, I'm sure someone like you would understand. He loves to talk about his writing, he's very passionate about it…I'm sure it will just take a bit of persuasion to reveal his collaborator's name. If you could…bring me the screenplay…and get the name of whoever is responsible for giving him these ideas, we would all be much safer. But please, don't harm him…he's very close to me."

"Alright, so I'll give you his screenplay." Slade said, "What about the guy giving him the ideas?"

She looked away, "I'm afraid it's…too dangerous to leave him alive…David just…must not have had a clue that he's Kindred…"

"Alright, I'll take care of everything, VV."

"Thank you, Slade." She paused, "In the future, please don't feel bad about telling me when I'm…too much."

"You're not too much…I didn't…I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it…I just…want to be taken seriously in this society…"

She nodded, "That will only come with time and hard work. Something you seem to know exactly how to work with."

He nodded back, heading out. The only motel he could think of was the Luckee Star Motel, so he walked in an approached the man at the front desk.

"Sorry, no vacancies." He said. It was a rehearsed line, that was for sure.

"You Hatter? The writer?" Slade asked.

"Writer's such a tarnished term, you know what I mean? It's like…like, every other guy says he's a writer, right? You write a letter, you're a writer, you know? I-It's like…what I do, that's like, that's screenwriting, like, I encapsulate the essence of excellent film in my scripts, alright? Like, I'm a…a…I'm like a blacksmith with pens, right? I'm a welder of montage."

 _Yes, you're very special._ "So what sort of crap…I mean, what do you write?"

"Does a writer write, or does he just like ink the flotsam and jetsam floating in his subconscious into a hundred and twenty-page piece of film genius? But…y-y-you know, most of my subconscious is filled with old horror films, so…t-that's what I write mostly, I guess."

"Horror, huh? Like what?"

"I'm like…looking to redefine the vampire movie, okay. Like, tons of people make vampire flicks, popular characters…but me, I'm gonna be doing the real deal, like, not only is it going to be scary, but it's gonna be like…it's gonna be believable."

Slade sighed. He seriously questioned VV's taste in men at this point, "What's your vampire story going to be about?"

"Well, in my story, it's not like garlic and bats, it's about vampire societies and stuff, you know, like, what would vampires be all about. How do they blend into society without being discovered."

"Sounds cool. Got any copies lying around?"

"A good writer always does in this town. Hey…hey, you…you in the business? Man, I got tons of ideas for movies, in fact, I should give you one of my completed screenplays. This one's still…a work in progress."

"Of course I'm in the business." He lied, knowing that his tie and what he was wearing made him look at the very least like an art critic, if not a publisher, "Got any copies sent out yet? Or can I have them?"

"Hey, man, there's only one copy here right now. I like to keep it pure…I don't…I don't even work on a computer, it disrupts the flow, ya know?"

 _That makes this overly simplistic._ "I'll take it. I'll put in a good word for you too, they'll eat this screenplay up."

"You will? Man, that's fantastic! I-I can give you my screenplay if you promise to keep it safe!"

Slade half-smiled as he took the script, "You make it by yourself? Or did someone help you?"

"I really can't talk about it. He likes his privacy."

"Come on, don't you think he wants to be famous too?" His smile grew, "He might get mad later if I don't include his name for credit."

"Okay. Okay. He's a guy, calls himself Julius. He lives under the pier. In fact, I'm supposed to meet him tonight. We talk about vampire film ideas all the time. He's a weird…weird guy, but really creative, you know. I love how his mind works."

"Awesome, I'll get to giving it to my producers then." He left the motel. Julius? The only person with that name that he recognized was Tess's sire. And it didn't really fill him with the most positive of feelings. Still, as stupid as Julius Lorcan was, he doubted he would pull off something like _this_.

He took a cab to the pier, almost surprised being back on the beach again. The last time he was hear felt so long ago, when he barely knew a thing about Kindred. The one man there looked terrified at Slade's arrival, like he knew something was coming.

"W-W-W-What d-d-do you want?"

Slade raised a brow, "You Julius?"

"N-N-N-N-N-N-No."

He was shocked. The nervous, stuttering Thin Blood was who was behind all of this, "Have you been telling kine about us?"

"P-P-P-Please! I-I-I-I d-don't…I d-d-don't know! I d-don't know! I d-d-didn't m-m-m-mean to. I didn't mean to! I d-d-don't u-u-u-u-understand w-w-what I am. I-I-I d-didn't know!"

"Yeah, but you can't go babbling to humans about us. We're supposed to be kept a secret!"

"I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. P-Please! P-Please…I'll never do it again!"

"There won't be an 'again!' I'm supposed to kill you, Julius!"

He shrieked, starting to break down, "N-N-N-N-No. Oh g-g-god…oh god!"

Slade paused. Julius certainly wasn't going to make this easy on him. Guilt constricted his conscience. Was he really going to kill this defenseless Thin Blood? "Look…Julius…this…this isn't me picking on you…there are these bullshit rules, made up by vampires older than the Middle Ages…"

"P-P-Please! F-F-Find your heart! Please f-find your h-heart!"

"I…I can't…" He said slowly, "I…I _have_ to kill you now. That's the rule…"

"Y-Y-Y-You c-c-could let me go. I-I-I-I-I p-p-promise I-I-I-I w-would…I-I would leave Los A-Angeles, I swear!"

"I can't just do that, then I'll die." He said, then he thought about it, "What's in it for me?"

"Uh…I-I-I-I-I don't h-have m-m-much. Ah, eh, j-j-j-just a-hundred b-b-bucks or so…"

More guilt crept up on him. Julius and himself were the same in many more ways than one. Both new to this, both left without many ways out, both having a lot of enemies. He couldn't kill this man, hell, he couldn't even extort money from him. What place does he, a fledgling, have in a matter such as this? Why should he have a say? "Alright, listen Julius, I'm going to turn a blind eye to this. But you'd better leave the state, no, the country. At least head to the other coast of America. And if you so much as _hear_ the word 'vampire', go farther."

He nodded with glee, "Oh! T-Thank you! Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

"Now get going." He said, Julius ran off, and Slade returned to Vesuvius.

VV was up in her room, as usual, eyeing over some sort of letter, perhaps a resume, when she stood up as Slade walked in, "That's the screenplay?"

"Yup. Here you go." He handed it over.

She held out a hand and looked away, "I…can't destroy the work of another man's soul…"

Slade ripped it up himself, "I got it. That guy should really learn about computers."

"And…the source…?"

"Taken care of."

"Oh, Slade…" She couldn't help but hug him. "I know someone else would have had to, if you hadn't, but it's the care you put into it…I can't thank you enough."

"No problem, VV." He squeezed her back, "I should get going. I'm going to assemble a small team to tackle the house of horrors Isaac found."

"Of course." He could feel the nervousness laced in her voice, but she hid it well with a soft look on her face, "I've never been a fan of blood dolls…but I have a girl who's been working for me for many years…I'm sure she would be willing to offer you or any of your friends some time, I could pay her for you."

"It's fine. We'll be in and out of there before you know it."

"Then I wish you the best of luck." She smiled, "I know you'll do great things, Slade."

* * *

 **A/N:** VV isn't taking being a soccer mom very well, is she…? Thanks for reading!


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-two! Needed confirmation that Slade's in a bad mood? Here's this scene. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

It's not that breathing was necessary. It was a luxury, she thought, panting after something so exhausting, feeling her throat after muffling her screams. Her fears of never getting tired, never feeling sore, they all went down the drain.

She supposed with another Kindred, it evened the playing fields. Even more so with someone as brooding and melancholy as Ash.

It wasn't that she didn't like Leo's touch, because she did. He was much more sincere, more amatory, more loving. There was a look of monogamy in his eye that she found endearing, but it almost frightened her.

But the look of fleeting rage in Ash River's eyes after every session? That was what she needed. She fixed his jacket and evened out the buttons as he sat up and looked around, almost jittery looking. "I told you he wouldn't come too early." She said, her voice still a bit hoarse, it was held back and softer than usual, which gave Ash some sort of pride, "He takes as much time as he can to stay away from me."

"Gee, I wonder why that would be." He said dryly.

She snickered as she stood up and dusted off her blazar. In a booth when no one else was on the second floor? It was progress, at least, building up his tolerance of having sex in public. She thought it was a rush, but even he thought it was too much publicity. "Let's just hope he doesn't get caught up on the first floor."

He looked at his watch, "You told him to come here, right? You called?"

"I did." She said, "He should be here any minute." She sat across from him, licking her thumb and reaching over to fix a lock of his hair, "He can be a bit…brash…but I can see you two getting along."

"I bet." He said as he combed his fingers through his hair, embarrassed to have her try and fix it, "He have as much experience as you do?"

She nodded, "Yeah, we were introduced into this just…a few days apart. I'm sure you'll recognize him."

He shook his head, "Unlikely."

There was a short pause, she took out her phone and checked for any messages, but nothing. Did he even see the call? Listen to the voicemail? See her text?

Her answer came up the stairs, and so did he.

Slade rolled his eyes, "Damn it Tess, I thought this was about King's Way, what the hell is all this about?"

"King's Way?" Ash asked quietly, "What the hell did you tell him?"

Tess either ignored him, or didn't hear him over the music, "This won't take long, Slade. This is Ash…Ash Rivers. Ash, this is Slade."

"Yeah, we've met before." Ash said to Tess, "I had no idea you knew VV's childe."

"I had no idea you knew VV." Tess said.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply through his nose before he looked up at Slade, "Whatever you two had planned, go get that out of the way, I'm not an obligation."

"No, you aren't. But you're a priority. You won't be in the way, I promise. We'll get you freed." She looked up at Slade, "There are so many hunters in here, it's too dangerous for Ash to leave…we just need to get him out, then we can go to King's Way."

"Yeah, bye Tess." Slade said.

"I'll pay you every penny I have." Tess said.

Ash shook his head, "Just screw it Tess, I'll go out on my own."

"No, you can't!" There were tears in her eyes as she turned to face Ash rather than Slade, "I won't let you die…" She said quieter.

He rested his head on his hand, which was resting on the crumby tabletop. "Just give it up, I'm not that important…"

"Yes you are…" She said, she turned away from Ash and faced Slade, "Please…just this once…he's going to die if we don't help him…"

"I'm not helping you Tess." Slade said, "Not after all the shit you did to Dragomir. Not after the way you've treated him."

"Dragomir…that's what this is about…?" She asked, "Why are you so selfish? This is a man's life we're talking about, and you care about your friend's hurt feelings? Is he going to die, Slade? Because I hurt his feelings? Can't you think outside your own head sometimes?"

Ash seemed almost more fed up than Slade, "I'll just go right now." He stood up.

Tess grabbed his shoulders, "No…please…you can't…"

"It's just a few steps, I think even a toddler could do it. I don't know why you doubt me."

"Don't be a smart-ass with me." She said through clenched teeth.

"Oh…so…" He scratched his beard, "I guess if you don't get what you want…you turn into a bitch…just like every other plastic whore littered around Hollywood…"  
She slapped him with the back of her hand, "I'm trying to save your life! Why can't you be thankful?"

He rubbed his cheek fleetingly, looking at his hand as if he'd see some sort of blood, some sort of mark Tess left on his face. "I'll see you on the other side." He said lowly as he walked past her.

"Well, that was entertaining." Slade said as Tess dashed forward and grabbed Ash's arm, using all her strength to hold him back.

"I'm not going to let you kill yourself…no matter what…" She said deeply.

"Get off of me!" Even as upset as he was, his voice was hushed.

"Ash…you have to trust me…" A fat tear fell down one of her cheeks as she tried to smile, "There's a life outside of this that…you'll love…I promise…"

Ash stopped pulling, then looked at Slade, "I'll like it, huh? I find that impossible to believe. Your life is a wreck, his life is a wreck, VV's a complete mess, and I want nothing to do with whatever kind of shit-storm Isaac involves himself in. I want out, Tess, I don't see why that's so hard for you to understand." His brow fell. Now he was mad. If it wasn't the drop of his tone that gave it away, it was him slapping her hands off of his arm, him marching closer to her to grab her by the throat, "I should have died that night, in my tub, by myself. That's how it should have been, and that asshole just took any shot of freedom I would have had. You want me to go on like this?" He held a hand up, "With people asking me when I'm going to make my next film? What the next cameo appearance will be? Asking me to take photos, like I'm still here…like I'm still normal?" He squeezed her neck tighter, "Do you get why I can't keep this up anymore? I was ready for the end. I was more than ready for it. I still am."

Her tiny fingers gripped around his. She didn't need to breathe, she forgot, yet again. Yet here she was, feeling a certain pain and a certain breathlessness that she thought she would never have to worry about.

He dropped her, sighing as he turned around to go downstairs again, sliding his fingers through his hair. Tess held her neck for a moment, before she reached out and grabbed his jacket, "Ash… _please_ …"

He seemed beyond peeved, "'Ash please', is that all you can say?" Then looked past her, over to Slade, "You have other work to do, don't you? Go do that, make yourself useful. Nothing will change when I die."

"Everything will…" She said softly.

"Everything, huh? Isaac will be angry. Probably take it out on your…" He threw a hand in the air, clearly clueless about politics. "Camarilla. VV will cry." There was a heart wrenching pause, "Then what, Tess? Go on, tell me the lasting impact of my death. How will the world change?" She bit her lip and looked away. He looked back at Slade, "Sorry if I…wasted your time." He turned again.

"Do you need a hump partner that badly, Tess?" Slade asked.

She scowled, "This is more than sex." She insisted, "If that was it, I'd have other places to go. This is about Ash." She said, turning to the latter and laughing. When faced with something she felt so strongly about, yet so useless towards, all she could do was laugh. "Ash, just stop…please…stop…"

And so he did. But he didn't turn around. He didn't even bother to open his mouth. He wondered why he even listened to her.

"That's what you said about Julius. And Dragomir. And god knows however many other were in-between." Slade said, "How many? How many more people's lives will you have to fuck over to appease your whorish life style? How many?"

"Julius's death was not my fault." She said sharply.

"And Dragomir?" He asked, "You gonna abstain from responsibility for the thousandth time? Because I'm pretty sure you cheated on him…unless you don't even know what that is. It's very possible."

She crossed her arms, "Yes, yes, I cheated on him, sure. If you insist. Neither of us had interest in each other at the time, we were hardly dating, but yes, if you need to tie some sort of…mortal sin to it, yes, I cheated on him. For someone who took care of me. Someone who didn't use me as…just another experiment. Another paper to write."

"That's certainly not how you phrased it before. What…what did you say again? That you wouldn't be stupid enough to hurt him. That you two were special and would last forever. Well, _forever_ got a lot shorter by today's definition, I guess."

"'Til death do us part." She said with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Alright, have fun dying then." He crossed his arms.

Her arms dropped, "Slade…what if I apologize to him…? What if I say something?"

"He doesn't want to even talk to you. You blew your damn chance on that one."

She laughed again, in the face of her own uselessness, "Then I don't know what you want from me…I will do anything, Slade…anything to save this man's life…"

"No you won't. You won't save him _by yourself_. You gotta haul _my ass_ to do it. How stupid do you think I am, Tess? We'll escort Ash out of here. You'll do nothing, I'll do all the work, and then next week you'll need help with Francisco or something, then it'll be Fernando. And so on, and so forth. I'm not helping someone with their whore's errands."

"VV will appreciate this…so will Isaac, so will any other Kindred in Hollywood who you need a favor from. You tell them you saved Ash Rivers' life, they'll grant you anything."

"I don't care about any of that." He said, heading for the stairs, "Hell, if Ash was a Nosferatu for whatever reason, this conversation wouldn't even be _happening_. That's the richest reason of mine to say no out of all of them." Even Ash had a good chuckle after that one, which was quiet, nonetheless.

"Please, Slade…do your sire a favor, if not me…" She begged as she fell to her knees, "Don't take advantage of her…you'll lose her before you can even blink…"

"Pfft, you forget that I don't give a shit about any of that. All I'm concerned about is Dragomir's safety, which you get in the way of a lot. So, if anything, I should be killing _you_." He shook his head as he went to leave, "Whatever, do it yourself, you stupid bitch."

A man in a thick brown jacket walked up the stairs, bumping into Slade.

"Out of my way!" Slade snapped.

The man glared at Slade, but it was almost as if he was examining something, he turned around and went back down the stairs.

Slade blinked a few times, realizing who that was, "Shit…alright, _fine_. I'll help you, but only because if I don't, then _my ass_ would get fried at this point."

"This is ridiculous…" Ash muttered, which was masked by Tess's huge hug to Slade.

She held him close quickly and tightly before she moved away and looked around, "How are we going to do this?"

"If there's a route to the sewers, we'll have to go that way." Slade said.

Ash looked disgruntled, then he gave a shaky sigh, "Through the bathroom."

Tess nodded as they went into the bathroom on the second floor. Ash gave a surprisingly strong kick to a person-sized vent against the back wall, it caved in. He bent down and grabbed the vent, throwing it aside, "I'll lead, just keep up." He said as he reluctantly got on his hands and knees and crawled inside. Tess eagerly followed, and Slade, not so much. They crawled forward for a bit before they fell down a few yards, and moved forward again. The tunnel went off a bit further, but Ash stopped and looked up, waiting for the other two to catch up to him, "Up here, through this shaft, there's a manhole just over that way." He pointed.

"Alright, you lead." Tess said, her mind racing with adrenaline.

They pulled themselves out of the tunnels and slunk into the sewers in the darkness provided by the alleyway. Ash grimaced as the water went up to his knees, "This is…"

"Repulsive…" Tess mused as she looked around in disgust.

Slade went on ahead, not complaining in the slightest, which Tess felt strange because when they went to do the Ocean House Hotel, they were both miserable in the sewers. Once they reached some dryer catacombs, there were a pair of hunters that intercepted them, blasting away at them.

For starters, they were using tiny pistols, which would almost make Slade laugh, if he were not as sour a mood as he was at the moment. He darted forward, a blue blur, he killed one of the hunters in a record amount of seconds, and he drained the other dry, "Alright, this section is all clear."

Ash shook drops of water from his jacket, "You should let me handle the next round, it's only fair."

"Can you fight?" Tess asked.

"No, Tess, I've been around moping and doing absolutely nothing for seven years. Of course I can fight. I could fight before I was Embraced."

"Do you have a weapon?"

"Do you?"

"No…"

"Then neither do I."

"You should really think about changing that." Slade's eyes darted to Tess, "Your feet can't save you from everything. It barely did anything to those monsters. And you know damn well we're gonna be fighting _more_ of them. Buy a sword or something."

"A sword?" She asked, "I think I'll better rely on firearms. They're just…expensive…"

Ash paused as a horde of hunters rushed in, then he ran towards them with his fists out. He took a few shots, flinching here and there, but he was far from useless. He killed two of them by snapping their necks, but as for the last two? They were a bit more difficult.

One was armed with a crossbow, blasting away at Ash and Slade, the other had a sword, who ran at Tess to slice her open. Tess tried to combat him with her heels, while Ash took two crossbow hits to the gut. He landed in the water, holding his forehead in a daze as he leaned against the wall and struggled to get to his feet.

Slade darted forward, his Celerity in action again, he killed the hunter pestering Ash, then went over to drain the hunter and help Tess out. Tess panted, then she rushed over to Ash's side and helped him up, "Are you alright…?"

"Yeah…" He said through grit teeth, the bolts went through his stomach, and the heads could be seen from his back, "Fine…"

"Hold still." She got on her knees and slowly pulled one out.

He held onto the wall, closing his eyes as he put his fist in his mouth and bit down. That most likely hurt more, with the fangs, "God…" He choked out, "Hurry…"

"Sorry…" She said quietly as she pulled the other one out as well, "You need to be more careful."

"No shit." He said as he felt the bloody holes in his stomach, "Let's just…move on…"

A grenade whizzed by, hitting the ground and skidding by their feet, "God damn it!" Slade screamed, he batted it away with the flat end of his sword, and the grenade blew up by a faraway ceiling, causing dirt and bricks to tumble down a few feet away.

A new pair of hunters ambushed them, one had a sword and the other a crossbow. The man with the crossbow stayed back, shooting bolts at a mile a minute. Slade winced as he was hit, he darted forward with increased speed, taking out the closer hunter with the sword.

Tess used her Celerity to avoid the bolts, while Ash ran towards the hunter with the crossbow. Three of them filled his chest. His eyes widened as he grabbed the man by the shoulders and sunk his fangs in, draining him dry.

Tess panted as Ash essentially led him into a slow death, then she approached Slade, "Did you want me to take the bolts out?"

"I'm fine…" Slade grimaced, "Damn it…I didn't think they would bring fucking grenades…"

"Neither did I…" Ash muttered as he wiped the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. He let Tess pull the bolts out, grimacing meanwhile, "I didn't know there were so many down here in the first place…"

Slade carefully led the way again, but this time, there seemed to be a small platoon of hunters. Some of them had guns, some had crossbows, and some even had shotguns. Slade gasped and instantly sped around. Their work was certainly cut out for them this time.

Ash tried a more predatory style, grabbing the nearest hunter and draining him dry. But, even as he was drinking, the other hunters would shoot at him. Tess did her best to dodge most of the attacks, bullets landing in her back as she followed a similar path of feeding on her opponents rather than fighting them. Slade ran for the two hunters armed with shotguns, getting mercilessly sprayed with bullets in the process but killing them both with his added speed. He panted, looking for more hunters to kill.

Ash was soaked in blood, most of it was his own as he got littered with more shots. The thing that Slade felt the most off of him was the Presence he had going off, it must have been better than his, because he almost felt nervous around him. Any hunters that tangled with Ash at this point got a hit or two in before he grabbed their neck and drained them dry with hardly any fight.

All that remained were two hunters with crossbows. Slade ran at them to fight them, flinching as he was shot, he killed the first and drained the second dry, deactivating his Disciplines and panting, "Alright, we're good…"

Ash's Presence fell as he held his forehead, Tess approached him and gingerly removed a bolt from his arm, and one from his thigh. She smiled as she looked up at him, "Didn't I promise?"

"Yeah…" He said softly, "I don't know how it happened…" He looked back at Slade, then reached in his jacket and pulled out a few bills that really made up the average pay he made from doing one of LaCroix's tasks, "Here…it's the least I can do."

"Yeah, thanks." Slade said, "You take care of yourself."

He nodded, then turned to Tess as she asked, "Now…now what?" She walked closer, "You have to be careful, Ash."

"I know." His voice was low, "I've been living here for ten years now…I wonder how many more there will be…" He looked back up at her, "I'll be around, Tess."

She hugged him, then quickly pressed her lips to his, "Don't break the Masquerade again…you can't risk it…you'll die, no questions asked…"

"That was the furthest I've fallen…I can't get any lower." He decided as he slowly pushed her away, "Thanks again." He looked up at Slade before he ran off.

Tess sighed, then turned to Slade, "I can't thank you enough…" She said softly, "Did you want to go to King's Way?"

Slade looked ahead, at wherever Ash was walking off towards, "Not yet. I'm gonna make some calls. It's definitely more than just a two-man job, I can feel it."

She nodded, "That's a good idea." She reflected for a moment, "Cadmus and Miranda…and Victor. They're the strongest Kindred I've ever worked with…see if they'll help."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"Sorry…I had to take a little detour…" Edgar said, "Bertram was missing one of his data CD's, so I had to go all the way back to the warrens to get it…"

"Jesus…" Cressida muttered, "Why the hell can't these guys do shit for themselves?"

He shrugged, "Cause we're the best Nosferatu Gary's got."

"That's just what they want you to think…" She muttered as she Obfuscated when a group of kids walked by, "That's how they get us to do all this crap in the first place…they fill our lives with those dull little compliments, it's the kinda shit-talk the Prince lives off of. That's how he got Gary as a slave, and that's why we all got sucked into this." She muttered, "Anyway…the third hub is in Hollywood, he said he gave you a key?"

"Oh, that's what this is." Edgar held out a little key card, "Alright, well this should be fun."

"Metalhead industry?" She asked, "Alright, alright, sounds familiar…" She muttered as she looked around, "I think it's down the street from here."

"Alright, I'm right behind you." Edgar Obfuscated and tailed her.

She opened the door as they snuck inside, the cramped building actually had a good deal of guards puttering around, Cressida sneered as they slunk around and avoided the guards fairly easily.

She located a door and opened it, a few guards looking in curiously before they closed it behind her. She snickered silently and turned back to make sure Edgar's shadow was trailing her, before she hunched over the computer and started typing away. She tried about two passwords before she got it and logged in, moments later she received an email from Mitnick. "We have to get out of here now." She hissed to Edgar.

Edgar gave a pointless nod, (as she wouldn't be able to see it, unless she was paying attention to his shadow) and he booked it with her.

As the door closed, she sighed, as they leaned against the exterior wall of the Metalhead Industries, "Dammit Mitnick, these jobs are so tedious…"

"Where's the next place?" Edgar asked.

"You'll like this one."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Kuei-Jin are involved, so there's gonna be a bit of fireworks, if you know what I'm saying." She said, "They got a heavy duty system that's gonna need to be hacked into, long story short, and you're gonna need to hold them off for me while I figure out how the hell to get into it."

"Wait…we're…we're not sneaking this time…"

"Not unless you want to." He could tell from the inflection of her voice that she was grinning.

"Oh, this is just what I need." He snickered darkly.

She lifted a manhole as they jumped in, deactivating Obfuscate as they grabbed a few rats and drained them dry on their way to Chinatown.

Edgar was lost in thought during their travels, specifically over something Cressida told him recently about Gary. The Mask of a-Thousand Faces level of Obfuscate was a curious sort indeed. It allowed you to change your appearance, which would be more than beneficial to the Nosferatu. It's how Edgar was sired, no doubt, along with most likely Cressida, and most other Nosferatu in the warrens. What sort of trouble could Gary get into if he mastered that? More importantly, what about himself? He never thought twice about looking normal again, but every time that Discipline was mentioned, it led him to all sorts of questions.

Once they were there, they had to Obfuscate again immediately with the amount of people. She peeked around until she found a place called the Kamikazi Zen, where she walked over to the door and stuck one of her talons into the keyhole. "Mitnick didn't tell me it was locked…" She grumbled as she took a minute or two to successfully unlock the door.

It was a nice place, really, it looked like a venue a Ventrue wouldn't mind working in. She peered around, then hissed, "Keep your guard up."

The second her voice went silent, another filled the area, "Hey, who's there?"

"Shit." She spat, "Go get 'em, boy."

Edgar snickered madly, lighting up with crackling blue electricity. He ran towards the guard, killing him with his sledgehammer, any other officer nearby met the same fate.

Cressida snuck in and laughed, deactivating her Obfuscate as she found a computer and followed the instructions Mitnick gave her to the best of her ability. As she shut it down with a virus, (thanking Mitnick's assistants for the effective form of deactivating a computer), she turned to Edgar and shouted something about a time limit. He couldn't really hear much over the sound of gunshots, but he figured she had it under control.

After snooping at emails sent by co-workers in the Kamikazi Zen office, she logged herself onto the right computer and found the code that must have unlocked a door. Lo and behold, the door to the server room, which must have been where Mitnick wanted the hub set up, was set up with a key code. She typed it in quickly and walked inside the neat room, activating the hub and looking over the message Mitnick sent.

She turned the computer off before she ran out of the rooms and searched around for Edgar, before she gave up finding him and just screamed for him, "Edgar, I'm leaving!"

"Wait for me!" Edgar ran after her, covered in blood.

She looked him over, "You sure made a mess, huh?"

"They should've just ran while they could."

She laughed as they both Obfuscated and slunk out of the building, heading back for the sewers.

Edgar looked back for a moment or two, "Jeez…that whole city gives me the creeps…"

"Chinatown?" She asked, "I think it's trying too hard."

"Gary sent Barabus there a few days ago, but no one's heard from him since. That's disturbing."

"You think something happened to him? He's just about as strong as you are, I think he can manage to grit his teeth and push through some sort of Kuei-Jin problem…"

"I sure hope so. If he doesn't contact us in a few more days then I'm coming back."

* * *

 **A/N:** I think that finishes up Mitnick's quest nicely…best of luck to the both of them that they make it home alright. Hope you liked it :)


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-three! Um…so, just a heads up, lot of stuff goes down…and…maybe none of it was intended until the last minute? We like to surprise each other sometimes. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Victor limped his way through downtown, once he weakly pushed the Chantry doors open, he knew he was safe, he went to his quarters, hanging up his scarf and trying to dust off the dried bits of blood all over his clothes.

"Mister Madison…?" Iphigenia slowly creased the corner of the page she was on, putting the aged book down on the table and standing up, "Are you alright?"

He felt his head, "Yes. I'm fine." He said, gently trying to lower himself into a seat.

"Would you like me to get some blood for you?"

"No, it's…quite alright, I drank a little bit before I came back here…"

"Alright…" She said, "I'll just be right back then." Her voice was firm as he heard her heels against the floor of the stairs, as well as the hallway, before she came back in and handed him a blue blood bag.

"Yes, thank you." He took the blood bag and drank from it until it was empty.

She sat down on the couch again, "Might I ask what happened?"

"Well, I was confronting the Kindred who made the tape and monsters in the first place."

"Oh, I see…" She said slowly, "And they're…dead now?"

"I'm afraid not." He said, "In fact, I would have perished if I didn't escape first." He added, "It appears to be a Tzimisce fiend who's behind all of this. Do you know what a Tzimisce is?"

"I've read a bit…" She crossed her legs, "So what was the point of the tape then?"

"Apparently it was a mistake…but he intends to use his creations to destroy the Camarilla. Tzimisce are notorious for being leaders of Sabbat districts, and this one in particular is very stubborn."

"You should bring it up to the Regent's attention."

"You're right, I should." He stood up and left the room, followed by Iphigenia.

Strauss stood up from his chair when the two of them entered, "I was about to speak to the both of you."

" _You_ were going to speak to _us?_ " Victor asked.

"It appears my…creation…has been more out of hand recently." Strauss said.

Victor looked surprised he was talking so openly about this in front of Iphigenia, As far as he knew he himself was the only person Strauss talked about this too. "How so?"

"It seems Isaac Abrams has discovered the Gargoyle in his domain as of late." He said, "His disrespect for the Camarilla, is surpassed only by his hatred of LaCroix. He _cannot_ learn that this Gargoyle is my creation."

"Gargoyle…?" Iphigenia asked quietly, before she tilted her head to the side a bit, something that she must have seen Halcyon do more times than she could count, "What would you like us to do with it?"

"It must be destroyed." Strauss said, "If Abrams finds out the truth, it will be a source of great embarrassment to the clan, and the Camarilla."

"And how does one fight a Gargoyle?" Victor asked.

"With much difficulty, I'm afraid. Firearms and blades are useless to their stone hides. Blunt force is the only thing that they will understand." Strauss said.

Victor gave a small bow, "It shall be done, my lord."

"Here, take this." He handed them each a tiny artifact, "These are ancient wards that will help you in your battle against the Gargoyle. You need only to carry it on your person to enjoy its effects."

"Thank you, sir." Iphigenia tucked the relic into her back pocket with care, "We'll do what we can in removing the Gargoyle."

* * *

"You'll have to forgive me for calling the two of you on such short notice." Isaac said, looking from Skelter to Anastasia.

"Of course, it's no problem." Skelter said, "What can we do for you, sir?"

"I'm having a bit of trouble at the moment with my old Chinese Theater, I had to close it down a month or two ago. There's a…Gargoyle in there…"

"Gargoyle, huh?" Skelter asked, "Well I'll be damned. Not the friendly type, is it?"

"Not at all. I've been sending some younger Anarchs to deal with it for weeks, and it keeps sending them back with a few less limbs." He said, "I can't have that monster terrorizing Kindred in my city…"

"Any clue where it might have come from?" He asked, occasionally casting a worried look in Anastasia's direction.

"Not a clue." He said, "All I know is that it refuses to leave the theater, some of the kids tell me that it says it's 'his domain' or something to that effect."

"It can talk?" He seemed even more confused, then he shook his head, "Don't worry, Mister Abrams, we'll handle it."

"It's just that…well, I've sent Killian to try to deal with it a few times…and…he's a good kid…but I don't want to send him in there one night and have him not come back. Now, you two." He smiled, "Are the two most formidable Gangrel I know. That and your Disciplines are a bit more defensive…I have a better feeling about this decision."

Any sort of raw anger that bubbled up from the mention of Killian's name fizzled away as Isaac continued, "Course. You don't have any other information about it that might be helpful with taking it out, do you?"

He shook his head, "I didn't even know they _existed_ until this one showed up. Worse than that is I'm not sure what I'll be able to pay you. I'm sure Killian's told you about the…Internet Café he destroyed…"

Now he really had to hide his anger. He held a hand up and offered a short chuckle, "No payment is required, sir. It's respectable enough you manage to keep a Barony in LaCroix's turf, I'm not gonna take money from you, you're just holding onto our land."

"I appreciate the sentiment." Isaac said, "In truth, I would prefer this Gargoyle to be an ally…that would shock the Camarilla soldiers if they were to try and take this city…a Gargoyle defending Hollywood's borders…but I doubt it's going to be chatty…"

"I'll see what we can do with it."

"I appreciate it."

"See you as soon as we can, sir." Skelter said as he turned around and they headed out. He wanted to bring up some form of small talk, but he knew she'd brush it aside. He wanted to make a joke, but he knew she wouldn't laugh. Even if he wanted to get her to tell him what was on her mind, to try and make her feel better, he knew she wouldn't. He figured the best thing at this point was silence. She didn't need any other problems, and he wasn't going to be the one to give her any.

* * *

Victor hauled the sledgehammer uneasily in his arms, "Here…" He said, "I believe Strauss mentioned something about…Gargoyle's…being…weak to blunt force, correct?"

A smirk spread across Iphigenia's lips as she watched him try to carry it, "Would you like me to carry it, dear?"

"I…I don't see…the problem…with me carrying it…"

"Alright, alright. If your back gets sore, we can switch off, I don't mind."

There was a pause, he was a prideful sort, that much Iphigenia knew, "Perhaps it would be a better idea if you carried it…"

She reached over and took it from his hands, slinging it over her shoulder. She felt a bolt of pain run down her spine, like a lightning strike. What was it, fifty pounds, at most? She chose clan Tremere for their magic, for their power, and fear instilled even among other Kindred. It was something she told no one, but she hated how being Kindred made her so much physically weaker. She longed for the days she could bench over a-hundred pounds, and now could hardly carry over fifty without gritting her teeth.

Victor put his hands in his pockets, "You were always, uncharacteristically strong, for a Tremere."

She looked over with a bit of a smile, "I still forget I'm not as strong as I was, usually it comes up at the most inopportune times." She said, remembering the battle with the hunters.

He smiled back, "I very well suspect that eliminating this Gargoyle will detract the second of your Masquerade Violations."

"Good. Perhaps then the Prince can untie his panties from the huge knot he's tied them in."

He stepped in front of the black metal gate, "This is where Strauss said the Gargoyle would be." He said, "Inside this Chinese Theater."

"So what's the plan?" Her eyes were all serious, "Bust in and take him out?"

"Yes, I suppose." He said, then he sniffed the air, sniffing it a few more times to be sure.

"Is there something in the air?"

"I smell something…peculiar…" He said slowly, "I smell a supernatural presence…which is most likely the Gargoyle…but…I smell something additional. It can't be. _Her_ scent." He frowned, "This changes everything…"

"Her? Who?"

He held a gloved hand up, "When we get in there, I want you to be very attentive to my instructions, even if they seem…odd, for the circumstances…"

"Understood."

* * *

Skelter and Anastasia looked around the inside of the old, rundown theater, trying to find the Gargoyle, "So…are we going to kill it, or try to get it to ally with Isaac?" Anastasia asked quietly.

He was thankful she even spoke, he was worried she'd be completely out of it, "We'll try to have a word, and if he ain't the talkative type, then we'll have to beat the shit out of 'em."

"It didn't seem like Isaac knew much about Gargoyles to begin with…"

"It's not like he's a complete expert on the supernatural, he's more of a…" He kicked a piece of broken concrete aside, "Politics guy. I'm sure Beckett would have known about him, or maybe Jack."

A large stone creature crashed through the glass ceiling, shattering it. The Gargoyle growled at the two of them, "Kindred invaders! Monsters! I will smash you! Crush you! Tear the flesh from your bones!" He snarled.

"Now, now, hold on." Skelter held a hand up, "W-We just want to talk." Clearly he was surprised it could talk. And identify them with bad intentions. And identify them as _Kindred_.

"No! Kindred are always talking! Scheming! Plotting against one another!"

"We don't want to scheme, we're not the scheming type, I assure you." He said, "We heard about you living here, and were just wondering if you wanted to work _with_ us rather than against us." He said, keeping his voice under control. He knew if he stuttered or hesitated even slightly, the Gargoyle would either snap or think he was lying.

"No! I wish for no part in your petty machinations! I will not take up the chains of your servitude once again!"

"Servitude?" Skelter asked quietly under his breath, "No, no, we're not gonna use you. We're not like the other Kindred who go around and use others to do their bidding." He said. Whoever this Gargoyle was, it must have dealt with Camarilla Kindred, or maybe even Sabbat. Kindred that had some sort of ranking, and who decided it was a bright idea to put _him_ on the bottom, "We're all equals, we're trying to divide and conquer those who do use that kinda twisted hierarchy. We could use your help."

"Am I to exchange my one chain to another? Bow to you instead of my old master?"

"There is no bowing. None of us exceed the other, we all do work together, we all get our hands dirty. You holding onto this building, keeping it from anyone else, it would be a huge help to us. And in exchange, we'd do things for you. We all watch each other's backs, keep each other safe."

The theaters doors burst open, and Victor and Iphigenia ran in, "Iphigenia!" Victor shouted, "Kill the Gargoyle!" He looked at Skelter and Anastasia, "Leave these wretches to me!"

The Gargoyle growled, "Liars! All of you Kindred are liars!"

Skelter's eyes nearly bulged from his head, "The hell are Cams doing here!?"

Iphigenia's eyes slid from Skelter to Anastasia, before she grabbed the sledgehammer and ran towards the Gargoyle, swinging at him with no hesitation.

Anastasia crept back in fear. She had a score to settle with Victor, but she was much too fatigued with all the drama surrounding Cadmus to do anything about it. Victor snarled and plucked her by the white strand of hair, she screamed as she was dragged towards him. He held a hand out, his fingers bent and twisted as a red glow came from his hand, causing Anastasia to vomit up blood.

The second Victor landed his hands on Anastasia, Skelter's body rumbled and snapped. Doubling in size, he ran forward to tear into Victor. Victor snickered darkly, another dark charm was heard, as Skelter and Anastasia both vomited. Anastasia fell to the ground, doubled over in pain, "Turn into whatever you'd like. Be as strong as you can possibly be." Victor taunted, "You'll never be able to touch me…"

Skelter coughed like a dog, and again, shook his hackles before he jumped back and held out a paw. A pair of wolves jumped out to tackle Victor. Victor frowned, coating himself in the essence of blood itself, he was defenseless against the wolves, but the damage was at least sponged. With his Blood Shield donned, he held a hand out again, and both Anarchs threw up again.

Skelter coughed again, his Protean fizzled away and he held his heaving chest. He grit his teeth and used up all but one drop of his blood to send out a burrowing beetle, set on carving itself into Victor's flesh.

Victor flinched, as there were not many things more pleasant than a beetle crunching its way through your body. He held a hand out, and Blood Purge came to his aid again. He looked down at Anastasia, who was crying at this point, hardly having anything left to throw up, "You wretched brat!" He stomped on her head. He gave a fiendish laugh as he pulled a knife out, "I'm going to make sure you die a slow and painful death…"

"Oh, no you aren't…" Skelter got out his gun and held it tight in his left hand, the other hand balled into a fist as he ran forward to punch Victor over the head, and shoot him in the gut. His eyes widened, he chose to dodge the fist, taking the gunshot wound instead, but thanks to his Blood Shield, Skelter had no idea how much damage he was doing to him.

The second Victor stepped back and took the shot, Skelter dove in and scooped Anastasia up into his arms, holding her close. He eyed around for an exit, then cussed as Iphigenia swung her sledgehammer down on her head, being finished with the Gargoyle. He dropped to the floor and grunted as he took the hit to the back, shielding Anastasia from the blow, "Goddamn…" He grunted, "I thought Tremere were supposed to be weak…"

Iphigenia lifted the sledgehammer, reeling back to hit him in the head, "And I thought Gangrel were prone to frenzying, but I suppose you're enough of a beast as it is."

He rolled out of the way as cinderblock and pieces of tile floor spit up in his face. Quickly getting to his feet again, he clung onto Anastasia like she was a child. He knew at least Victor could use Suicide. He knew Victor was playing with them, he was getting joy from this, specifically from dealing with Anastasia. He ran towards the wall, hoping to bust through it and make a mad dash for it, so long as his humanity remained intact.

"You cannot escape me…" Victor ran after him and tackled him over, still armed with his knife, "Where was all that you said before about revenge? Hmm?" He taunted, "Aren't you going to strike me down?"

Skelter grunted as Anastasia rolled out from his grasp. But instead of freaking out or frenzying, he grabbed onto Victor's shoulders and reared his head back to bash it into Victor's. Even afterwards, he held onto Victor tightly, not letting him up.

Victor flinched, feeling incredibly dizzy, "Iphigenia…" He ordered bewilderedly, "You have more blood than I…immobilize these fools…"

She dropped the sledgehammer and held a hand out towards Skelter, a bolt of blood struck Skelter in the face. He grunted and held onto Victor tightly, wrestling him over so Victor was on the bottom. He was about to lunge in and bite Victor's throat out when Iphigenia grabbed the sledgehammer and swung it down in the same spot she did before.

Skelter screamed as he fell back to the ground and held his back, completely immobilized. His breathing grew raspy before he got back to his feet, the Beast consuming him. Iphigenia stepped back, her eyes wide with fear as she grabbed Victor's arm and pulled him to his feet.

Victor snickered darkly, heading over to Anastasia slowly, the latter of which already backing away from him. He picked up some fallen debris, a piece of wood. He gauged it for a minute or two, seeing if the wood shard or his knife was sharper. He ran at Anastasia, slitting her throat with his knife and kicking her against the wall. She screamed in pain, completely powerless as Victor started carving off every piece of flesh on her body he could find.

He was drowned in a mist of deep satisfaction, until he heard a completely unrecognizable scream. He turned his head to see Skelter taking Iphigenia's waist in his mouth and shaking her around like a dog with a chew toy, before he tossed her in the air and battered her down to the ground. She was coated in blood, so he knew she had a blood shield, but she still wheezed and groaned as he stepped on her over and over again, roaring. She'd use Blood Strike on him, but it seemed to hardly damage him with his thick pelt and hide.

As for the sledgehammer? It was just a few inches out of reach.

Victor stuck the bloodied knife in his mouth. It looked like he was enjoying his live dissection way too much to be involved, "Damned frenzying dog, is that all they do?" He would have to cut this short. He stimulated his blood, letting it run through his veins and reanimate and strengthen his muscles. With Blood Buff up, he reared the wooden shard back and penetrated Anastasia's chest with it. Anastasia choked, as he blood spilled everywhere. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she laid completely limp on the ground. Victor turned around, trying to take advantage of the last few moments of Blood Buff. He ran at Skelter, slashing him in the back with his knife.

The beast gave a pained growl as he turned away from Iphigenia and looked at Victor with nothing but hunger in his eyes. He reared a massive paw back to swat Victor's head off from the rest of his body. Victor swallowed hard, he jumped back, "Iphigenia! Run! Get out of here! I will follow shortly!"

She gave a weak moan as she got to her feet, kicking her heels aside as she deactivated the Blood Shield and limped off.

The beast panted a bit, Victor could tell he didn't have much fuel left at all. He still lunged forward with the ferocity of a werewolf to bite him in the face. Victor dodged again, escaping himself when he found an opportune moment.

The beast looked around dumbly, completely missing where Victor went. His vision was beginning to get hazy, his moments stunted and delayed. His hearing completely left him, until his sight darkened to nothing. He gave a soft moan as he fell on his face and returned to his human-like form, completely unconscious.

* * *

A sneer spread its way across Killian's lips as he rolled his eyes, looking at his watch. He thought the cluster of people crowded outside Vesuvius would fade away after a few moments, as it usually did. Isaac was smart when he designed his venues, he knew the people wouldn't want to stand out in the dark night streets longer than they had to. There were pleasant waiting rooms inside, spaces for people. So why was it so packed?

He'd been standing out there for a total of two minutes before he grabbed the shoulder of the man in front of him, "The hell's going on in there?" Irritated? Sure. Frustrated? Sort of. He was more afraid, hoping nothing terrible had happened to VV.

"They got the hottest chick in Hollywood dancing tonight!" He said, "God, she's to die for…you ever see her? Velvet Velour?"

Velvet dancing? She took pride in her dancing, sure, something Killian could respect. But she hardly danced anymore. She had so many dancers that needed money for food, for living conditions, she understood that. So much so, that she never danced. She let them take the money, only forking in a very small profit for herself. She was likely one of the best employers in the area, it was no wonder any aspiring dancer wanted to go to Vesuvius.

But VV dancing? That meant one of two things. And neither of them were good.

He pushed his way through the crowd, earning a series of hollering and outraged fans as he went in. It was even packed in the lobby, and the main room. Sure, there were a few girls giving lap dances, but a huge horde of men surrounded a pole in the center of the room. And there she was, twirling around upside down with more skill than Killian had ever seen. He was stunned, momentarily, wondering if she could even make a mistake at all.

She seemed to have caught his eye, or perhaps it was his bright blonde hair. Regardless, she eventually got off the pole, men throwing their entire wallets at her. She didn't take a single penny, instead she approached Killian. Her voice was even softer than usual, with no inflection at all, "I'd like for you to leave."

Yeah, something was definitely wrong. "V…hey, what's wrong?"

"Just leave." She demanded sharply, they were certainly attracting attention, "Go…"

He took her arm, she met his gaze with tears burning in her eyes, "I'll be in your VIP room." He said, "You'll meet me there."

"I will do no such thing." She tore away from him, "I don't listen to men who tell me what to do."

"I know you don't." He said bluntly, "Maybe you should."

"Get away from me." She demanded, turning her shoulder towards him.

"What did I do, V?" He asked, "If you're not going to answer, I'll wait in that VIP room all god damn night if I have to."

"Then go ahead, be my guest!" She swatted a hand at him and went back to the pole in the center of the room.

Killian scowled as he turned away and went back towards the VIP room, wondering what exactly put her in such a foul mood. Never had he seen her so bitter. All four years of this life that he knew her, she was never like this. She never got angry with someone, besides herself, perhaps. She would carefully craft a passive response, if you really bothered her, but she would never hiss or spit at someone, never raise her voice.

He settled himself on the couch with just a few layers of leather. Honestly, the sofa could use some more cushioning, but it was designed for style, which he could understand. It was clearly comfortable enough for him to lean back on and doze off.

His eye peeked open when he heard the door close. VV walked in and took her heels off, her toenails painted deep red. "Your snoring could be heard from the lobby."

He rubbed his eyes, "My bad…" He said, "Guess it's instinct, huh?"

"What do you need, dear?" She asked, her eyes weary.

"What do I need?" He asked, "I need my girlfriend to stop being so…" He held a hand up, "Weird."

"Weird…? That's what I am…?" She crossed her arms and looked away, "You can leave now."

"What's wrong, V?"

She paused, clearly he wasn't going to leave her alone, "Have you ever…had a day, where everything seems…seems to go wrong?" She said, "I just…I needed some grounding. I needed something that wouldn't go wrong. Dancing…it's always been something I've had…it's always been there for me, it's been a way for me to express myself, to empower myself…that's all."

"Alright, I get that." He said, "So why did you have a shitty day, is my question?"

She rubbed her forehead as tears leaked down her cheeks, "Slade…" She whimpered.

He sighed, "Slade…it's always Slade, isn't it? God, you're fucking obsessed with him!" He said, "Guess what, VV? You win, I'm jealous. You give that kid more attention in one day then you've given me in our entire relationship. I'm your guy, VV, your boyfriend, the person you're, you know, supposed to fall back on? I'm not too good at all this monogamy shit, but I know a thing or two about it, and whatever the hell you're doing…" He shook his head, "It's just wrong."

"It isn't about you, Killian…" She said, "It's never been about you…"

His brow furrowed, "So I just don't matter?"

"Can't you see?" She turned around, "Slade…" She shook her head, "I loved him. I'll admit it, if that's…if that's really what you need. He was always there for me." Her voice faltered, she swallowed hard in hope it would come back, "Always. He did what I told him to, and he respected me." Dark tears trickled down her cheeks, "He saw me for who I am, he didn't judge me, or even get mad at me for Embracing him. No, he cared about me, he cared about me!" She exclaimed. It was like Killian was speaking to a whole new woman, "And…and they've…" She looked away and shook her head, "They've turned him into some sort of…of monster…"

"They?" Killian asked, "VV, that was you."

She bit her lip as she leaned against the wall, "It…it couldn't have been…he was kind…even as a Kindred, he was kind…He'd hold me and say…such nice things…and he was so scared…so, so scared. It all built up around him, a wall of enemies…he just couldn't balance it all…he couldn't handle it, maybe you're right, maybe it is my fault!" She decided, "I should never have met him, I should never have spent one second around him, I've done nothing but ruin his life!"

Killian looked towards the door, "I don't get it." He turned back to her, "Why are we together then? Why do you even try with me? I'm not anything like him. I'm angry, I'm bulky, I'm…I'm just nothing like him…"

"You think I don't know that?" She asked softly, a tone of irritation in her voice.

He crossed his arms, "Well, guess I should thank you for at least having the dignity not to sigh his name when I'm getting you off. Least you kept quiet about it. Cause that's so much better."

She sobbed into her hands, "Why doesn't he like me…? What did I do wrong…?"

"I don't know, V." Killian's voice was low. Killian could cry, he wasn't afraid of sadness. It just wasn't something he experienced often. Most of the time, he found his sadness living for about three seconds, before an overwhelming sense of anger consumed anything else.

"It's because I coddled him…" She sniffed, "I treated him like a child, it drove him away…" A sob shook her chest, "Do you know what he said to me? He told me he needs to be his own type of man to get by in this world…he needs a man's mindset." She sniffed again, "Because I'm just in his way, aren't I?" She asked weakly, "I've been in his way from the very beginning…I've just been another obstacle for him…so why…why did I let him do that to me?"

"Do what?" His voice lacked any sort of care.

"Why did I let him get inside my head?" She exclaimed, "That is the only place I don't allow men…I don't allow anyone. Not after…" She closed her eyes tightly, she couldn't even look at Killian and think about his family, "Not after everything…my mind is the place that…that is mine…it's the only thing I have…and he took it away from me…"

Killian stood up, "I'm leaving."

She sniffed as she grit her teeth, "Good….that's all you were good for, wasn't it? You can trust me with your problems, but what happens when I need you? When I need someone to listen, you just leave?"

"I thought that's what Slade was for."

She put her face in her hands, "Get out of my sight."

He went downstairs, then turned to the girls who were still staying late for some extra cash. His pause only lasted a brief moment, before he turned and walked in.

* * *

 **A/N:** Two Kindred in torpor, two more experiencing a break-up…or is it? Thanks for reading!


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-four! Lots of affection in this chapter, with hints of backstory and foreshadowing…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also this entire chapter is a little risqué, if you want you can skip the less important parts.

* * *

The eight o'clock news flicked on the screen, waking Mercurio from his rather peaceful nap. It was rare his dreams were so calm, so passive. Usually he'd get thrust back into his days before he knew vampires were real, when he feared his life more than he did now.

He sat up and went into the bathroom, combing his hair and brushing his teeth. Yeah, his sleep schedule was completely screwed up. Thank the vamps for that, along with his other weird habits. But one thing that always remained true was the eight o'clock news.

Once that came on, it was vamp time. That was when he got calls, when he had to deal with the strange clients of the night rather than the shifty ones during the day. He had to look his best at night, really, cause he represented LaCroix. At least during the day, he could say and do whatever he wanted, and no one would really care.

Harper came to his mind, briefly. She was so much closer to LaCroix, she spent hours in his office, hours doing tasks for him. Mercurio himself was more of a partner to him. An agent, as his boss insisted. Seventy-five percent of his profits went to LaCroix, the other twenty five, LaCroix turned a blind eye to it.

If only Harper would smile for once. She was pretty, and she was probably the closest friend the man had ever had. Yet she was always depressed, resentful or drunk. She was wasting her life away, every second of it.

And every time he told her that, she'd say she'd be around forever, so time doesn't matter.

He stepped out of the bathroom and adjusted his jacket, heading to the bedroom and pulling out a few suitcases, eyeing over his stock. He had enough for tonight, he hoped, enough for two to three clients.

And just like that, the phone rang. Scared him too, he jumped before he stood up and grabbed the phone, "Santa Monica Suites, room four, what can I get for ya?"

"Yeah…Mercurio?" A slightly rough voice asked, "It's…uh, Slade…I don't know if you remember me or not…"

"Slade, huh?" He asked, "Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, kid, I got a lot of customers."

"I was in that group who helped you with the whole Astrolite thing…the Toreador fledgling…"

"Oh, I didn't know your name!" He laughed, his voice was something bright that Slade felt was too chipper for all this Kindred business, "Hey, hey, what can I do for ya?" He asked, "You lookin' for some fire power?" He leaned against his bed, "I can hook ya up wit a discount, too, for all da help ya gave me."

"Uh, well…it's not for me…I'm sending a couple of my friends over…they could use some guns…"

"Oh, some friends, huh? You wan' me to give 'em a discount?" He asked, a twinge of hesitance in his voice, "I mean, I gotta make a profit somehow, not sure how much I can cut off…"

"It's fine, you do what you have to do." He said, then nervously added, "They…they're also Malkavian…"

"Alright." He said, "I don't mind, I'm sure they're no crazier than any other vamp I got walkin' in here."

"Alright, thanks for everything."

"Uh huh. Hey, good luck out there. Drop by if you ever need anything, I got it."

"Alright, see ya Mercurio."

"Uh huh." He said as he hung up, dusting his shirt off as he headed into the living room, sitting on the couch and waiting patiently. He grabbed his laptop and checked his emails, scrolling through the updates the Prince left him. LaCroix would occasionally send him messages about current events in the Camarilla, just to ensure his agent was updated. For him to understand some information about whoever might stumble through his doors.

He looked up as the door opened. He smiled as he closed his laptop, "Hey, what can I do for ya?"

Dragomir chuckled softly, "Hello, Mercury. Hmm. You're an interesting man, aren't you?" He looked around.

"Uh…thanks." Mercurio said, "What can I get for ya?"

"We need boom-sticks, fleet-footed god." Genevieve said as she clasped her hands together.

"I got whatever you need. Jus' one minute." He said as he went into his bedroom and grabbed a few cases of goods, coming back in and opening them up on the couch, "You take a good look at whatever ya want."

Dragomir adjusted his glasses as he kept looking around, focused more on the room than the guns.

Genevieve was looking at one of his assault shotguns, "Ooh…what a spastic shotgun…"

He chuckled, "Yeah, that's the Spas-fifteen, my personal favorite, for a shotgun. I'm more of a…machine gun kinda guy."

Dragomir peeked over, then grabbed the flamethrower, "Ooh, dragon's breath…"

"Oh, uh…" Mercurio swallowed hard, "Yeah, you gotta keep quiet about dat one, vamps all over've been tryin' 'a get their paws on it."

"Can I try it?" He grinned.

"No, no, no…" Mercurio held his hands up, "I…I kinda like my place here…"

Dragomir put it down, "I shouldn't have it…shot guns are more my flavor."

"Yeah, course." He said, looking at Genevieve "She's got da best one right there."

Dragomir looked at the Spas, "I should…should take a different type, in case we're pitted in cage together, against a common enemy. What else do you have?"

"Uh, well, there's the Utica…" He opened up another case, "Good for righties and lefties."

Dragomir picked it up with a grin, "Yes, I like this one."

"I like this one…" Genevieve hugged the Spas close, "But…I might want more…"

Mercurio chuckled, "So long as ya got enough green stuff, sure, buy all the guns you want."

"Green stuff?" Dragomir asked, "Oops."

"…'oops'?" Mercurio asked, "Both of yous got money, right? Or one of ya?"

Dragomir laughed.

"You take lollipops, right?" Genevieve asked.

Mercurio swallowed hard, "Uh…yeah, I uh…hear my phone in the other room, I'll be right back." He went into the bedroom and quickly dialed back the most recent caller, "Slade? You busy?"

"No. What's going on?" Slade answered.

"Your friends don't got no money." He said, then he laughed, "They got lollipops, not sure if LaCroix'll take 'em."

He gave a long, disappointed sigh, "Alright…I…I should've known that. Whatever they buy, I'll pay for, okay? I'll swing by later tonight and pay you. Can you do that? I don't…I don't know how this sort of business works, I typically buy swords…"

"Yeah, don' worry about it, I don't gotta pay the guy 'til Friday." He said, "You got all week, take your time. I'm lookin' at four-fifty, that too steep?"

"No, no, that should be fine." Slade said.

"Alright, I'll see ya whenever you got the time then."

"I'll be over in a few hours to pay you. Damn it…I'm sorry about all this…"

"Hey, hey, don' worry 'bout it, it's fine." He said, "Business is business, I'm not complainin'."

"Alright, see you in a few hours."

"See ya." He said as he hung up and went back into the living room, "Sorry 'bout that, no biggie. Yeah, go on, take whatever you want, you two are off the hook dis time."

"Damn, now I pity Slade…" Dragomir sighed.

"I want this one!" Genevieve squeezed the Spas tightly.

"Alright, perfect." He turned to Dragomir, "You want the Utica?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Alright, you guys want some ammo too?"

"Yes, I think that's quite important."

Mercurio chuckled, "Yeah, can't do too much wit a gun wit no ammo." He said as he opened up another case that had some boxes inside. He handed them two boxes, "Uh…do me a favor…don' carry those around too flashy-like…don' want the cops huntin' yous down and fingers pointin' every which way…"

"Aw…I like being flashy…" Dragomir mused as he tucked the boxes in his pockets, "Is this better?"

"Golden."

Genevieve's eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she squeezed her gun and ammo closely, "Now I have a collection…"

Mercurio chuckled, "You can come back whenever you need more, got it? I'm the place to go."

"The Prince." Dragomir said, "He is your food-giver, yes?"

"Uh…yeah, I'm his ghoul." The sudden turn in conversation surprised him.

"So the money goes not to you, it goes to LaCroix?"

"We split the funds. He pays for my food, any taxes, any other stuff I need…he's a nice guy."

"Mmm, is that so…?" Dragomir crossed his arms and thought, "I've recently started working for him, his head is a funny place."

"Yeah, he's kinda got an interesting way of thinkin'. I don' question it. Kinda a Ventrue sorta thing."

"Hm. Well, it was nice to meet you. We will meet again."

"Yeah, course. Catch ya later."

Genevieve reached for his hand as they left, nuzzling her head on his shoulder, "Were you curious about Mercury's allegiance?"

"I was." He squeezed her hand, "Because mercury is what drives the hatters mad, isn't it? He will be a part in his decline, I feel….but I have no clue how. He seems fairly innocent, out of the loop, disconnected from all this madness."

"Even a cold-hearted, murderous regnant will have love and support, so long as the sacred blood bond is in place."

"Mmm, yes, an unfortunate lifestyle…"

"Genevieve?" A calculating and feminine voice asked.

Dragomir held her hand tighter as they turned around to meet the person who called for her. She looked like a scientist of some sort, with black hair in a bun, glasses, goggles hanging around her neck, a white lab coat and black dress shoes.

Genevieve blinked a few times, she hid behind Dragomir, "Madame-boss-lady…"

"I haven't seen you in a while…" She said softly, "I'm glad to see you're doing well."

She gave a small nod, still hiding behind Dragomir with a shiver, terrified, "They took my shell from me…"

"Your…your shell…?" She asked.

"Her home." Dragomir provided a translation, still a bit weary of this woman.

"They took your home…? Do you have somewhere to live?" She asked.

She gave another quick nod.

'Madame-boss-lady' paused as she looked around, then met her eye again, "Do you need some sort of job? Do you need cash?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head, tearing up.

"Genevieve…" She took a step closer, but Dragomir stepped closer to her as well, making the scientist take a step back, "I don't want to hurt you." She said, "I never wanted to hurt you…I didn't want you to get hurt, that's why I let you go…you just seemed like you needed help…like you needed somewhere else to go, it was too dangerous there."

"Mmm-hmm…" Genevieve sniffed.

"I wouldn't mind hiring you back…just…in a different position…a safer place…" She gave a small smile, "You were always my smartest employee."

"She'll consider it." Genevieve said.

She gave a small nod, "Alright…you take care then, okay?"

Genevieve nodded back, then she stuck her head on Dragomir's shoulder, "Where are we going now?"

He pet her hair, "Where did you want to go?" He shifted the shotgun in his arm so it'd stop poking his collarbone, "Back to the apartment? Unless you wanted to get any blood at the hospital. We could play with Voerman's ghoul too, he doesn't like me much."

"Home."

He nodded and kissed her cheek before they stood at the edge of the sidewalk and waited for a taxi to drive by. A few people gave them nervous looks, what with the guns in their arms. Finally a taxi slowed down. "Ooh, I wonder if it's Tim." Dragomir said as they got inside, after he held the door open for Genevieve.

The ride was quiet, only because it wasn't Tim. Dragomir seemed grumpy.

They got home with plenty of night left, entering the apartment without a hitch to security. Probably because there was none.

He set the gun down on the counter with the others, adding the boxes of ammo as well, "Very good. Very good job today, both of us. If only my true sight could support these firearms like yours."

Genevieve tilted her head to the side, "My true sight is better than yours?"

"Well, I would think your everything is better than mine. I'm very green, dear, only a few months, whereas you've been living this life for years."

She sat on the couch and crossed her legs, "You can borrow my boom-sticks, if you'd like, for your mission impossible." She said. Dragomir didn't know what she was talking about at first. Until he remembered that Slade called him about an important mission in a house on the hills. That he would need Dragomir's help to succeed in the mission, and that he would set up a deal with Mercurio to get him some guns.

"You wouldn't mind?" He sat next to her and looked around for the remote to turn the news off.

She shook her head, "You'll need them more than I do."

He smiled and kissed her cheek again, "Why thank you." He reached forward and turned the TV off with the power button, giving up his quest to find the remote. Genevieve smiled back as he sat back down, snuggling with him and getting cozy on his lap. He took his glasses off and threw them lightly onto the table, pressing his lips against her neck before he asked, "So Madame-boss-lady…"

She tensed up, "From a time when I still breathed…"

"She was your employer…but where? What did you do?"

"Santa Claus is extra nice, Christmas Eve."

He smiled and pet her hair, his eyes in a trance, "What type of science, there are thousands of branches."

"Healing juice."

"Ah…how wonderful…" He held the base of her head with one hand and her outer thigh with the other as he brought their lips together briefly, "Is there a night shift? Or, I suppose a better question is, would you ever want to go back?"

"I…I haven't thought about it…"

"Well, you have all the time the world has to offer."

She smiled and gave a deep giggle as she leaned in, "So…do you want to…stick your magazine…up my stock now?" She asked, licking the side of his head and bit of his ear.

He chuckled and reached up her top, giving her breasts a firm squeeze through the bra, "Yes I would…I would like that very much…"

She sighed and leaned most of her weight on him, letting him do whatever he pleased. His hands rubbed her shoulder blades in broad circles before he pulled her top off, about to unclasp the bra before he paused, "Slade…there's a chance he'll come home, isn't there?"

Her big green eyes met his briefly, "Shall we make it quick, then?"

"But that isn't fair to you."

She smiled and rubbed her hands down his back, feeling up his butt relentlessly, "Please…?" She begged. He snickered and unhooked her bra, taking it off and flinging it over the back of the couch. He pushed her up against the back of the couch so she had something to lean against, then he took one of her breasts into his mouth, especially careful not to bite.

She groaned and shoved his head in a bit further, shuddering a little. She kicked her heels off so her feet could better wrap around his waist. He gave a pronounced lick before that devilish grin spread across his lips again, "I wish I could drink the milk from them…"

"I wish I had milk to give you."

He chuckled softly before he took the other into his mouth, his tongue flicking across her nipple. She sighed, her hips quivering as she unbuttoned her pants and hastily tried to slip them off. He gave her the space to take them off, taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the cushions. His lips landed on her collarbone, his hands rubbing her thighs warmly.

She sighed again, hugging onto him with a dreamy smile on her face. She reached down and pulled her panties off, rubbing the back of his head as he kissed her collarbone. He licked her neck and kissed the underside of her jaw as his fingers slid through her hair, "Your hair…can put me in a trance…like a cat…"

She giggled deeply, tracing one of her hands around the curves on her hips and her chest, "Come here…kitty…"

His eyes widened with thirst as he took hold of her hips and hoisted her up so she was sitting on the back of the couch, her back against the wall. He pried her legs open and thrust his face towards her womanhood, his tongue moving in ways she didn't quite think was possible.

Her groan was long and pronounced as she began to climax, rolling her hips against his mouth as he kept exploring. She couldn't hold it back any longer, letting out a few massive screams.

He groaned against her, eventually backing away from her and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He stood up briefly to take his pants off, then sat down again and pulled her down onto his lap, kissing her hungrily as he felt up her rear. Her returned kisses were just as frantic, as she sighed over and over again, "Dragomir…" She gave a shaky sigh, begging to be finished.

She felt a quick pulse rush through his skin for only a moment before he proceeded to leave wet kisses along her shoulder, grinding against one of her inner thighs. She cried out, reaching down and fondling his length with a soft, yet passionate approach.

He grit his teeth as a deep groan slipped through. He couldn't take much more before he rolled over onto his back and tightly held her hips. As she slowly descended around his length, he kissed her collarbone and neck roughly. If she still had a pulse, he would have certainly left dark bruises there. She gave another resounding scream, spreading her legs a bit more as she felt herself get penetrated by him. She rubbed his back and gave him a squeeze every once and a while, eventually giving restful sighs once he slowed down.

Dragomir slowly rubbed her back once he pulled out, kissing her cheek and rubbing her thighs, "I had thought our first time…I'd crossed the line….and the same with the second….but now…now I…I can't want to try more with you…"

"My mind is a warzone…" She said tiredly, "Anything you want to experiment with…I'll let you…"

He rubbed her temples, gently and rhythmically to perhaps lull her into sleep on top of him, "Your happiness is my priority." He grabbed a blanket and threw it on top of them so if Slade came in, they were somewhat decent.

"I love you." She kissed him.

He gave a goofy and almost boyish smile, like something he would do as a human, "I love you too." He said as he kissed her again, then again and again, "I love you so much…" He squeezed her. She smiled back, closing her eyes as she got cozy on top of him.

* * *

The red lights that were cast out into the streets went dark, one by one. Victor hurried his pace to Confessions, knowing within a moment or two, Venus could leave. He caught her just in time, she was locking the front door, a small black purse around the crook of her elbow. Her skin was littered with goosebumps, what with the somewhat chilly winter weather.

She turned to him with a smile on her lips, "Hello, love, it's been quite some time."

"Venus." He ran at her with a hug, "Forgive me…"

She giggled and hugged him back, "For what? I don't mind, you're a busy man, I understand."

He held her dearly, wanting her to be in his arms forever. (A scientific part of him supposed that it was most likely due to her warmth of still being alive). "I…I could've explained the situation to you…where I was…what I was doing…it was…irresponsible of me…not to keep you updated…"

"Shh, shh." She put a finger to his lips, "Do you have some time? Did you want to come back to my place?"

"Yes." He said quietly, "That would be nice."

She smiled and took his hand, leaving the courtyard around Confessions. She then dropped his hand, "Oh, I don't want to get you in trouble. We just have to get to the parking garage, it's where my little coup is."

"Where is it you exactly live?" Victor asked.

"Maywood." She said, "Would have set up my club there, but things worked out a bit better in L.A."

He nodded with a smile, resting his hands in his pockets, "It's been a rather exhausting few days…with all this nonsense going on…"

"Has it now?" She asked as they entered the parking garage. She approached a little blue car, "Isn't she lovely? Bluebird, I've named her. Just got enough money for her without Boris up my ass."

He chuckled, "Ah, yes, I love her."

She opened the back door and threw her purse in the back seat, then got in the driver's seat and closed the door, listening to the engine rumble, "Listen to that…" She smiled, "Nothing makes you feel like a grown woman like your own car, huh? Guess vampires must not really…worry about cars…"

"Well, most Kindred are city dwellers, we usually rely on the public transportation system, at least most of us do." He said as he sat in the passenger's seat.

The car dipped as they pulled out and got on the roads. The bell dinged since Victor wasn't wearing his seatbelt, but she didn't seem to mind, "So what have you been busy with?"

Victor slid his belt on to silence the ringer, "I…was pitted against many foes…recently…a Tzimisce…a Gargoyle…some Anarchs…"

"Mmm hmm…so, and I don't mean to sound rude, but…what are any of those?"

"A flesh-crafter, a monster made of stone, and some vampires with opposing political viewpoints to my own."

"Ah…" The tone of her voice gave away that she still was clueless. "Well, I'm glad you made it out in one piece."

He looked out the window, quiet for a moment or two, "The Tzimisce almost killed me…I…I only thought about you…in those moments…"

"Oh…Victor…" She tore her eyes away from the road, "I didn't know I meant so much to you."

"I didn't want to die in that wretched place…after not seeing you for so long…"

She gave a small smile, clearly touched. She couldn't seem to think of much to say before she pulled into a small apartment complex and got out, closing the door and grabbing her purse. As soon as Victor got out, she went around the car and pushed him up against the hood, kissing him with fervor. He sighed and gently kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her.

Venus swallowed hard as she broke the kiss, still holding onto him, "Let's go inside." She whispered, her breath warm against his lips.

"I would love to." He said, "I can't wait to see your apartment."

She smiled as she took his hand and went inside with him, reaching in her purse for her key as they went up the stairs. He had the perfect view of her rear and legs as she led him up the stairs, then off into a hallway. At the third room down, she pushed the key in and stepped inside, "Make yourself at home, love. Can I get you any blood?" She smirked.

"No, that's quite alright." He said, searching for a place to hang his scarf up, and eventually fiddling around with her TV. Her guess was because he wanted to catch a glimpse of the news.

"The search for an L.A. sewer worker is beginning to look grim, as police and family end their seventh night looking for Luis Salvadore, after he failed to return home last Friday." An anchorman said, "Salvadore was last seen entering a manhole in Hollywood to carry out a routine inspection. Salvadore's family is hopeful that the husband and father of three will return safely, and urge anyone who might have seen Salvadore to contact the police."

Victor narrowed his eyes, "Curious…"

"Are there squatters in the sewers now?" She asked as she sat next to him. Her apartment was themed very similarly to her office in Confessions, with Victorian styled furniture, some things that looked as if they might have been from England.

"I fear it goes much deeper than conventional kine problems." He said.

"Kine…that's what I am, right?"

"Yes. That's what we call humans. Although you would typically be referred to as a ghoul first."

She nodded, then took his arm and hugged it, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his arm.

He turned the television off, "Did you need any blood?"

"It's not like I've been craving it, but I'm not going to turn it down either." The smirk on her lips was sinful.

He rolled his sleeve up a tad and took his knife out, slitting his wrist and holding it out for her, "There you are."

She took his wrist and drank from it, closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh from her nose. Her other hand reached down and held his thigh, meanwhile. Once she was done, he gradually moved his arm away, giving her a hug. She sat on his lap and pulling his trench coat off, followed by his blazer.

He held her face and kissed her, sucking on her bottom lip in an effort to taste it better. He felt her hips roll against him as she pulled on his tie, clueless as to how she should go about taking it off. "I have to admit…I'm not used to having a woman all over me like this…"

She smiled, "You're simply irresistible to me."

He took his gloves off, then he undid his tie for her, "I feel the same about you…especially when you're in my arms like this."

She smiled with her teeth and kissed him again, squeezing him tighter with her legs. Her arms were slung around his neck when the phone rang and she jumped, "Oh…I'm sorry…we can just let it ring."

He kissed her forehead, rubbing her back, "Are you sure?"

She sighed, "It's just my mother…"

"Very well." He rubbed her sides very gently, then reached down further and rubbed her hips. She closed her eyes and groaned, resting her head on his chest.

And then, the phone rang again.

"Ugh…" Her brow furrowed, "Bloody woman…" She muttered as she reached over and grabbed the phone, "Hi." She rested her head against Victor's shoulder. With his adept hearing, he could hear the entire conversation.

"Venus, love, why'd you miss my first call?" Her mother's voice was a bit higher pitched, a bit sweeter. "Everything alright?"

"Uh huh, I've just…got my hands full." She pulled his shirt apart and rubbed Victor's chest, "I've got to go."

"Oh, you've always been such a busy girl. I always worry you're going to drive yourself mad!"

"I'm fine, I promise."

"How's that…that place of yours?"

"The club? It's fine, Mum."

"Please give that Victor fellow my regards. I never liked the sound of that Boris."

"Well, he's dead now, Mum."

"Victor?" She gasped.

"No, Boris. Victor's right here with me."

"Oh, am I interrupting a date night?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh, I'm sorry, love, I'll be going. Please take care, dear, I'll call in the morning."

"Uh huh. Love you, Mum."

"I love you too, Venus, take care."

Venus hung up and sighed, "Sorry 'bout that. She worries about me all the way on the other side of the sea." She kissed his throat.

"I…didn't know you told her about me." Victor said.

"Sorry, I didn't tell her you're a vampire or anything, you're just my boyfriend to her."

"I see." He smiled, "You've caught onto the Masquerade quite well."

"Masquerade? I don't…remember what that is…"

"Keeping us a secret from humans."

"Ah…yes, that…I like to think I'm good at that…"

"Yes, of course." He said, "I believe we last left off with you stripping me down."

"Mmm…mmm hmm." She kissed him again, then pressed her chest up against his, "Are you going to catch me up any time soon…?"

"Hmm…perhaps…" He hungrily kissed her back, sucking on her lips.

She kept grinding her hips against him before she reached down and quickly took her boots off. Her breathing was warm on his face, especially since he occasionally forgot she needed to breathe.

"Take your time." He gave her a squeeze, taking hit boots and pants off, laying back with her on top of him.

She seemed to grow even more impatient, "Please, Victor…take it off…take it all off…"

"Of course." He took her top off, then he unbuttoned her shorts and took them off as well, "Oh…my…"

She smirked, watching his face as he saw she wasn't wearing any sort of underwear, "You really are a virgin, aren't you?" She kissed his neck, "That's absolutely adorable…"

"Yes…" He said, "I wasn't an incredibly social creature, even when I was alive."

"That's alright, I wasn't incredibly social growing up either…hence why I never made it to college…" She said as she laid on top of him, "Tell me about your job…tell me how it all went…"

He held two fingers out and beckoned for her ear, then he whispered deeply, "I staked someone."

"More…" She pleaded, her nails in his shoulder blades, "More, Victor…"

"Well…staking a vampire…is an interesting concept. In order to successfully stake a vampire's heart, you need to…clear a path, so to speak. Let's just say it's a good thing I had that knife on me."

"What did you do…?"

"You remember that wretch who attacked me in your club, right?" He softly rubbed the small of her back, as well as her bum, "Well, first I made her vomit up every ounce of blood in her body, and while she was reveling in pain from that, I skewered her to pieces so I could cut myself a clear path, then I drove a wooden stake through her putrid heart. Let's just say we won't really be hearing from her much anymore…"

She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her legs around his waist as she kissed his neck and jawline, teasingly sliding her teeth against his skin. It didn't take long for one hand to stray away and rub down his chest, then down his abdomen. Her fingertips dipped into the waistband of his underwear, her hand had to be the softest thing he'd ever felt.

He gave a quiet groan, he wasn't sure what felt better, her hands on his skin or her breasts on his chest, "There's something else I need to inform you…about vampire anatomy…"

"Uh huh…?" He could feel her pulse racing, feel her skin warm up like fire.

"Our…sexual organs…need blood to function…but the cost is a rather high amount of blood, for perhaps a handful of minutes at most…"

She sat up a bit and met his gaze, "Did you want to stop?"

"No…I just, didn't want you to…strip my drawers and worry…"

She nodded slowly, "So…this is possible, yes?"

"Of course it is."

She smiled and took his lips in hers, her legs squeezing around his waist as she rubbed a hand over his chest slowly, with just enough pressure to exceed a tickling sensation. He kept giving attention to her butt, eventually, one hand slipped upward and he grabbed one of her breasts. Her eyes fluttered closed, she sighed against his chest, which sounded an awful lot like his name. Her own hand reached up and held his, squeezing tighter.

He was a little surprised. She had noticed throughout the night that he was never too forceful with his touching, that he would only simply glide his hand over her features. The hand she wasn't holding traced her waistline, massaging it a little, as it had been squeezed by the band of her shorts for the better part of the night. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest as he massaged her, "It has been such a long time…I've needed this _badly_ …"

He squeezed her, "I'm glad I can be of help." He raised both hands up to hold her breasts, kissing her on the lips in the meantime.

She kissed him back, squeezing his shoulders tighter, "Tell me again…what happened to Boris…But…" Her eyes glinted with lust as she leaned in and spoke softly, enticingly in his ear, "I want you to go inside…as you're telling me…really slow…until you can't take it any longer…"

He snickered, rushing the blood through his system as he took his underwear off, he rubbed the backs of her legs as he slowly began to venture inside her, "Well…I just…couldn't tolerate…what Boris was saying…about you or I…so I…used advanced Thaumaturgical magic on him…in other words, I steamed his blood to a boiling point…he inflated like a balloon…and he exploded…very messy…very bloody…very gory…lots of…limbs…littering the ground, bones…leftover pieces of Boris…"

She grit her teeth, her breathing was shaky as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her body shook with anticipation as her nails dug into his sides, "V-Victor…" She choked out, "F-Faster now…pl-l-lease…"

He bit his lower lip, groaning as he thrust against her. He shouted her name as he took a firm hand and held her rear down so she would feel his length a little better. He squeezed her close with his other arm, playfully pulling her hair on occasion. She let a breathy moan fill the air, followed by a series of various-pitched sighs.

She felt a pressure inside her build up as he retained a steady rhythm, then as she hit her climax, she sunk her teeth into his shoulder and nails into his back. He rubbed her back as he gradually calmed down, kissing her cheek and giving her a squeeze.

She hugged him back, closing her eyes and rubbing his chest, "That was quite good for a first time, Mister…"

"I wish I played with your body more…it…it's very pleasing to look at…"

"Well, there's always a next time…" She smirked.

"Yes…yes there is…" He closed his eyes, in bliss, "Your…your face…is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…it's…it's a whole new definition to doll face…"

She hugged her head close to his chest, "You're the kindest man I've ever met, Victor…"

"And you are my muse, beat priestess…"

She grinned with her teeth and gently let him go, resting her head on his chest, "You can stay here? They won't send search parties barging into my room?"

"Hmm…you raise a valid concern…" He said, "Worry not. I'll think of something to tell them tomorrow. No one will bother us tonight."

She smiled warmly as she closed her eyes and rubbed his abdomen, "Well…your beat priestess is beat…I believe I'm using the term correctly…"

"Sleep well, dear. I'll be here to protect you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Whelp, time for mission impossible… ;) Hope you liked it!


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-five! Let's just say Cadmus has it rough in this chapter…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Those colored contacts looked great. Hardly even recognized herself in the mirror, but were they difficult to put in. She could be very precise with her movements, slicing jugulars or specific veins, or stabbing pressure points with ease. Yet putting a colored contact in every morning? It could take up to an hour.

From Cadmus's perspective, every morning, he'd hear Angelique shower, then get out and spend up to a half hour in the bathroom screaming, either in pain, or anger with herself. Sometimes it was profanity, sometimes it was just aimless screams of rage.

But, at the end of the routine, she always came out looking alright. She'd blink her (slightly bloodshot) green eyes, comb her fingers through her black bob, and hardly recognize herself. She wore a black leather jacket with tons of zippers for all her many little weapons, her worn out gray tee shirt with an old logo on it, and a torn up pair of black jeans with work boots.

She turned out of the bathroom and headed downstairs for breakfast, digging around for some sort of sugary cereal, "Good morning."

"Hey…" Cadmus said, "Look, there's something I gotta tell you."

"Uh huh?" She sat down across from him with a box of cereal, sticking her hand in and eating out of it straight from the box.

"This room is going to be very crowded in about…five minutes…"

Her eyes widened as she stopped eating, "Cams?"

"Yeah, that's right." He said, "Slade, Miranda, couple other people. They want to have a meeting…don't know why, but they chose my place. I…just thought I should tell you."

"Should I hide?"

"That's up to you…I get that you're…nervous in front of new people. I don't mind if you stay…it's just…going to get a little crowded, that's all."

She kept eating, "I'll stay. But I won't talk." She said, "I want to listen. I want to know what's going on."

"Apparently it's about the sarcophagus. Remember how Miranda sent Slade and Tess to go bother Isaac about the Nosferatu?" He asked, "Well, I guess they got a scoop, so they want our help."

"Sarcophagus…" She muttered with irritation, "I heard a few Sabbat talking about it before I pulled their tongues out the other night…"

"You were fucking with the Sabbat the other night?"

"Yeah. I figured it wasn't any of their business. I know Miranda was mentioning it before."

There was a brief knock on the door, as Slade and Miranda entered the room, "Good evening." Miranda smiled.

Cadmus gave them a small nod, scooting his chair a bit so he was right next to Angelique, as the rest of his chairs would be taken up soon.

"So what did you find out about the Nosferatu?" Miranda asked as she and Slade sat down.

"Well…uh…I kinda figured I should wait for the others to get here…" Slade said.

"Others?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea to assemble a big team for this…because…it's pretty messed up."

Angelique felt her heart beat a bit faster, and felt even more upset that they all heard her get more nervous.

"Messed up how?" Cadmus asked.

"These monsters are apparently running rampant in the sewers, they're trapping the Nosferatu…so…I need more firepower than just myself."

Miranda sighed and crossed her legs, grabbing her book on the table and reading it, "I suppose the only thing to do now is wait for the others to show up."

Tess was the next person to walk in, "I apologize if I was late." She stepped in and rubbed one of her eyes, clearly still rather tired. "Time caught up with me."

Angelique looked up nervously at Tess, instantly recognizing her. Her heartrate skyrocketed.

Tess sat down next to Miranda and smiled at her, before turning to Angelique, "Who is this?"

"Starr. My ghoul." Cadmus said, "I haven't seen you since Santa Monica."

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" She said, her voice smooth as silk, "Nice to see you're doing well."

"Yeah." Cadmus said, then he looked at Slade, "How many other people are on this little task force?"

"Two more." Slade said, "One of them is Victor."

"The Tremere Magister?" Cadmus asked, "Haven't seen him in a while either."

"I haven't seen him since we visited Pisha." Miranda said.

"Who?"

"No one."

"So Miranda, how have you been?" Tess asked, her lips curved in a smile that made both Slade and Cadmus unnerved.

"Quite fine." Miranda smiled as she turned a page in her book, "LaCroix communicated that it is imperative to me to get the sarcophagus in his possession. I'm glad you and Slade are able to be of such help in the matter."

"Gladly." Tess crossed her legs, "There's a certain amount of joy from satisfying tasks for the Camarilla."

Slade cocked an eyebrow, naturally finding that to be a load of rubbish because the last time he checked, Tess 'wouldn't work for an institution in which its members would kill each other,' and was with a pack of Anarchs before she accused Nines of killing Grout. Even Cadmus had a hard time believing Tess's claim.

Victor strolled in next, "Hello everyone!" He beamed, "Cadmus and Miranda, LaCroix's Ventrue agents. Slade and Tess, the Toreador fledglings. And…" He looked at Angelique, "I'm afraid I don't know who you are." He took a whiff of the air, "Your ghoul?" He looked at Cadmus.

Cadmus nodded, "Starr."

"Starr. Hello dear." Victor held out a gloved hand, "Victor Madison, charmed."

She nodded timidly and shook his hand firmly, which almost surprised him due to how timid she seemed.

"Starr…" Tess said, "What a lovely name. Your parents were clearly very loving."

Angelique's brow twitched before she gave a short nod.

"I've always envied such lovely names…"

Cadmus put a calming hand on Angelique's shoulder when he was sure no one was looking, removing it once he asked Slade, "So who's the other guy who's coming?"

"Uh…well…he…he…"

Cadmus raised a brow.

"He's a fledgling…a Malkavian…"

"Yeah?" Cadmus asked, waiting for Slade to add something, "And?"

"I mean…as far as Malkavians go…"

He shrugged, "What's the big deal? I've worked with Malkavians before." He said, not many others seemed bothered by this either. In fact, if anything, Victor looked pleased.

"I'm not surprised he's late…" Tess mused, "He probably…killed the driver and drove into the side of the building…"

Slade narrowed his eyes, "No worries Tess, he'll come. Then we'll get this meeting out of the way…I know you're on such a _tight_ schedule. Soothing the thirsty men of California is such hard work." Cadmus badly hid a laugh.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't do that to Ash."

"I just think you're the last person who has room to talk on who's unfit to be on this team."

She looked away and crossed her arms, "Fair enough. I just think it's fair to start the meeting without him since he isn't going to be paying any attention anyhow."

"Nonsense." The sound of the door hitting the wall was heard as Dragomir walked in, dwarfing the room with his size. He paused and gingerly moved the door back and forth on its hinges, then rubbed the small mark he left on the counter. "…apologies…" He turned back to Tess, "I heard the whore open her mouth and boiled inside, as always." He crossed his arms and stood by the table, seeing as there were no seats anyway. He grinned and chuckled softly, "I don't know _any_ of you. Beside the whore and Slade, that is."

"I'm Cadmus." Cadmus said, "And this is my ghoul, Starr." He motioned to Angelique.

"I'm Miranda." Miranda smiled as she looked up from her book, "Miranda Frost."

"Victor Madison. Tremere Magister. Charmed." Victor held a hand out.

Dragomir shook his hand and pat his shoulder, "Ooh, I have yet to meet the magic clan. An honor."

"Oh, the honor is shared, friend." Victor smiled, "I haven't spoken with a Childe of Malkav in a few months now."

"Must have been Miss Voerman." He said, "Considering my father was rather…reclusive in his final nights."

"Yes, that's the one."

"I've yet to meet her Camarilla face." Dragomir admitted, "What, with my recent alliance to the Prince."

"You're kidding." Tess said, "He hired you?"

"Yes he did." Dragomir grinned, "I signed his fancy little paperwork and dotted the 'I' in Dragomir with a heart, too. He liked it."

Tess sighed and shook her head, "That poor, poor man…"

"Poor man indeed." Dragomir said, "So poor, he cannot afford to give me a job and pay me." He said, "I'd wanted to apologize to you, Slade, for the firearms."

"It's fine." Slade said, "The important thing is you're stocked up now, right? We're going to be fighting a lot of monsters."

"Yes. My solace allowed me to take her gun as well." He said as he reached behind his back and held onto the Spas and the Utica, "I can use both at the same time, how neat!" He laughed loudly, it rang off of the marble surfaces.

Tess rubbed one of her temples, "So, these monsters…why don't you tell us what we're diving into, Slade?"

"Alright, I'll try to make this as short and direct as possible." Slade said, "We need to find the Nosferatu to get to the sarcophagus, right? Well, Isaac showed Tess and I that monsters are infesting their homes. And our only lead is this…creepy house on the hills…it's probably filled with those monsters…"

"Yes." Victor said, "I gave the house a personal visit. And I barely escaped with my life."

"What? You _went_ to the house?"

He nodded, "Once you told me that Isaac said the house was in King's Way, I investigated it for myself. It…it turns out the Sabbat is behind all of this."

Cadmus looked ten times as interested once the Sabbat was mentioned.

Dragomir scratched his head, "So, so, please ensure I'm getting this right. It isn't that I'm not listening, it's that…my mind tends to…plug things into equations and occasionally I make miscalculations." He quirked a brow, "The Nosferatu have the sarcophagus…and the Sabbat are responsible for their disappearance…so what is it exactly that made the Sabbat hunt the Nosferatu like game?"

"The Nosferatu are the eyes and ears of the Camarilla." Victor said, "Typically, they are treated like gold for their information. They are wise, tactful, and secretive, they are a vital part of our Camarilla. So this Sabbat stratagem is…to blind the Camarilla. Put plainly. The monster behind this is a Tzimisce." He said, then he waited a beat, "Does…no one know what that is?"

"What the hell is a Tzimisce?" Cadmus asked.

"They are the leaders of the Sabbat. If you were to call one 'inhumane,' they would most likely take it as a compliment. They act civil, like a Ventrue, or Tremere, or Toreador. One would never think that they would rule over the howling mobs that are the Sabbat. However, their polite act is merely a façade that covers their horrid experiments and slaughtering's. They have a unique flesh-crafting Discipline known as Vicissitude."

He blinked, "Okay, I'm _very_ interested for this mission now."

Dragomir stared at the floor, his mind had wandered away as he pondered Victor's words. To gouge out the eyes and ears of a creature was effective sure. But blind and deaf creatures could function well enough. No, what the Sabbat needed to do if they wanted to be successful was take out the _mind_. To rot the mind away with insanity. His eyes narrowed beneath his lenses as he saw the Prince hold his head with madness, roar with frustration and collapse to his knees in despair. Dragomir held his forehead as he started laughing maniacally.

Tess jumped, then shook her head, "What a heretic…" She muttered under her breath, "So then what's the plan?"

"Fighting the Tzimisce alone is dangerous." Victor said, "I nearly perished. But, I suppose it could be because they do not like my clan much. Still, with six of us going, it should even the playing field. I have no doubt the Tzimisce is still in the basement of that wretched house, crafting more and more monsters. If we're lucky, we'll defeat him without any casualties."

"Then that should be the first place we go, to attack the source." Tess said.

Slade took a heavy breath, "All this for a freaking sarcophagus…" He said, "Alright, then we'll have to kill this Tzimisce, and then we'll find the Nosferatu."

"I met one of those…" Dragomir said quietly after getting over his fit, "A Nosferatu. They aren't without a sense of humor, but she seemed in a foul mood. Anyhow." He looked up, "Why does the Prince want a coffin? Is he planning his funeral like the kings of Egypt?"

"For Camarilla protection." Miranda said.

"Yeah, no, there's a _real_ reason, but…I'll let everyone fill in the blanks on that one." Cadmus said.

Dragomir cocked his head to the side, "Ah…so he is…how ambitious of him…"

Tess shook her head, "So, when were we heading out?"

"Whenever everyone's ready." Slade shrugged.

As everyone else headed out a few minutes later, Cadmus turned to Angelique, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded, then paused, "If you go through hell, remember that…I'll be here. Well…not that that matters to you…"

"What? Of course you matter. Where's that coming from?"

"I don't know…because I'm…just your ghoul…?"

"Look, you're the only sane voice in my head right now. I always look forward to coming back here whenever I finish a mission, and I always want you to be safe." He said, "I know you've had a lot of regnants, and I know when we first met…it wasn't exactly on the right foot. But things have changed since then. You mean a lot to me."

Her cheeks turned redder and redder as he continued, until she grabbed his jacket and pulled his head towards hers. She planted a kiss on his cheek, then she pushed him away and stood up, facing away and crossing her arms, "Don't die."

"Uh…yeah…" He swallowed hard, embarrassed, "I won't…"

* * *

Cadmus blinked a few times at the blue house, "Hmm…looks pretty normal to me…"

"On the outside, perhaps." Victor said, "But on the inside, it's a completely different story."

A cat meowed, rubbing itself against Victor's leg. Victor smiled and scooped the cat up, "What are you doing here, kitty?" He walked over to the fence and gently tossed it over, "Shoo! You won't want to be here kitty. Go on, now."

Dragomir chuckled as he watched the cat scamper off, "The cat said it was looking for rats. Apparently there are lots of them here. Well-fed rats."

Tess glared at him, "Don't pretend you can talk to animals."

"No, I can't. I can listen. But, it's only cats. I've tried a raccoon, but…" He scratched the back of his head, "He tried to bite me in the knee."

"It's okay, Tess can talk to animals too." Slade said, with a small brown duffle bag in addition to his katanas.

Tess rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yes, yes, go on, have a good laugh."

Dragomir peered around, "I suppose we should start with the front entrance…that's usually where they want you to start."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, the door is locked or sealed." Victor said, "I had to use the window on my previous venture."

"We all stocked up for this?" Cadmus asked.

"Yes, of course, I purchased a handgun, in the event that my Disciplines won't work."

"How much fighting is there going to be?" Tess asked, "I didn't assume much…"

"Tess, I have three boom-sticks, and you don't get to use any of them." Dragomir said, "Just a…a heads up."

"I don't want your boom-sticks." She jeered, "I don't need them."

"That's not what you said when you tackled me onto my bed back when our hearts were beating."

"What?" She scowled, "Ugh, you don't make any sense…"

"You'll find that I make plenty of sense. But your denial can fog over those ungodly memories, can't they? Your life isn't as spit-shined as you make it out to be, is it? How upsetting, best not let your new lover know…"

"Ash knows I'm not perfect."

"Oh no, I'm not talking about the dead phoenix." He grinned, "Because the phoenix is indeed dead, he doesn't last very long, now. He doesn't have enough ash for it. No, no, your new lover…a lover that has his hands on the city, that is where you will have to see the tarnished silver of your actions, embrace the rust chipping away at every choice you've ever made, and see that _that_ is the reason why you are incapable of pleasing him."

She laughed dryly, "I think you've spent way too much time inhaling whatever fumes your sire's experiments produced."

"Fumes of knowledge." He said as he raised a brow, "I know you're jealous."

"Of you?" She scoffed, "What would I have to be jealous of?"

He laughed and shook his head, "You don't see the meaning behind my words…that's alright, you will when the time comes." He turned to Victor, "So which eye is it that we should poke through?"

"If we're lucky, there are some vines around the corner here." Victor stepped around to the back of the house, "Here, let's climb up, and there's a sliding glass door, we'll enter through there." They climbed to the top, seeing tinfoil blocking and sort of clear surface or window the house provided.

"Jeez…this is sketchy…" Cadmus muttered.

Victor applied a Blood Shield on himself, his entire body was now red and dripping with blood, "Is everyone ready? I doubt this will be easy."

"Ooh…" Dragomir grinned as he looked over Victor, who had soaked himself in blood, "What a lovely outfit." He took out the Utica and held it in one arm, like someone would a pistol, "I think I'm ready."

Tess nodded, "Let's get this done as quickly as possible."

"Alright, now these monsters, for the three of you who don't know…are these…heads…with arms…they like to…eat you…once they get close." Slade said.

They walked through the sliding glass door, and sure enough, a monster crashed through one of the nearby closets, roaring as it jumped up to attack one of them. Victor pulled out a Colt Anaconda and shot it a few times, it blew up in gore and ash as it let out a scream.

"Shit…" Slade said, "This place is creepy…"

"Yeah, why the hell are there so many flies around?" Cadmus wondered, "Unless…" His nose scrunched up when he smelled the house, he felt the wall, "Yup. Flesh…all of it. This entire house is decorated with human flesh…"

Miranda took a deep sigh, this time, like many other times, would be an opportune time to be wearing shoes, but she entered the house anyway.

"Damn…so…" Slade swallowed hard as he looked at the bed. He recognized it from the snuff films he would see with Isaac. The 'wooden' bed, was actually made of bone.

Tess looked repulsed, "How…how many people died…for this to be made…?"

"Well, you said the Tzimisce were flesh-crafters." Dragomir said, "So…it would make sense that they craft from flesh…" He looked at the half-ash, half-flesh remains of the head runners, "Both of our kind and our previous form. So…I assume if we run into any, we'll have to be cautious."

The next room they entered another monster burst through a door to one of the bathrooms, running up to swat at Dragomir.

Dragomir brought his fist down on its head, knocking it to the ground. As it gave a savage roar, ready to pounce on him again, he stepped on its arm, pinning it down. It clawed at his leg, tearing up the leather and a good deal of his flesh before he brought the Utica down on its head like a mallet. Over and over, he squashed it with the gun, like a burly spider, until it screamed and exploded with gore, "Hardy things, aren't they?" He mused as he picked up the gun and shook it, "I forgot to load my gun."

Victor picked up a small object on one of the nearby tables, it was a coil of dead flesh, that looked as if it would sooner belong to a mummy, "Childe of Malkav, catch." He tossed it towards him.

Dragomir turned and caught the object, turning it over in his palm and looking over it, "Mmm…" He stuck it in his coat pocket, "My thanks." He really had no clue what the thing did, but Victor must have given it to him for a reason, he figured.

In the kitchen, there were two monsters scurrying around, but that was put to an end once they smelled food nearby. Cadmus drew his axe and battled with one of them, while Slade fought with the other, after being bitten a few times, both monsters were brought to their end.

"How many of these are there?" Tess asked.

"Enough to drown the Nosferatu." Dragomir said lowly as he tilted his glasses down the bridge of his nose. The inside of a dark flesh-house seemed to be a difficult place to figure out how to load a gun.

A door crashed down and Tess was attacked next, the monster grappled onto her and clawed at her with ease.

She backed away and tried to kick at it, which really seemed to do nothing. She reached out to grab a table, but when the table flinched away from her grasp, she screamed and held her head, similarly as useless as the girl in the tape.

Dragomir's discolored eyes flashed up to watch Tess writhe on the ground. He chuckled and went back to loading his gun, even though he had clearly figured it out. Slade too gave a disappointed sigh to the matter.

Miranda ran in and cut up the monster with her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, killing it in two effective strokes.

Tess shuddered and peeked out through her fingers, her clothing torn almost as much as her skin.

Dragomir stood up and twirled the Utica around his wrist, "What a nice team we have here."

They headed down the staircase next, seeing Andrei standing in the center of the basement, with Caesar flanking his left and Ferrum flanking his right. In addition to that, there were dozens of horrid humanoids all over the area, armed with knives and machetes. They had no faces, but rather, scars upon scars. Whatever semblance of faces they had were beaten of cut out long ago.

"Ah, hello young Cainites." Andrei greeted, "I see your faces are not so lifeless, your nerves' not so deadened, that you cannot express shock. Tell me, are you scared? Does my appearance frighten you? Or is it my knowledge of you that is so unnerving?"

Ferrum grinned, his canines gave him the appearance of a hungering wolf, or maybe it was the thought of killing them all that made him seem to salivate, "Maybe we should save the talking if there's a survivor…"

"Cainites?" Dragomir asked, "Are we not all Kindred? Or have you severed such…brotherly ties with us?"

"Do not be so hasty childe." Andrei said, "That is merely a misnomer, giving false life and perpetuated by the Camarilla. They are not worthy heirs to the dark fathers. No…that is the Sabbat's calling…"

"Caesar!" Cadmus drew his axe and ran at Caesar.

Caesar grabbed the arm of one of the faceless abominations and shoved it at Cadmus as if it were livestock.

Cadmus's axe locked with its machete, "What the hell are these things?" Cadmus growled, trying his best not to look terrified.

"You see, I've collected a large array of mortals to use as my slaves." Caesar said, in his snide, quiet tone, his jet black eyes growing with fascination. "It seems a certain worm has ambushed Andrei a few nights ago, so we thought that we should supply him with a small army…these humans now have a purpose in their previously meaningless lives, wouldn't you agree?"

"On the contrary, the surplus of kine act the very same as the flies in the air, the mosquitoes caught in the spider's web." Dragomir said, "Food, most definitely, but their mass numbers must be retained to retain the balance of nature. The structure they've created, the mass web, it balances us all."

Ferrum's dark eyes locked onto the gun in Dragomir's arms, before his body lit up with a greenish glow and he ran forward to slug Dragomir in the face. Dragomir caught his fist, then reared out with a kick of his own. The two got into a bitter brawl, which became even more one sided when Ferrum activated Protean.

Tess's eyes narrowed at Andrei, "Why is there so much…detestation towards the Camarilla?"

"They are false, deceptive creatures." Andrei said, "They wish to _hide_ amongst their food. We will claim the power of the fathers and rule those pesky worms in the way it was _meant_ to be! We need no veil to hide our true natures! We do not fear the mortals as you do."

Dragomir grunted as Ferrum stuck his teeth in his neck. "Oh, no, no, you don't want this madness, now do you?" He tried to pull Ferrum away when he continued to drink from him, gritting his teeth as Ferrum seemed to have the upper-hand with his Protean. Giving up with any sort of punches to the body, Dragomir stuck his fingers into Ferrum's mouth and yanked his jaw open, tearing him away from his neck. He then grabbed onto one of Ferrum's fangs and pulled so hard, it snapped off.

Ferrum's scream was high pitched, like a dog's, as he stumbled back and held a hand over his mouth, blood gushing from the hole Dragomir left in his gums.

To top it off, Dragomir licked the blood clean from the tooth, "Mmmmm…"

Newly enraged, Ferrum galloped forward to claw him in the face.

A blue blur flashed back to Ferrum, and he was slashed with two divisive sword strikes. Slade held his swords firm, it was hard for Ferrum to keep up with where Slade was. "I'll fight this guy at close quarters. You create a distance and make a sniping post."

Ferrum growled, baring his teeth, which looked funny with a missing fang. His eyes stopped focusing in on Slade, and instead landed on Dragomir. Slade was about to land a hit when Ferrum held out a hand and a flock of birds flew down from nowhere, clouding around his head. He charged at Dragomir with his claws out.

Dragomir kicked him in the chest and knocked him back on the ground, grabbing his sniper and firing for his chest. The bullet left a wound, but bounced off across the room, a bit of blood leaking out. Dragomir seemed perplexed, "Why is your hide so strong…?"

Ferrum scrambled back to his feet and slashed him across the face, leaving four deep claw marks. The grin on his face afterwards didn't look nearly as strange, not with the tooth already growing back in.

Slade narrowed his eyes. Whatever that green glow is, it was making Ferrum's body as hard as ever. He began to utilize his aura of Presence, trying to weaken Ferrum's attack and defense. With that and his added speed, he slashed into Ferrum with both his swords.

Ferrum grunted as he turned around and started to tangle with Slade, occasionally clobbering Dragomir here or there.

Cadmus had meanwhile defeated the abomination he had to fight, but it took quite a long while. As deformed as they were, ghouls were still ghouls, much more resilient than normal humans. He tried to look for Caesar, when another faceless ghoul attacked him, "God damn it!" He yelled, "I'll never be able to fight Caesar if I'm fighting all of these things!"

Miranda held a black-nailed hand up, and Suicide connected, the ghoul had a heart-attack and died. She smiled and nodded at Cadmus.

"Thanks." He gave a tired nod back, then Andrei walked over to oppose them, "Shit…"

Andrei chuckled deeply, sending out a colony of bats. Miranda screamed as they bit her and extracted some of her blood. She fell to the ground, paralyzed in pain for a minute.

Cadmus swore under his breath, he ran at Andrei, but Andrei summoned a horde of those tiny head runners. Some he sent all over the room, the others he had directly attack Cadmus.

As Dragomir and Slade handled Ferrum, Dragomir had left his sniper on the ground. Tess picked it up, quickly flicking the safety off and shooting at the head runners with it to prevent them from attacking anyone else who was busy. Her aim wasn't the best, but she managed to knock out a good amount of them.

"I think this one would look good with its face shaven off…" Caesar whispered into Tess's ear from behind.

She gave a rather feminine squeal for her usual octave, jumping and firing the gun at the ground. She whirled around to clock him in the head with the side of the gun.

The sound of children crying in agony could be heard, as dark shadows of the abyss began to cloak Caesar's body. The gun didn't hurt him at all. His head didn't even move. He grabbed one of her arms and pulled her closer. Then he grabbed her neck. Not to choke her, as, that wouldn't be possible, but he found it as a useful gripping point. Tentacles began to grow from his monstrous, shadowy form, and they started whipping Tess everywhere, some of the whips were so potent they lopped flesh off.

She struggled in his arms, one of her feet came up and landed on his chest. She tried to pull herself away from him with all the force she had in her legs.

Caesar shook his head, a demonic grin on his face. "Andrei! Extract her blood from her body!"

Andrei sent over a colony of bats to attack Tess while she was in Caesar's chokehold.

"Damn it…" Cadmus growled, "It's…it's Obtenebration. Tess needs help…"

"What do you suggest we do?" Miranda asked.

"We gotta…freaking get past Andrei somehow…" Cadmus said, "But how?"

A blood bolt smacked Andrei in the face. Andrei hissed with rage, "Tremere larva!"

Victor reloaded his gun, "Apologies, I was trying to do damage control on Caesar's ghouls. Both of you, leave us. Andrei and I have unfinished business."

Miranda nodded, trying to run off, but Andrei still blocked her path, "He's not letting me leave!" She shouted, as Andrei summoned a new batch of monsters.

"Then help someone else!" Cadmus shouted, "Kill that Gangrel!"

Miranda nodded. Ferrum looked to be locked in combat between Slade and Dragomir, but she drew her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, slicing into Ferrum with it.

The blade cut much deeper than Slade's, in fact, deeper than Ferrum had remembered feeling for a long while. His eyes landed on her with a look of rage, "The hell is that?" He spat, lunging forward to grab it and hopefully break it.

Miranda jumped back. She envied Gangrel for that. They had easy access to aggravated damage with the ability to grow claws via Protean. But, as he looked down at her sword, so did she. First she put up Fortitude, so in case she _did_ get hit, it wouldn't be the end of her. Next she put up Presence in an effort to soften his defenses even more. She snarled and gave a battle cry, stabbing him again with her sword.

He hissed through his teeth as the blade sliced clean through his shoulder, then he reached out to grab her arm and bite into it, perhaps even chomp it off.

Miranda jumped back, then her eyes widened as she was stabbed in the back by one of Caesar's ghouls. In addition to that, head runners were heading her way too, "Boys!" She called, "I need help!"

Slade nodded and sped towards the hordes of ghouls and head runners, using his speed to fight against them.

Ferrum licked his lips in a way that would have made Miranda flattered, if he wasn't thinking about diablerizing her. He reared back to claw her legs, seeing as they were so exposed. Miranda backed away again, narrowing her eyes and she ran at him to slash him.

Suddenly, a big blur of leopard-print covered Ferrum's head and face. Dragomir used his coat as a method to blind and disorient Ferrum as Miranda had open access to his chest. Dragomir laughed as he held onto the struggling Gangrel beneath the fur. Ferrum clawed at the jacket and screamed all sorts of profanities beneath it, but seemed completely unable to get his bearings.

Miranda swallowed hard, hoping her Presence would make more of mark of this free attack, as she reared back to stab Ferrum.

Ferrum screamed in pain, still thrashing around like crazy underneath the jacket as Dragomir held him back. Dragomir was about to break his neck too, before a mad flock of ravens flew down and attacked him. Dragomir dropped the jacket as he swatted the birds away, looking for his shotgun. In that sort interim of time, Ferrum jumped forward to tackle Miranda to the ground.

Miranda gasped as she fell to the ground, looking a little fearful, "Dragomir!" She called out.

Ferrum panted as he put down his Fortitude and Protean, he really had no other options. He put a hand to her face and another on her shoulder as he tore into her neck.

Dragomir's foot connected with Ferrum's ribs with the same strength of an iron bat. As Ferrum's body rolled off to the side, Dragomir fired his shotgun right at his chest. Ferrum gave a yowl of agony, dark red blood coating his entire chest. He scrambled to his feet and stomped on the toe of Dragomir's shoe, making a run for it as Dragomir winced.

As soon as he saw Ferrum was gone, Dragomir shrugged his jacket onto his shoulders and held a hand out for Miranda to get to her feet.

Miranda tried to stand, but her blood pool was very low, she felt faint, she grabbed onto Dragomir's jacket to stay aloft.

Once Slade finished the ghouls and head runners, he ran into Cadmus and Victor, who were having debatable luck with Andrei, "You guys need help?" Slade asked.

Cadmus nodded, "Take my spot. I gotta go help Tess and kill Caesar."

Slade nodded back as Ferrum ran off. He darted around, slashing into Andrei a few times as he was also smacked by a few blood bolts from Victor.

"Foolish Cainites…after I have rendered you to ash, you will have longed to wield power as deftly as I…" Andrei said, sending out some bats to ambush Cadmus as he was trying to go fight Caesar.

Slade narrowed his eyes, "Just because you surrendered to the beast doesn't mean I have to."

Andrei hissed, creating another army of head runners, but Slade flashed past them, stabbing Andrei a few more times.

"You know, I always wondered what it would be like to possess Celerity." Caesar mused, though Tess was probably unconscious at this point and no one had any idea why Caesar was still lecturing her, "And your Celerity smells very…potent…so I think I'll take it for myself." He bit into Tess's neck and started to drink from her. In addition to that, it was obvious that Caesar got bored and activated Potence, as Tess's body looked like a bloodied mess. In addition to _that_ , Andrei sucked up most of her blood due to Bloodsucker's Communion, so it would only be a matter of time before he would get to drinking her soul.

Cadmus tried to bat Caesar off, but with that shadowy armor, it was all but useless. Caesar chuckled, "Do not interrupt me while I'm feasting…"

Cadmus shivered, tears came to his eyes, "No, Tess…" He wasn't going to stand back and watch while Caesar killed those around him _again_.

Slade kept speeding around, slashing at Andrei, until Andrei sunk into the ground. Slade panted and deactivated his Disciplines, "Alright…Andrei's dead…damn…but I have like, no blood left…so now what?"

"Andrei's dead?" Caesar looked up from his feast, finding the claim dubious at best, but he continued drinking from Tess.

"Damn it, what the hell is that guy doing? We gotta stop him!" Slade ran over with Victor, but the last of Caesar's ghouls began to attack them, as well as Dragomir and Miranda.

Dragomir threw his shotgun aside as he snapped the necks of any ghouls that got near him, stomping in closer to grab Tess by the neck and pull her away from Caesar. Caesar glared at Dragomir, taking his Potence fueled dagger and stabbing him away with it.

"Get him off of her!" Slade called.

"I…I can't…" Cadmus said, defeated, "He…he has this…shadowy armor…that…can't be hit by anything…"

"Yes." Caesar chuckled darkly, "Unless you have fire, magic, or sunlight, I am unable to be hurt. So I suggest you form a line right now for me to steal each and every one of your abilities…"

Victor held a hand out, a dark charm was heard. Caesar flinched and vomited up blood to the side. He got off of Tess, glaring at Victor, "Thaumaturgical magic. Tremere scum." He ran at Victor, slashing him with Potence, with such force that Victor's Blood Shield popped. Victor coughed up blood and crashed into the wall.

"No, Victor!" Slade said.

"Damn it…he's the only one that can hurt him…" Cadmus said.

"Slade, use your Celerity to distract him." Miranda said.

"I…I can't…" Slade fell to one knee, "I have no blood left…"

Victor held a hand out again, and Caesar vomited up blood, slowing him down tremendously.

Dragomir caught Tess and pulled her back out of the way. He wanted to rush in and use Potence to perhaps batter Caesar into some sort of retreat, but with so many Camarilla allies around, he couldn't risk being unveiled as a diablerist.

After another bout of Purge, Caesar glared at Cadmus, "Very well, I'll take my leave then…but know this…Cadmus…"

"What? No, you're not leaving! I have to kill you!" Cadmus snapped.

He chuckled, "Do you not want to know the fate of your wife?" He smiled, "She may still be alive. Or not."

"What the hell does that mean?"

He walked up closer to Cadmus, "Andrei grinded your wife into a little paste, and then added her flesh to one of his demons…" He chuckled for a long while after that, "Satisfied now?"

Cadmus's eyes shrunk, he fell to his knees. People thought he was going to rage or frenzy, but instead tears ran down his eyes, he buried his face into his hands.

"You have overstayed your welcome." Victor's eyes narrowed, as he used Blood Purge again. Caesar threw up some more, then he scuttled away and retreated.

Dragomir rubbed the two holes in his neck, then grabbed the tooth that he pulled out of Ferrum's fang from his pocket. He rubbed it over with a thumb before it turned into ash and fell to the floor, "Has the source been killed?"

"It would appear so." Victor said, looking around at all his weary allies, "The Nosferatu should be just beyond these doors."

* * *

 **A/N:** Aw…how cute…Thanks for reading!


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-six! Here's how this chapter happened:

 _chopperlover14: *writes 5200 word scene* um so here's this_

 _SigmaFang: this…this doesn't fit…anywhere…_

Enjoy! ;)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, I'm not a top scholar on the Vietnam War, so this information might be completely incorrect, and I apologize if anyone is offended.

* * *

Slade reluctantly carried Tess's body through the narrow passages of the sewers, "So the Nosferatu should be around here, right?"

Victor, who was leading them, raised up a gloved finger, "Listen to that…" They heard rabid panting, as well as scampering around.

"…god damn it…" He said, "I should've known this would happen…" He sighed, "These things have been infested in the sewers since before I was Embraced. We'll probably have to fight tons of these things…"

Sure enough, once they reached a clearing in the catacombs, a head runner jumped up at them, though he was formerly eating the dead body of a sewer worker.

Victor applied another Blood Shield, shooting at the monster a few times and killing it. He then examined the corpse, closing the eyes, "Rest in peace, Luis…"

Dragomir's eyes darted around beneath his glasses, "The Nosferatu live in a place like this? I imagined it much more…advanced."

"That's it, if I carry her damn body around, then I'm defenseless…" Slade ungracefully flopped Tess's body on the ground, he heard some squeaking nearby, so he walked over and picked a rat up by the tail, "Think this will wake her up?"

Most of the others looked like Slade was asking for a fight. Cadmus quietly said, "Yeah, she should smell the blood from it."

"Good. Great." Slade dangled the rat over Tess's face, specifically her nose. The rat squealed and thrashed around, clearly unhappy about this.

Dragomir grinned as he got on his knees, his pants creaking as he held Tess's shoulders and propped her up from behind. Tess gave a soft moan as an eye opened, then she screamed and floundered back out of the way, into Dragomir. He put an arm around her neck and held her there, "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey…"

"Let me go…" She growled.

"You touched my boom-stick. There's only one woman in the world who can touch my boom-stick, and you aren't her."

"I'm sorry, did you want me to be useless?"

"Yes."

She thrashed in his arms, "Let me go!"

"Fine, fine, you chat with Slade then." He pushed her towards Slade.

She scowled, "Is there any reason you're holding a rat to my face?"

"You wouldn't wake up." Slade said simply.

She slapped the rat out of her face and it skittered off, "Yes, thank you for the alarm…perhaps next time, try and…shake me awake…rather than put a dirty animal in my face."

"You've had much filthier things actually in your mouth." Dragomir said.

"Shut up." She spat.

Slade crossed his arms, "Tess, what did I tell you to do when we were escorting Ash out of his club through the sewers?"

"Get weapons." Her face looked like that of a child being disciplined, frustrated and embarrassed, "I lost track of time, it's my fault, I know…it isn't like I haven't been practicing, I've just been using pistols and smaller guns. I was going to buy one but I didn't have enough for the place I planned to go to. I heard about Mercurio but I didn't have the time to go all the way to Santa Monica."

"Maybe next time you should make time, you know? Not sure if you noticed this, but you almost died. Maybe next time fuck a little less and do a little more self-preservation."

"Thank you for saving me." She said, a rare side of sincerity on her face.

Dragomir looked bitter, "Let us proceed."

"Unbelievable." Slade growled, picking up the rat Tess discarded and draining it dry, "Anyone need blood? There are some rats over here. Four or five of 'em."

Cadmus and Miranda exchanged a glance, watching on as Victor ate a rat or two, most likely needing them to replenish the strength from all the Thaumaturgy he used.

"The only blood I lost was that consumed by the maned iron man." Dragomir said, "But…other than that, I'll manage."

"I need it…" Tess got to her feet, "But…not from rats…" She leaned against the wall.

"Well, that's an unfortunate time to be picky." Dragomir said.

Slade ate the last of the rats, getting some semblance of a blood pool back.

Cadmus looked at Miranda, who was wearily leaning on his side at this point, he dug into his jacket and gave her a blue blood pack, "Here."

Miranda drank it down quickly, "Thank you." She said quietly.

Dragomir seemed curious, "Is your clan allergic to the blood of the living?"

"Ventrue can't drink from the blood of animals." Cadmus said, "Or humans of poorer blood. We just throw it back up. Clan weakness."

"Ah…I see…" He mused, "Well, your clan has the art of strategy. Anyhow, it seems a lot of the work done by your clan is in more…populous areas where other means of blood can be obtained." He paused and looked around, as if he heard something, before he continued, "But I can only imagine it's still frustrating."

Victor pulled a lever, which lowered a gate that allowed them to pass into the next room, another head runner lurked in the shadows, going in for the attack. Dragomir stepped forward and took the attack as the thing slashed at his chest. He punched it first, then grabbed his shotgun and fired at it.

The monster flinched and fell back, running at Dragomir again, but this time Slade stepped in and slashed it to pieces. Dragomir grinned and gave Slade a big hug, ruffling his hair before they continued.

Two more head runners rounded the nearest corner, but Cadmus and Miranda drew their respective weapons and took them out. When another pair arrived, Victor started shooting at the closer one.

Tess struggled with the other one, before Dragomir came in and shot it. He glared at her, sharp enough for her to see though the lenses, before he turned around, "Everyone's alright?"

"Yes, for now." Victor said.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Slade said, "This…this seems kinda…endless…when are we going to find the Nosferatu?"

"I…I believe we've…been around this corner already…" Miranda said.

"That's because everything looks the same!" Slade said, "God damn it…"

"They can't just have endless tunnels, we have to find a way out somehow." Dragomir said, "A vent?"

"Yes, that sounds like a reasonable assumption." Victor said, trying to look for small crannies to crawl through.

Three head runners started to come at them from behind, attacking them all off guard.

Dragomir yelped, then did a somersault to disorient the beast. Tess on the other hand flopped on the ground and got mauled. Cadmus and Miranda helped Dragomir with the head runner attacking him as well as the third one, while Slade wrestled the head runner on top of Tess, killing it in a few strokes.

Tess gave a shaky sigh, "I need blood…" She whimpered.

Cadmus reached in his jacket for another blue blood bag, but Slade held a hand out, "Cadmus! Don't. You're literally throwing your blood away. She won't be any more useful with or without blood in her system. She'll only hold us back."

Cadmus considered it, but he handed the bag to Tess anyway.

She took the bag and drank from it like it was the first blood she's ever had. She then gave Slade a bitter look as she tucked the bag in her top.

"What?" Slade snapped, "Was anything I said incorrect?"

She walked ahead of them and kept moving forward in a seemingly random direction.

Dragomir snorted, "Let's follow the dog, she'll sniff out the right way for us."

A head runner crawled out of a sewer pipe and lunged at Tess, as she was leading. It roared and reached out to claw at her face. She screamed and covered her face, stumbling back against the wall. Cadmus held Tess's body firmly, taking out one of his knives and slashing the monster off, eventually finishing it with his axe.

Tess put a hand on his upper arm, "Thank you Cadmus…" She said, a deep scratch above her eye that dripped down her nose.

Cadmus gave a listless nod back, the look in his eyes suggested that he wasn't completely there with the rest of them.

Victor pointed to the pipe where the monster who attacked Tess came from, "Let's head through there…it may be the only possible exit out of these catacombs."

"I'll lead." Dragomir volunteered as his pants squeaked when he ducked down low. He crept through the pipe and went through the other side, holding his gun out to shoot any oncoming monsters.

On the other side, there was a big deluge of sewer water, as well as a huge wheel-shaped lever on the other side of the pool of water, and a trap door beneath the vat. It looked as much of a dead end as anything.

He lowered his gun as the others started walking in, "It smells like stench."

"Damn it, is this a dead end?" Slade asked.

"I don't believe so." Victor hopped in the water, floating towards the lever, "Everyone get in with me."

Dragomir seemed upset to get his coat wet, but he jumped in anyway, along with the others.

"Hopefully this shall lead us to the Nosferatu." Victor mused as he turned the wheel, the trap door opened, sucking them all inside.

* * *

The raw sound of bones snapping and cracking through ligaments and muscle didn't sound the same without the feeling of his presence in the room.

Neither did the sound of bone connecting with a hollow lead pipe.

Or a shot-gun slug blowing through a thick chunk of pectoral.

None of it was the same. Not even spitting in his face. So why did he keep it up?

Well, why not, he figured. Lazy asshole, the kid called him. Telling him he didn't do anything helpful around here, telling him he just sat around and played games with Jack all day.

And getting his ass kicked by Cams didn't exactly help his uncontrollable anger either.

So, naturally, he kidnapped one of the Prince's councilmen, or whatever the hell they called themselves, tied a few of his fancy ties around his mouth as a gag, threw him in a garbage bag, dropped him in the back of his pickup truck, and delivered him to the basement. The only other person who knew where he lived was Anastasia, so his little intimate date with the Primogen was going just as planned.

Because Gangrel were drifters. The other Anarchs stopped bothering trying to figure out where Skelter lived, because he always had his heart set in the right place, he'd always meet them wherever they needed to go, it never was a problem.

But he'd be damned if they figured out about this.

The Brujah seethed in his chair, shuddering and wincing as Skelter whacked him over the head with a piece of plywood. Burning anger away cast aside, the idiot didn't even try to comply with Skelter's bargaining. Even if he wasn't furious, Skelter would beat the living daylights out of him.

The Primogen coughed before he looked up, the 'gag' around his mouth was long torn to shreds, "They're going to kill you, you sleazy dog!" He was the one who was doing any barking, which Skelter found bitterly ironic, "You think you can just get away with this!?"

Skelter looked down at him, crossing his arms, before he raised his foot up and landed it in the man's chest, lucky Mr. Primogen was sitting down or he might not have been able to reach, "You better give me some sort of leeway here or it's only gonna get worse."

"Where the hell are the others, huh? _Huh!?_ " The man's voice was rather whiny, fitting for a cohort of LaCroix's, "What the hell even is this!? You make yourself out to be an Anarch, this isn't something even the Anarchs would do!" He screamed, "This is Sabbat level fucked up!"

Skelter's eyes narrowed. A neonate, no doubt, or at least a few years younger than himself. Not old enough to know how these politics worked outside the cubicle, how the barrel of a gun sounded when it was up against your forehead rather than on TV. The Anarchs had been using violence since day one, but it wasn't their only means of dealing with people.

Really, in Skelter's mind, there were two subdivisions of Anarchs. The 'Abrams' Anarchs, which were few and far between, and the 'Rodriguez' Anarchs. The Abrams Anarchs were much more willing to deal with bullshit, sure. A bit more flexible with the Camarilla, in exchange, they had higher expectations with them. The Rodriguez Anarchs were a bit more direct. So long as the Camarilla existed, they were kidnapping, they were mugging, stabbing, doing whatever they could to keep the population down. And forget mercy when it came to the Kuei-Jin.

The Rodriguez Anarchs had more numbers, sure. But they lost as many members a night as they gained them. These were the types of Anarchs who were passionate and loyal, likely to be Brujah, who often turned into cannon fodder, and more dangerously, news reports on the Prince's desk. The Abrams Anarchs were rare but lethal. Any clan in between that wasn't Sabbat, Independent or Camarilla usually fell into that category, and they usually knew Abrams very well. They were the strategists, the blueprints behind each attack, the carefully crafted letters that sent the Cams into an embarrassing spiral of decline.

And, due to the difference between them, both sides often got in fights with each other. Rodriguez Anarchs felt that Abrams's crew was mostly posers or flimsy Toreadors who thought too much, while Abrams Anarchs usually felt Rodriguez's Anarchs were too brutal and careless.

War could do things to split people up into a-thousand different factions. But at least there was some sort of common ground between them. Diablerie? Never. Involving kine? No. They weren't Sabbat. _That_ he took as an insult.

The reason any of this came to Skelter's mind fell back on the reason he kidnapped the bumbling Brujah in the first place. Because Nines was gone. What the hell were the Rodriguez Anarchs without Rodriguez? Without a man 'in charge' who could hold a hand out to someone in need, and with the same hand, slap a Cam so hard in the jaw, it'd come clean off?

Skelter envied him, sure. He would admit that much, he looked up to how resilient Nines was. Killing, kidnapping, and plotting against Cams wasn't the same without him. There was too much danger, too many 'what-if's that Skelter didn't want to bother thinking about. Skelter was far from perfect, and he relied on Nines to handle the things he couldn't cover, the speed, the wit, the patience. On the flip-side, it was Skelter's raw strength, his realism, and the loyalty Nines depended on. Solo missions were impossible with the kind of 'business' they dealt in.

He remembered when he first met Nines. Both of them were younger back then, more innocent, somehow. They had bloodstains on their hands, but not enough to hold them back from laughing around a campfire about things kine would talk about, about things other than Jyhad.

He snapped out of his reverie when the Primogen spit on his boot. Pissed? Surprisingly not. Amused was more like it, "Did you just spit on me? One of the Prince's own sparkling jesters _spit_ on me?"

"Thought I'd do you one back." He grumbled, referring to the spit Skelter left on his light blue dress shirt, stained with splotches of dark brownish-red. Fair enough.

Skelter stepped back and grabbed his trusty plywood again, "I'm gonna tell you again, real slow so you get it through your sick head." He said as he chucked the wood in the air and caught it, "You're gonna get LaCroix to call off that damn Blood Hunt. And you got a week to do it."

"It ain't happening!" He spat, "Sorry your little Anarch buddy went and fucked himself over by killing Grout, cause there ain't a thing I can do about it! Go on, hit me over the head, kill me too, if you'd like! Then you and him can both be a pile of ash for all I care, cause then you'll get a Blood Hunt on your ass too!"

"I don't think you know anything about me." He said, "I keep my hands clean. There isn't a single drop of evidence anywhere. You'll die just as insignificant as you were when you came into this world."

He laughed before Skelter swung the plank over his face so hard, it knocked him out of the chair. His cheek burned where a nail that was stuck through the plank pierced, "What…that's it…?" He coughed, "You think you got away with this? There are cameras in my apartment, sweetheart, enough to track down someone fitting your appearance with ease!"

Skelter chuckled, "There ain't a single soul in that apartment who saw or heard me. Cameras included."

"How the hell…" He twitched on the ground, figuring now was not the time for playing games, "So you just want me to go to LaCroix, tell him to call off the Blood Hunt, and that'll be that? Do you realize how Blood Hunts work, idiot? They're irreversible! You can't just, call a Blood Hunt, say ' _oopsies'_ , and then call it back!"

"Prince mentioned something about how executions can't be called off either, but I see a scrawny Toreador fledgling waddling around out there with his head still on his neck."

He seethed with rage, "Even if I did comply with your terrible ruse, what the hell kind of evidence would I have? Oh, Prince LaCroix, call off the Blood Hunt, please, because I said so…? What kind of idiot do you take him for, he'll know I was put up to it!"

"I don't care what you have to do. I don't care if you have to hack into the Nosferatu systems yourself to make some evidence, but it better happen in a week, or I'll throw your ashes out at sea myself."

"I can't do that!"

"That sucks." He said bluntly as he grabbed a lead pipe off the ground and wondered if it would sound as satisfying as it always did as he drove it into his skull. He tried to imagine Nines was behind him with a pipe of his own. Nines didn't do nearly as much beating around as Skelter did, he was always the negotiator. The words of wisdom, unless they were Kuei-Jin. Then _his_ fists were the one covered in blood, before Skelter could even get to them.

The Brujah yelped and shook in pain as he held his head, "You'll get killed so hard, you filthy animal…"

Would he get caught? When he was with Nines, they always covered each other's footsteps. And now Nines was gone, committed guilty to something he didn't even do. Would it be that bad if he got caught? If he got put up to a Blood Hunt, and had to hide? He and Nines could hide together.

Like the old days, when there were no Cams taking their land, even before the Kuei-Jin, when they aimlessly wandered around and did what they wanted, where they wanted, running from the cops to preserve their own lives. It was fun. They laughed as they hid in a bush like two idiot teenagers of some sort, they laughed after the cops shone flashlights down at them and saw nothing. Nines had to be the only friend Skelter ever had, and he was sure as hell Nines was the only man he'd trust with his life.

His eyes closed briefly and his mind brought him back to Bangkok, the last day of his leave in his first year at Vietnam. He saw her sitting on the pool table with his pool stick in her hands like always, touching it and eyeing it over in a way that was wildly inappropriate, even for a pool stick, "They call you Skelter, huh?" A smile played on her lips, "Why, cuz you crazy or somethin'?"

He kept his hands in his pockets as he watched the chaos in the room, leaning against the wall. He didn't like her, but she was talkative. And she was maybe one of two other people who weren't white in the entire building. "I dunno." He admitted, "They called me Skelter one day and it stuck."

"They? Who's they? The other soldiers?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"I dunno, what if you got friends back at home?" When he snickered and looked away, she inched closer towards him, "You ain't got friends back home?"

"Not where I'm from."

"Where you from, then?"

"Chicago."

"Oh…rotten luck." She crossed her arms, "They throw rocks at you or somethin'?"

He snickered, "It wasn't _that_ bad."

She sat back on the table and twirled a finger in her hair, her bright red nails getting lost in the forest of curls, "You ain't gonna make it nowhere without friends. Take it from me, sweetheart."

His brow furrowed, "What the hell do you know?"

"Enough to tell you that you ain't gonna make it nowhere without some good friends. How the hell do you think I ended up here, hon?"

"I got the entire team on my side."

"Uh huh." She said as she looked around, "Do you really? Ain't Skelter kinda an insult?"

"It's cause I got good aim…what the hell's the big fuss?"

Her dark eyes met his for a fleeting second before she turned back to her pool stick, "Why aren't you hangin' out with them right now, huh?"

He paused, the taste of beer in his mouth growing bitter. He needed more. "Cause I'm shit at pool."

"That's why? You aren't just feedin' me lies?"

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"You sure it ain't cause they left you over here with the little mixed girl to make some dark little babies?" She raised a brow, "I know why you boys come to Bangkok, it ain't to rest your weary heads and catch up on sleep. They left you in the dust cuz they don't like you. They want you to disappear, they don't want to deal with you any more than they have to. Ever think about that?"

"No, cause it ain't true."

"They gonna stab you in the back." She shrugged, "'Til you learn how to make real friends, you're gonna go out and get yourself killed."

"I am not." He insisted firmly, "I'll worry about friends when this goddamn war is over."

She laughed for a moment, leaning in towards him and whispering, "Life ain't gonna be worth it without friends, soldier or not."

His eyes opened as he watched the Primogen squirm on the ground, trying to wrestle his way out of his handcuffs. If he learned one thing from Anastasia, it was that a surprising amount of people own handcuffs.

He had friends other than Nines he could depend on. He had to. Why was his mind coming up blank? Nines couldn't be the only person he relied on. His mind flickered through the other Anarchs like some sort of slide show. Jack? No, no one was friends with Jack, except for maybe a few of his crewmates from whatever ship he was from. Damsel? She was hardly an Anarch in his eyes, just a misplaced flowerchild like the girls in Vietnam. She infuriated him, really, she thought so much of herself, yet had no experience under her belt, no sense of strength. She could boss around the ghouls and fledglings, keep stock of their cash and pay taxes, but that was about it. She cried like a baby when things didn't go right, because she just didn't belong. Killian was just like Kent, useless and washed up. He was sure they'd see Killian for a few more years before he either shot his mouth off or fucked over the wrong person. Either that, or he'd move to the other side of the country like Kent to get away from it all. And Anastasia?

The Brujah sprawling on the floor cried out as Skelter grabbed his shotgun and fired it in one shot, right in the man's chest. The thick blood splattered on his pants. Anastasia made him even angrier. What did he even see in her? She wasn't any different than Damsel, she grew up on weed and somehow ended up on their side. She could throw a punch, sure, but she had no independence, no incentive. So why did he feel so responsible for her? Why did he _want_ to feel responsible for her?

" _You kids alright?" Isaac asked as he woke Skelter from his spell, "I saw you both passed out in the theater…I…words cannot describe how sorry I am. I had no idea the events would turn out in the fashion that they did."_

" _Yes, I removed the stake from her heart. She seems stable for now." He said later when Skelter pressed him on her condition, "In a few minutes, I may try waving a blood bag near her face, that might do it. Especially if she went down hungry. But in all seriousness Skelter. Here, take this." He handed him a few fairly large bills, "Take it. I insist. That's a mess I could never have anticipated. I wish the best for both of you."_

It wasn't as if she was the only other Gangrel he had ever met. Was it because she was left sireless? He remembered trying to eat after he was Embraced, throwing it back up and wondering why he couldn't stomach anything. Wondering why his teeth felt so off, why he was even still alive if he hadn't been able to eat for a week. And then he met Nines.

But he didn't see her as a friend. He felt like he had to protect her, why? How did she do it? What infuriated him even more was how he pissed her off. How she managed to be bothered by him calling her a bitch, or a brat. And yet she liked Killian. Loved Killian, when Killian had to be the most sexist man Skelter had ever met. Did she even realize how much he was using her? Did she realize he'll get as many catches as he can, just because he can? Even with VV clearly in his grasp, she didn't have a care in the world, she still wanted him. He could tell. And yet Skelter was repulsive, for getting a little too angry, for caring too much for her safety.

The Kindred on the floor sat up and hung his head low as he spat up a small puddle of blood, "This…this is all your kind is good for, isn't it?" He looked up, his glare was crooked and cold, "Kidnapping, stealing, raping, murdering…" His voice was low and gravelly.

"My kind, huh?" Skelter raised a brow as he tossed the barrel of the shotgun up and down in one hand. "Guess you never met Beckett."

"Beckett…?" He raised a brow, then laughed, "Oh…oh no…I wasn't talking about your _clan_ …"

Skelter bared his teeth as he grabbed the gun by the barrel and whipped it down so hard, the gun actually shattered as it hit the man's head. He fell back to the ground, Skelter threw the piece of the barrel at him too. It rang off his head uselessly and hit the ground.

His _kind_. Skelter hacked up a nice wad of spit, it landed on his split skull. Good.

The broken Brujah moaned as he clutched his head and whimpered uselessly, like a puppy without its mother. But it still wasn't satisfying. Skelter couldn't think of a damn thing to say to him, because Nines did the talking. Nines would have picked him apart by now, Nines would have the man crying. Then he'd step back and Skelter would beat him until those tears only multiplied. That's how they handled Cams who were as difficult as this one.

He couldn't think back to many of these business transactions. One or two, perhaps, any other memories were with Kuei-Jin, the burning sense of gratification when one of them died slowly and painfully, one of the ones who killed a close ally. Most of it was done with Isaac nowadays, to prevent the Prince from getting too involved. No, the goal was to collapse the Camarilla around LaCroix's feet. Then when his foundation had been eaten away, he too, would topple into the flames.

He reached over and threw a bag of lukewarm blood to the enemy when he felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. He grabbed it and saw the number, before the phone fell from his hand and landed on the ground.

Really, it fell out of his hand because he couldn't hold it very well with such long claws.

His snarl consumed the air around him as he turned to the bleeding Primogen on the ground, jumping closer and pinning the man to the ground, tearing his throat out with his teeth. Mr. Primogen's caterwaul could be heard from miles, lucky Skelter was the only other soul within the radius. As his long claws sunk into his flesh like a warm knife into cold butter, the man choked up his last, unnecessary breath and went limp.

Then he turned into a pile of ash.

Skelter was so fast, he didn't even get _time_ to frenzy.

Skelter stood on his two bestial feet. It was almost comical, Skelter in his beast form. His shoulders were doubled in size, his head and neck had to weigh at least forty pounds of solid muscle. His arms were muscular, his claws huge enough to crush a man's skull in it. But his legs were thin and bony, like a dog's, they looked so fragile. And they could support his entire weight, at times.

His frenzies weren't always as long and drawn out as others. By no means could he control them, because sometimes they lasted hours. But in times like these, they also lasted seconds. He came to his senses and stumbled back against the wall, holding his forehead, keeping his breathing in control. He remembered Beckett's bright red eyes, the piercing look behind them. His hands, more like claws, his teeth almost seemed feral. Because he frenzied _once_.

How many times had Skelter frenzied? In the past year, no, month? Week?

He chastised himself, like a mother telling their child to stop making faces, or they'd end up stuck that way forever.

Final Death was nothing he wanted to find, not with the Cam in control of L.A. And if the Beast already used his body as its puppet any time he felt a little too angry, what happened if it never gave him back? If it took the strings and just held on?

He'd be just as good as Mr. Primogen.

Skelter stepped forward, his footing uneven as he grabbed a pack of blood off the floor and drank it all. Brujah-ash-pile surely wasn't going to use it. His amber eyes darted towards the clock, where he caught a brief reflection of himself. The black hoodie and jeans almost made him do a double take. He had almost completely forgotten that he even put them on. He looked just like his brother, who would wear the same thing around every day. Well, until they were drafted.

He shook his head and pulled the hoodie up over his head again, grabbing the garbage bag he stuck the Camarilla Primogen into in the first place. He filled the bag with the man's ashes and tied it tight. Picking his phone up off the floor, he went upstairs into the kitchen and grabbed a pen, grabbed a pad of stained paper and an empty pistol from a cabinet. Then he paused. Pistols weren't exactly the quickest way out for Kindred. He chose a hunting knife instead. He liked the knife, but for the sake of his own life, parting with it wasn't exactly painful.

If the Primogen was any other clan but Brujah, Skelter would be screwed. His writing was shit, his cursive was long forgotten. Luckily, any sort of chicken-scratch he scrabbled down would suffice for a Brujah. He folded the note in half once, and stuck the paper in his back pocket as he grabbed the Primogen-bag and went back into his truck. The cop-magnet, he wanted to call it, after the run in with Anastasia. What pissed him off the most was that cops never bothered to pull him over. It was only when she was in the car did they bother with him.

As soon as he started driving, he tried to think of something to cheer himself up. Going sixty in a forty was probably a little excessive. He remembered his brief visit to the east coast. Well, not exactly the east coast, but pretty close to it. D.C. was crowded, even late at night, when Nines urged him to go. The pair had even travelled across the state in Nines' Jeep, he remembered Nines totaling it on the way back. Skelter didn't see any reason to go to D.C., he felt he had done enough for the country, when Nines took him to a new memorial of some sort. The soldiers lost in Vietnam. Sure enough, there was a plaque of Skelter's name, his _real_ name. Because, well, he had gone missing.

It hurt at first, to see that he was just another name, just another one of the many who had disappeared. He didn't even deserve to be on that wall, not with people who _really_ went missing. He felt like a cheater, like he shouldn't have even been standing there at all.

And then Nines put a hand on his back and smiled, making fun of his name.

They made their way home after that, not even exchanging a word about it. Skelter was almost offended, before he realized why Nines took him there. Before he realized that Nines saw him as a hero, Nines saw him as someone who deserved respect as much as the other names on that wall.

The drive was quiet, save for the engine making god-knows what sort of sounds, the check-engine light flaring like a firetruck's lights. It would have to check itself for now, Skelter simply had no time. He jumped out of the truck with the bag in hand, his black hoodie did a good job of making him look completely invisible to the people on the streets.

When he got inside, his bright eyes flickered up to see that the cameras were still disabled. He had to thank his ravens for quite literally beating the camera so hard with their little wings that it snapped off the wall. Maybe the Brujah Primogen should have invested in a place with a bit more protection. He stepped into the elevator with the Primogen's remains, detesting the stale country music that played in the elevator as it took him up. The bell was broken, so it didn't ring as he got out.

Yup, that camera was still broken. As was the one in his room. What wasn't was the cleaning maid in his room, who took one look at him and gasped, holding her hands up, "Please, don't hurt me!"

So many options opened up for him. Well, he did what he did with the other witnesses. He didn't have a choice, and he certainly wasn't in the mood for causing problems. He approached her and grabbed her by the shoulders, sticking his fangs in her neck.

Kine didn't seem to remember a lot after having nearly all their blood drained.

What he didn't expect was the searing pain in his abdomen. He looked down to see the woman had stabbed him with a switchblade. It would have been lethal if he was human. He was just pissed. He grabbed the blade and tore it out, continuing to drink her as he folded it and stuck it in his back pocket. When she felt limp in his arms, not quite dead, but weakened, he set her down in the hallway, pushing her cleaning supplies out as well. She would likely never remember even stepping in his room.

And tending to the Primogen was another matter. He made sure the window was shut and the curtains were drawn before he grabbed the bag of Primogen and went into the bedroom. He cut the bag open with his knife, then an idea caught in his mind. Why use his own hunting knife, which could potentially be linked to him, when he could use the maid's weapon? It had blood stains on it as well, it would certainly be believable.

The ash made a soothing sound as it was dumped onto the tidy bed, like sand being poured out. It puffed in the air, Skelter made sure not to breathe it in. He was no Toreador, but breathing in a person's _remains_ was a little gross.

He crinkled the bag up and stuffed it into his pocket. No one needed to get their hands on it. Then he took out the maid's switchblade and left it on the bed next to the pile of ash. Finally, he grabbed the pen and the note, setting them out on his desk. He turned the lamp on, eyeing the place over before he stepped back. He looked around the entire apartment, making sure he didn't leave a singular footstep behind as he left the elevator.

He didn't mean to kill the Primogen. It just hit him as he left that he did. He killed the man who could have freed Nines.

Well, at least he did _something_. Killian couldn't say he did _nothing_. He couldn't say he sat on his ass and watched things happen, because he didn't. He tried to free Nines, and when he couldn't, he killed a Cam. Not just any Cam, but a Primogen. How many did that leave, three? The Prince would be nervous, no doubt, no matter how well he hid it.

He pulled his hoodie down, then took it off. He saw his brother in it one last time, the dumb smile he always wore when Skelter told him to wash the damn thing once and a while. But a Blood Hunt? Not worth it. His brother didn't need it anymore anyway. He sighed and approached a homeless man, who skittered back nervously.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you." Skelter held a hand out, "You want a hoodie? It's cold out."

"…what did you do to it, kill a guy?"

 _Smart guy._ "Don't you think that's a little racist?"

The homeless man sharply snatched the hoodie and reached into the pocket, taking out the garbage bag, "The hell is this?"

Skelter turned away with his hands in his pockets, heading back to his truck. As he got in, his phone buzzed. He took a deep sigh in through his nose and grabbed the cell phone, "The fuck you want, lick?"

"Jesus, what the hell happened that you missed my call?" Killian's voice was mixed with some sort of club music, "What if something happened?"

"Then I'd let you kick the fucking bucket." He said as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove back towards his house. He didn't have time to linger.

"What the hell did I do to you?"

"Why are you calling? What's wrong?"

"That's what I'm asking you."

"God dammit…" He growled through clenched teeth, "You're such a fucking Toreador."

"I am not."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, kid."

"Why do I piss you off? Simple as that. Wouldn't life be a lot easier if you didn't hate everyone around you?"

"No."

Killian clearly was unsatisfied with that answer. It made Skelter smirk a bit, "Look, jackass, I don't know what I did, so you better clear things up for me before I start guessing."

"Guessing?" Skelter asked, "What, are you fifteen? Does it matter? Earn my respect and maybe we'll see how things go."

"Earn your respect? What, like you're some high and mighty figure to look up to?" He asked, sounding as if he started to lose his own patience, "You're just some bitter asshole with PTSD who can't get over all the fucking time you wasted as a human. I don't want to hear it, I get it, your life sucked. Give it up already, will you?"

"I'm about ready to hang up and wring your scrawny neck."

"You're not Nines, I'm not obligated to care about you."

"Oh, so that's it? I'm not Nines, so you don't care?" He asked flatly, "I got over ten years over you, kid, I have experience, and you act like a goddamn equal to me."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm better than you are."

Maybe frenzying _wasn't_ the wrong thing to do earlier. Because _this_ is who Anastasia liked. "I don't know how the hell Nines saw a damn thing in you."

"Cause I get shit done." He said, "Simple as that."

He wasn't going to even hint that the Primogen was dead. No, he didn't deserve that. "And the Gargoyle in Hollywood, that was you? Course, cause Isaac sent you to it. My bad, forgot Anastasia and I actually did something."

"Pfft. I bet 'Stasia put more work in than you did. I heard you were puking up your guts the entire time!"

"She did not put in more work than I did." He said bitterly through the phone, "I'd like to see you fight a hundred-year old Tremere, smart-ass."

"Oh my god."

"What?" He spat with intense fury.

"'Stasia…this is about 'Stasia, isn't it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He heard Killian's condescending laugh over the line, "You like her, don't you?" He cackled again, "And you're pissed that she doesn't like you back, huh? Wonder why that is? Maybe cause you're a fucking dickhead!"

"I think you're delusional." He pulled in and got out, heading inside and going to his basement to clean the place up, "I think you're cocky and delusional."

"Cocky, huh?"

"The whole world doesn't revolve around you, shithead." He spat, "You just think everyone's obsessed with you, they either want you dead or want you in bed, huh?"

"That's not what I think, that's how it is."

Skelter hung up. He couldn't take much more. He'd snap his phone in half, if he could afford another one. He didn't want to risk it, not when Nines could call any minute if something went wrong. He turned his attention to the bloodied pipes, the broken pieces of gun. He threw them all in a garbage bag and brought them out into the garbage can in the front. He was thankful it'd be in a landfill some point tomorrow, less time for any sort of suspicion to come about.

As for the anger bubbling up in his chest, he took it out with target practice, like he always did. He remembered her straddling the pool table, his second year. He thought she'd died, or gone home, but there she was, with money sticking out of her top, like she wanted someone to reach forward and snag it, "Skelter, you make friends yet?" It was her greeting.

"I'm surprised you're still alive. Thought you woulda' got chlamydia by now and kicked the bucket."

"I'm surprised you're alive too. Cause you ain't shit to them, honey. Not jack shit." She smiled a bright smile, "Clock doesn't tick forever. You better find someone you can trust with the thoughts in that head, before they eat you alive."

* * *

 **A/N:** See Skelter, you need friends, or else you get angry and do hasty things like kill Primogen…Thanks for reading!


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-seven! [TrIpLe UpDaTe] Something about 'Stasia the Mediator being sad isn't right…let's fix that. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

The water was cool, and not having to breathe was a nice change, since they were already dead. It almost masked the fact that it was dirty sewer water they were swimming through. As they swam a bit more, a deathly pinwheel was headed their way, coated in spikes. Anyone who crossed its path would most likely be shredded to pieces. Cadmus acted quickly, he climbed up a nearby ladder and held his arms out, giving anyone a boost who needed it, out of the water and onto dry land.

Dragomir shook himself off like a dog when they got onto land, "I forgot we didn't have to breathe…"

Slade shook himself off as well, looked disgusted by swimming in that water for so long, "Damn it…do…do the Nosferatu live here?"

Four of the head runners popped out of nearby sewer pipes, attacking all of them while they were drying off.

"I'm guessing not…" Cadmus said quietly as he pulled his axe out.

Dragomir used his gun as a sledgehammer of sorts, smacking them around with it towards those who had sharper weapons.

Victor shot the last one dead once Cadmus and Miranda sliced apart the rest of them, "I must confess, I'm not sure I purchased enough ammunition for this trip." Victor said.

"I have another boom-stick that I haven't used yet." Dragomir said, "Another shotgun."

"Do you?" Victor smiled, "I'll consider it." Tess rolled her eyes.

The next section had another four monsters, it seemed the further they went down, the smarter the monsters got, as they would typically wait in pipes and pop out and attack and poor unsuspecting soul that was nearby.

Slade growled, every time he saw these hideous things, it reminded him of his plunge into un-life. How he would have graduated college, met April again, and lived a normal, happy life, if it wasn't for any of them. He sped around the room, killing them all with his enhanced speed.

Dragomir seemed surprised, concerned, almost, then he remembered Genevieve's words, _"I see a clouded future ahead of him. He will get lost."_

"Nicely done." Victor smiled.

"Where the hell do we go now, through one of these pipes?" Slade asked.

"Hmm…it doesn't seem so…" Victor looked through the pipes, then he picked up a nearby barrel.

"What are you doing with that?"

He threw it in the water, and it floated towards the pinwheel, freezing it in its tracks, "Climb up that, and use the adjacent pipe to travel further."

"Ooh, I like to climb." Dragomir said as he jumped on the barrel and climbed up. It almost looked like it'd break under his weight, but he managed.

On the other side, eight head runners greeted them, now it seemed the monsters were outnumbering the vampires.

Dragomir fired his gun a few times at one of them, seeming to enjoy the blood that sprayed all over him. He then saw Tess flail about, and shot at that one as well.

Slade looked exhausted once they were all dead, "I…I don't have high hopes for this…" He muttered, as Cadmus sucked down a blue blood bag.

Dragomir adjusted his glasses, "It isn't the end, Slade, we'll pull through."

He looked at Dragomir, unsure on whether to believe him or not, they continued onward. They headed down a long hallway, and eventually down a flight of stairs, when eight more monsters popped out of their pipes and ambushed them.

Dragomir stepped forward and fired at more of them, until one of them latched around his head and he stumbled back into Tess. They both fell to the ground, the monster having a field day with both Tess and Dragomir there for him to tear into.

Slade looked back, swallowing hard. He increased his speed and killed the remainder of the monsters, halting in his tracks once Celerity was deactivated. He looked around, all of his allies were covered in scuffs and scars, some deeper than others. (With the exception of Cadmus and Victor. The former of which just drank a blood pack, the latter of which had a Blood Shield up, so it was impossible to tell how he was doing). How much more of this could they all take?

Dragomir sat up and took off his broken glasses, seeming mightily upset, "I liked these glasses…damn." He folded them and stuck them in his pocket as he looked up at Slade, "You're alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Slade said, then he almost fell over, "Shit…I…I need blood…" He pulled out a blood pack from his little pack and drank it down.

Dragomir's mind wandered again as he thought about the Kindred he was working with, how many of them drank blood or needed blood. He hardly needed any. His Auspex would have been good if he wasn't shooting targets at point blank range, so he didn't need that. His Obfuscate wouldn't do a thing since the monsters would see all his friends. Dementation would do nothing to those creatures. His three Brujah disciplines would all be rather helpful, he was sure, but he couldn't use them for the safety of his own life. He felt like he wasn't putting in nearly as much effort, like there was some sort of unbalance, "I'll keep leading." He offered, knowing it was the most he could do.

The next room led to a balcony of sorts, with two head runners on the opposing balcony. Victor pulled his gun out and shot them dead, reloading, "Well…that's one less mess we have to deal with…"

Miranda squinted, seeing a few terminals nearby, she started typing into a few of them, "This…isn't good…" She said.

"What is it?" Dragomir peered over, his eyes scanning the screens, "Uh oh."

"We may have to swim in sewer water again." Miranda said.

"Alright, might as well get it over with." Slade said, looking at the nearby flow of water.

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. First, I'll have to shut the water off. Then back on. In the interim of the generator powering back up, we'll need to swim as fast as we can through the water channel. That will lead us to the Nosferatu."

"Tess, why don't you do that, since you're quick?" Dragomir asked, "We'll all jump in the water, you use Celerity and turn it off, then turn it on. Then you run and catch up to us."

She looked around at all of them, then nodded, "Very well."

"Good." Dragomir said as he ran off the edge and jumped, then dove into the water like a professional swimmer, the four others followed him, and then Tess herself, using Celerity. They swam through the sewer canals, searching for the Nosferatu.

* * *

"Hey…uh…" Anastasia heard Damsel walk over, a deep and soft sound of her converse on the unpolished floors, "That new ghoul kid, Jason…he…uh…he brought some blood over. Good stuff, too…payed for it and everything, he's a good egg…" She held out a bag towards her, "Want any?"

She nodded and took it, sheepishly drinking from it. She thanked her quietly after it.

"Uh huh." She gave a small smile, "Did you…want to come sit downstairs with me? Talk? I dunno…so you don't have to sit up here alone?" She asked, "I don't know where the hell Jack has been…and Skelter's been ignoring my calls…so…I dunno, you just look lonely…"

She considered it, then she gave a small nod, following her downstairs.

It was pretty empty downstairs too, Damsel sat at the booth across from Anastasia, pretty quiet. She played with a used napkin on the table that someone was rude enough to leave behind before she looked up at her again, "None of us think of you any differently, if that's what you were worried about."

"…why not…?"

"Why not?" Damsel repeated in shock, "Because…because you're one of us…you're…you're family to us!" She said, then she winced as she remembered Cadmus was half the reason Anastasia was feeling this way, "Look, we got your back, okay? We take care of one another, what happened to you in that theater could have happened to _anyone_. Even Skelter got his ass kicked, right? Tremere suck, there was nothing you could have done to prevent that from happening."

"But it's my fault. I pissed off the Tremere. I pissed off Cadmus. I'm drawing all this negative attention to you guys. And I can't kill them to make them go away."

"Well, then that can't be the answer. Maybe we can't take the easy way out and just shove some lead between their ears. Maybe it's a sign that there's gotta be another way."

"Like what?"

She paused and bit her lip. "I could…uh…call Nines?" She asked, "He…usually has good advice for these sorts of things…or maybe Isaac?"

The door opened and Skelter walked in with his hands in his pockets. He seemed confused when he looked over to where Damsel usually stood, then saw where she was in the booths, "Yo."

"'Yo'?" Any of that rare sympathy on her face? Compassion? Caring? Gone. "Don't you dare 'yo' me!" She spat, "Where the hell have you been, jackass?"

"Just…runnin' some errands."

"More like hiding with your tail between your legs." She stood up and put her hands on her hips, "I called you six times."

"Saw that."

She raised a brow, "And…?"

"And…?"

"Why didn't you pick up?"

"Told you, I was busy."

"Doing what?" She spat, "Better be good."

"Just…stuff, alright? Doesn't matter."

"What sort of stuff? Selling out Nines to the Cammies, huh? Howling at the moon with that long-haired, red-eyed creep?"

"Alright, first of all, I've only spoken to Beckett twice in my entire life. Second of all, he isn't a Cammie…so even if we did hang out for whatever reason, it wouldn't really mean anything."

She crossed her arms, "You have to let us know when you go places, dick."

"I didn't go anywhere, I was just doing some stuff, alright?"

"Yeah, fine." She spat, leaning against the wall, "You're looking a lot more chipper since that mage wiped the floor with your ass."

"You wanna go fight him, Damsel? Be my guest. Popcorn'll be on me."

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes, "Where the hell is Jack?"

"Jack…? How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"I thought you'd see him while you were doing your _errands_."

"No, I didn't see him anywhere."

She scowled, "That ape better not do something he regrets."

"I don't pin Jack as the sort of man who regrets anything he does…"

"Well, now that you're back, you might as well make yourself useful. A bunch of idiots left a mess upstairs, go take care of it for me, would ya?"

"That sounds like something for you to take care of."

She growled, then stomped upstairs, muttering something about how he was a lazy ass.

He walked up to the booths and sat across from Anastasia, "Glad to see you got some color back to your face. Or as much as you can get." He said with a smirk, "Feeling any better?"

Anastasia sighed, "No…" She said, "How could I be?"

"…well…I uh…" His throat bobbed, "Meant from…after the torpor…"

"Yeah…I'm just fine…"

He listened to Damsel brooding upstairs for another beat, then his eyes darted back over to her, "Did you want to come back to my place? It's off the map, we'd be safe. I wanted to talk to you 'bout something anyway."

"Uh…yeah, sure."

He stood up and left the Last Round with her, Damsel screaming something at them even once the door closed. It was silent as they walked back, Skelter didn't even look back to see that she was following. It made her wonder if she could just turn around and go back to talking with Damsel, if he'd even notice by the time he got in the truck.

He got in the driver's seat and didn't bother opening the door for her, figuring it would only kill time she would want to use at his place. Once they started driving, he turned his head towards her slightly but kept his eye on the road, "You used to be in a band, right? What kinda music did you play?"

"Metal." She said quietly.

"Metal?" He seemed surprised, "…huh…I had no clue. You play guitar then?"

"No. Not me…" She played with her dress, "Cadmus did."

"Yeah…yeah, I could see that. You must've been the singer then."

"Yeah, we both sang. It was a good contrast. People loved it."

"Yeah, I can imagine. How long did you do that for?"

"A while. At least, until I was Embraced."

A slight pause, nothing too uncomfortable, just enough to signify a shift in the conversation, "You don't mind me asking who your sire was, do you?"

She shrugged, "Just…some guy at one of our after parties…I think he was a pervert or something…so…we fooled around, then he bit my neck…and I woke up as a Gangrel. I had to cut Cadmus off real quick after that."

"Yeah, pretty sure something similar happened to Nines…I mean, as similar as it could be with a guy like him."

"Really? He was fooling around with someone?"

"I heard him talk about it once, years and years ago." He said, "He mentioned a girlfriend, seemed pretty pissed about her. He always makes a case about how terrible it is being left sireless…so…I connected the dots, I guess. Had a picture of her too, we uh…" He snickered, "We threw it at his car when it caught on fire one night…"

"I had no idea. I didn't think Nines ever had that sort of stuff in him. To settle down with someone else."

"Nowadays, forget it." He said, "Way too much shit goin' on for him to worry about being happy or nothing…" He was about to mention Killian, but decided not to as they pulled in.

"Hey, uh…" She said, taking her seatbelt off, "Sorry about…all the shit that happened, with the Gargoyle…"

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked, "I couldn't do anything either. That Tremere being up your ass has nothing to do with you. You tried to kill him before, I respect that." He hopped out of the truck and shut the door quite hard, "I'm sure everyone else would too, if they caught on." As he brought her into the rather run-down kitchen, he figured he was going to be in a similar place she was, at the very least, if they figured out about the Primogen.

She sat at the table, tears running down her cheeks as she sat down.

He sat across from her, "I wanted to talk to you about Cadmus…cause I think you got a lot of stuff to get off your chest." He said pretty quietly, but it was the only thing she could hear, besides maybe the house creaking, or the cricket that must have been in the other room.

She finally broke down, crying in her hands.

He wasn't going to butter her up with any of the fake sympathy he was sure she was used to, but he reached over and pat her shoulder. Really that was the only thing he could think of doing.

"…he…he reminds me of…my father…when he comes in and yells at me…"

Now he was really in deep water, "Your…your father, huh?" He leaned back, "Guess he wasn't a nice man…"

"He…he hated me…he hated both of us…he wanted us to…be his perfect little children…and the once we started showing signs of…being different, or…independent…then he was just…mad all the time…"

"You didn't live with him for very long, did you?"

"Fifteen years." She said, "Then he and my mom divorced…child protective services split Cadmus and I up…"

"Christ…" He sat back, "I had no idea it was such a mess…"

"He was…taken by one of our…Great Aunts or something, married to a CEO…and I was taking in by one of friends…they were really chill. You…you can probably already see how we got Embraced the way we did…"

He nodded, "Yeah, guess that makes sense…he must miss you a lot…if you only lived with each other for fifteen years."

"I don't…I don't want to leave you guys though…"

For a moment she thought he'd stopped paying attention, or maybe had nothing to say, then he looked up, "I don't think you have to. I think he's got a way to go yet, and once he sees how happy you are with us…I would hope he can settle with a compromise. Just cause you're on different sides doesn't mean you can't spend time together occasionally. Family can break rules. Not like a guy like him really cares all that much about rules anyway."

"No…he…he really doesn't…" She said, eventually breaking into a laugh.

He cracked a smile, "And I think having the ivory tower fall down would be a great time for the two of you to catch up."

"Do you think it's possible?"

He nodded firmly, "I'll help you make it possible, if I can. Last time I spoke to him, either my words sunk into his head, or he just really wanted to go home."

"Yeah…when I…when I frenzied…"

"Yeah, welcome to clan Gangrel." He said bluntly, "Happens to me every five minutes. Fuckin' waste of my time at this point, one of these days I'm gonna kill someone important…"

"You need to be careful." She poked his shoulder, "Or you'll end up like Beckett."

"I know…" He muttered, "I think about it every time I go nuts…what the hell will happen if I grow a tail and it doesn't go away?" He sighed, "Guess I'd just cut it off…"

"A tail…little ears…paws…a cute little nose…"

"Shut up…" He growled as he crossed his arms, "I would not be _cute_."

"Suit yourself." She smiled, wiping the last of her tears away.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his head, "Jeez, I remember when I first frenzied…" He said, "Nines threw a goddamn fire extinguisher at my head and knocked me out cold." He laughed, "Told me I looked like a werewolf."

She shuddered, "Don't say that…"

He paused and looked up at her, "Hey…uh…funny question." He crossed his arms in a way that definitely gave away that he felt a bit insecure, "We're…we're friends, right?"

"Is this your version of flirting?" Her smile grew.

His eye twitched, "What? No…" He shuffled in his seat, "Just…just when I was in Bangkok…this…this chick kept telling me I had no friends…I knew it wasn't true…guess that was before I met you or Nines…but…well, I had my brother…I wasn't shit at making friends, it wasn't my fault."

"Aren't all the Anarchs your friends?"

"Yeah…I mean…I guess…" He sighed, "Thought the soldiers were my friends back then, too, then…" He shook his head, "Shit happens. Damsel never liked me much and Jack's a bastard…don't even get me started on Killian…"

"So it's just me and Nines?"

He paused, "Well, when you put it like that, you make me sound like an asshole."

"I don't know. I like all the Anarchs…and I always assumed all the Anarchs like each other too…but I guess that's not the case…"

"I just…I just don't trust a lot of people." He said, "It's my fault, really…after those bastards threw me in a goddamn Venus-flytrap…"

"Hmm?"

He leaned in and rested his head on his fist as his arm leaned against the table, "You ever see the scars on my back?" He asked, "Not this one, this was from some…jackass's bullet…" He muttered as he rubbed the spot above his eye.

Her eyes widened, "What…happened to your back?"

"Well…" He sighed, "They…uh….they saw a trap. My squad, I guess. Saw a fake pile of leaves, clearly a trap…they wanted to set it off so no one else would get hurt, naturally…" He paused and looked up, "I was the only black guy on the team."

"Oh…yeah…" She said slowly, "I forgot…about…the uh…color problem…back then…"

"So…yeah, they tossed me in there like a sack of rocks. Thought I'd die out there, sons of bitches…" He grumbled, "You know barb-wire? Well…it was a dirt pit filled with this…damn wire shit that the Vietcong made nice and special, so when you try to pull it out, it takes out a good…dime-sized chunk of flesh. Lucky I landed on my back…if one of those got in my eye, I'd look like more of a pirate than Jack does."

"Aw…I feel so bad…especially since…well, the Kuei-Jin…they probably remind you…of…"

"Yeah, doesn't help that they prey on Anarchs like we're the only reason they're here." He rubbed his forehead, "The only reason I even got out of that pit was cause my little brother came out looking for me…I wouldn't be here if he didn't…and then what the hell do I go and do to repay him, kill him…?"

"You…killed your brother?"

"Yeah…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I don't think I'm ever gonna get over that…that's…that's why I didn't want you to kill Cadmus. To 'put him out of his misery'. Cause that's what I did with Tristan…"

She stared at the table, "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

He wiped a tear away from his eye, or maybe it was just itchy, "Cause I don't like to think about it…" He said, "I didn't want to make it about me, cause that wouldn't be fair."

"But it could be different for me. Cadmus is just a bitter shell of what he once was now." She said, "I'm not just trying to senselessly kill him. It's a safety thing. What if he started resorting to killing? What if he killed an Anarch every time his demands weren't met? He has Dominate, Skelter. Sure, it doesn't work on you or Jack, but…"

"I know, I know…I didn't senselessly kill my brother either, but I'm still pissed at myself…You'd just keep thinking of another way around it, you'd keep thinking about a different way it could have happened…" He shook his head, "It's just how our heads work. And I'm sure it would be even worse since you two haven't seen each other in years."

She looked at the table again, "I'm sorry Skelter…you're right, he…he is my brother…maybe there is another way…"

He nodded before he gave an irritated sigh, facing away, "Maybe there really _wasn't_ another way…I always thought, maybe I could just…take him to a hospital, spend every penny I ever had, put the family in debt to get him a plane ride home…but…he begged me….he got on his knees and begged me…what the hell was I supposed to do, let him live?" He punched the table, then remembered Anastasia was there, "Sorry. My bad." He faced her again and chuckled quietly, "I'm just glad you seem to be feeling better now. Both ways."

"I…I'm so sorry…" She said, "You should've told me. I…I feel like a jerk for talking about killing Cadmus. We…we have to fix each other…there has to be a way…"

"And there will be." He said, "He just…needs some time to get over everything that's been happening on that side. I don't doubt that the Ventrue do a lot of work…especially a man like him."

"I know…I'm just…scared of when he'll come back…and…and Victor…" She shrunk in her seat, "Every time I close my eyes…I see him…"

"I hate that bastard as much as you do, if not more. He picked beef with Nines for whatever reason when they were both alive, they've been going at each other's throats since. I don't like that he's got you tied up in this, and I don't blame you for it either. That's just how that chickenshit Camarilla works, getting as many goddamn innocents involved to make it even murkier."

"He'll…he'll kill me…he'll kill me…I just know it…I don't even know how that magic of his works…"

"It's blood magic, scares the shit out of all Kindred, probably even Jack, I can't say I blame you. Scares me too, but that damn mage is sadistic, he likes giving us hell. Which puts time on our side, at least."

"Shit…" She hugged herself.

"It'll be fine…" He said, "We just gotta watch our backs. Nothing new…this war has been going on for years, like a damn chess game, with month long pauses between moves."

"Mmm-hmm." She nodded.

He stood up and pushed his chair in, "You wanna go to your apartment, or the Last Round?"

"I just wanna go home." She said, "I know I was in freaking torpor, but I wanna sleep…"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I feel like torpor's a little different than sleep…little less relaxing." He grabbed his keys from his pocket and got back into the truck with her. The engine revved up, (yes, the check engine light still looked angry), and he pulled out of the garage, "James."

"Huh?" She looked at him.

"I just…figured since Nines figured it out one day…you ought to know too. Just don't go telling everyone at the Last Round."

"That's your name?"

"Yeah. They called me Skelter cause I caused all hell when the Cong were out there…Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure what it means…"

"I don't know why you don't just, use your real name."

"I dunno…I never liked it."

"It's sexy."

The rest of the ride to her apartment was dead quiet as his throat bobbed. Mainly because poor James had never been more confused in his life.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm…I'm sure this can't possible erupt into any sort of problem in the future involving a certain hot-headed blond Brujah…Hope you liked it!


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-eight! It all boils down to three…well, then the others come back, but it's still tense!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

The pipe spit them up on some of the lower levels, the six of them steadied themselves to catch their bearings.

Opposite of them was a new type of monster, so obese it would make Chunk look like a super model, but aside from that, it only looked slightly human. Its eyes were only the whites, though they were glazed over. Additional features included reptilian feet with only four wriggly toes, and hands that were replaced with a sharp sickle on one hand and a skull on the other. It grunted like a bull and it shot its hand out, the skull on its hand opened and a green blob of mist jettisoned out at them.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Slade screamed, he was smacked by the acidic mist and he collapsed on the ground, not moving.

Everyone looked back at Slade, shocked he was done away with so easily, but while they weren't looking, the obese creature stomped over to Tess, giving a horrid roar as he raised his sickle up high to gouge it into her flesh.

She screamed and activated Celerity again to dash out of the way and pull Slade with her.

Dragomir grimaced as he stood in front of everyone else who was backing away. He took out the Spas and cocked it, it made a much heavier sound than the Utica, "Thank you, my solace, I knew this would be a treat." He held it out with one arm, again, not the way it was supposed to be done at all, then fired away at it.

The creature growled, stomping over to Dragomir. Victor stood beside him and aimed his Colt Anaconda at the creature, his eyes glowed red with Auspex, to better his aim. Meanwhile, Cadmus and Miranda attacked it up close. Victor saw Dragomir visibly stiffen, swallowing hard. He reloaded his gun and continued to fire, but seemed skittish about even standing near Victor, preferring to stay behind him just a bit.

Miranda held a hand out, a blue glow came from it, and a respondent one went around the creature's head. However, nothing happened, "Suicide…doesn't work on it…" Cadmus kept hacking away at it with his axe, and it turned into ash and died.

Victor looked back at Tess and Slade, deactivating his Auspex, "Is he alright?"

Tess looked nervous as she gently held Slade's face so he was looking up a bit more, "I'm not sure…there's no pulse to tell, but…he'd be ash if he was dead so…I suppose he's alive, at the very least…"

"He may need blood." Victor said, looking at Cadmus.

"Did he not have blood in his bag?" Miranda asked quietly.

Tess opened his bag and held out a blood bag, gently tearing the top open so he could smell it. She leaned him against the wall, as well, so he had something to sit up against.

Slade's eyes opened, he instinctively grabbed the blood bag and drank from it. Once it was empty, he looked at Tess, "You…held a blood bag to my face…"

"I thought you were going to die." She said nervously, "I just took one from your bag, I hope you don't mind."

Dragomir looked irritated again, like there was sand in his pants, "Let's not put our guard down. There could be more, lurking these corners."

"Uh…no, it's fine." Slade said, trying to cover his guilt, he cleared his throat, "Dragomir's right though, we need to be careful moving forward."

Cadmus nodded, he pulled a lever down, letting a gate upon up and let them progress forward, but a head runner quickly ran in and jumped at them. Victor shot it a few times, and it eventually turned into ash, he meanwhile reloaded his pistol.

Slade walked ahead a little, "Hey, more rats…anyone want some?" He asked as he sucked one dry. It wasn't long until Victor joined him.

Cadmus and Miranda exchanged a glance, "Here." Cadmus handed her a blue blood bag, "You look like you could use another one."

She smiled, "Thank you." She drank from it.

Dragomir looked around, casually approaching Victor as he tracked down a rat, "So…uh…you didn't happen to see anything…funny, when using your true sight earlier, did you?"

"Funny?" Victor asked as he sucked another few down, "No. I believe not. Such pleasantries have been absent in these narrow warrens. Wouldn't you say?"

"Mmm hmm…I agree…" He mused as he wedged his hands in his pockets, "It's just…" His eyes darted around rapidly as he groped for words, "Sometimes, the line between friend and foe…it's very thin, you see…and I wouldn't want…any of us to get confused over its…existence."

"All childer of Malkav are my friends." He smiled, "Well, Voerman, er…she…uh…between you and I…it's a rather, stilted slope, that one…"

Dragomir's smile became one that was genuine, rather than one of fear, "I'm glad we share the same sentiments."

"Yes. We share many things."

Up ahead was a pair of head runners, which wouldn't be worrying by itself, but it seemed there was one of those large, obese monsters with them.

"Aw shit, there are _more_ of these damn things?!" Slade backed away nervously.

Victor held a hand out, a horrid sound was heard, as the fat creature in the center began to steam and float in the air. Its blood was bubbling and heating up out of control. After rising in the air for a while, it exploded.

Dragomir, meanwhile, used the Utica to fire at will to the head runners, beyond impressed with Victor's powers.

Tess almost seemed frightened, "How did you do that…?"

"Blood magic." Victor smiled, "If I am given more blood, I'll be able to do that again."

Slade reached in his bag and tossed him another blood pack like a basketball. Victor caught it and drank it down. "Jeez, I hate how all these monsters are down here…whatever…at least Andrei's dead now…so he can't make more…" Slade muttered.

"Yes, it is nice that the source is gone…we're doing cleanup now, which is…frustrating…" Dragomir sighed.

"I'll say, could you guys imagine LaCroix down here? He'd probably bail the second a stain got on his loafers…"

The joke received mixed reception. Miranda found it poor taste, while Victor laughed, and Cadmus had gained a small smile since his entering of the warrens.

"I can't wait to see his face again…" Dragomir brooded, "Do you know what he told me?" He asked Slade, but others could overhear if they tried, "He told me I'm not going to make it. To my face, the man told me I'm going to die. How cute is that?"

"You're in good company then. He wanted to execute me when he first found out I existed."

"What's he going to think when I return to that tower? A bitter reminder that, no, I exist. Yes, you can keep rolling the dice. You rolled a six on this one, I'll blow through these warrens for you, get your sarcophagus." He chuckled, "I can't wait for the snake eyes."

"I can't believe that damn thing is the reason we're in this damn hellhole…"

"It will be worth it." Tess said, "I can understand the Prince can be…frustrating…but think about his intentions. Imagine what would happen if the Anarchs took the sarcophagus…or even the Sabbat…what sort of doom would they be responsible for?"

"Tess, you of all people should know that the Prince can't be trusted for a second." Slade said, "Didn't you contemplate leaving the Camarilla? Weren't you flying under the Anarch banner were a little while, over the death of your sire? He would've killed my sire too, and he doesn't seem to care about yours one bit. Isn't being in this rat hole that much more frustrating then? I wouldn't mind if it was a bit more simply grounded, but we've been in here for over hours. And it wasn't like we were fighting lightweights either." He added, "A Tzimisce elder, a guy who can only be hurt by fire, and sunlight, a pretty tough Gangrel. Hmm…gee, it almost seems like he's _trying_ to get us killed."

"My time spent with the Anarchs was nothing more than a 'thank you' to Rodriguez for saving me." She said, "But seeing as he was the killer of Mister Grout, clearly saving me was just a…a method for him to gain popularity over the city. A means of trickery. I support the Camarilla, but I cannot say I support the Prince's response to the death of my sire."

"The Nine of Spades did not kill my father." Dragomir said.

"Yes…yes he did, we saw him there." Tess said, "Remember?"

"No."

"At his mansion? Before we all entered, Nines was there?"

"No he wasn't. My solace might know who, but I do not. It was not the Nine of Spades that I met in their den."

"Answer me this, Tess." Slade said, "If you and I went. Alone. If you and I went into the house by ourselves, to fight those three. If I didn't call for help from anyone, Victor, Cadmus, Miranda, Dragomir…would we have survived?"

"…no…no…I wouldn't, at least…I'm not sure about you."

"Don't you see, then? He's going to keep using us until we're all used up."

She paused, "But…it's for the safety of the world…" She said, "If other sects take the sarcophagus, everyone could be in danger."

"And you think we're any safer with it in his hands?" Dragomir asked.

"No…" Victor said, absurdly quiet, but perhaps then again it was meant for Dragomir's ears only.

Unfortunately for them, there was another huge monster flanked by some head runners. But Victor made sure to keep his composure. He held a hand out, and the larger monster was boiled alive in less than a minute.

Dragomir ran at them, using his Utica as a blunt weapon rather than a gun. Slade took care of the other head runner with his swords, "Alright, now where?"

"I believe there's a doorway straight ahead." Victor said, he was quickly mauled by a pair of head runners, but he shot them away, killing the nearest one.

Tess kicked the other one up against the wall, in which Dragomir used it as a target and fired.

Slade tried the door, but there was a click. "Damn it…it's locked…"

Cadmus held Slade's shoulder and pulled him back, slashing at the door with his axe, there was a pause, and the door eventually fell apart in pieces. Slade's eyes were wide, he led the way through the halls and into the next room.

Dead bodies lied all around, it had to have the entire sewer's workman staff. There was one lone survivor, he squinted at the group, it was a reasonable distance away, so perhaps he thought they were monsters.

"My word…" Miranda said.

"Thank god…another human being…" Slade said.

A creature dropped in and ate the man whole.

"…what was that…?"

The creature was a terrible sight, it seemed to be three bodies stitched together. Two of them were dead and decaying, their arms were used as the creature's feet, giving it four legs, and their heads sort of just flopped around. The base body resembled that of a woman, a pregnant one, with its stomach ripped open and its contents taken out. It had horrid, matted hair, and only one eye worked, with the other more like a red bloody ball. Its battle cry sounded like three women shrieking at once.

"God damn it…" Slade held his swords firm, running at the creation, "God damn it LaCroix! When I find you, I'm going to tear pieces off of you until you look uglier than all of these monsters!"

The monster barely seemed affected by Slade's wild sword swings. It slashed through Slade with its massive claws, flooring him instantly, then it crouched over and got to work on eating him.

"Slade!" Tess cried as she ran in and tried to scoop him up and carry him away to safety.

Dragomir's eyes locked on the ladder leading to a rickety iron banister, "Up the ladder, everyone!" He insisted, taking out the Spas, "Let me hold her off!"

The two Ventrue ran up the ladder, but Victor stayed with Dragomir. He barely had _any_ blood left, but he held his Colt Anaconda firm, shooting at the wicked creation. The creation clearly didn't like Dragomir and Victor's teamwork, but it looked eager at the arrival of a new meal. She reared her claws back to beat Tess into submission, protectively guarding Slade.

Dragomir gave a frustrated growl as he tucked the Spas away, then dashed forward with a bit of an unearthly speed, scooping up Slade and Tess and running a distance away, trying to get away from the spider creation. With both arms filled by his friends, he was left completely defenseless, hoping that Victor's bullets would distract her.

Victor stood protectively in front of Dragomir, shooting again and again. His eyes widened, as he didn't expect the spider creation to run on all fours. Or, all _sixes,_ to bat Victor away. His Blood Shield popped, he crashed into the wall, and he gave a horrid choking sound, collapsing on the floor, motionless.

"Hey…hey Dragomir…" Slade ruffled his coat, which surprised Dragomir because he thought Slade, or, what was left of him, was unconscious, "Where's your locker…I…I think I should drop off our project in your locker…for safekeeping…because…you're just…way more responsible than me with this kinda stuff and all. And…later…did you want to go get ice cream with Tess and April?"

Dragomir's eyes widened, then they teared up. He took a few steps back, "Cadmus, Miranda, catch!" He dropped Tess to the ground, then threw Slade at them from where they were. He heard the monster's hot breath on his back and threw Tess next before he too, got slashed and thrown aside, the burning pain it left in his back left him shaking and numb.

Cadmus and Miranda each caught one of their bodies, gently setting them nearby. Cadmus watched on with a certain horror. But it was different from the obvious horror everyone else felt. What if one of those bodies were Elspeth? What if she were a part stitched to that creature? He didn't know, he would never know. And this fact alone paralyzed him with fear. He would not dare strike the creation, as his crippling fear restricted him to do so.

Miranda grabbed a firm hold of the balcony and used it to propel herself in the air, landing in front of Dragomir. Sure, three of her comrades were down, but they were not ash, and Miranda wasn't going to lose anyone down here. She coated herself with Fortitude, but it hardly seemed to defend her from the creature's aggravated claws. She grimaced and grit her teeth, she sliced at the creature with her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, her feet skidding back ever so slightly, as it was a downhill battle for her.

Slade lay on his back, every so often, trying to get up, "Hey…hey Dragomir…" He said, even though Dragomir was _nowhere_ nearby, and it was just he and Cadmus, "I…I think I like April…like… _more_ than like her…should I…should I…I don't know…" He sniffed, starting to break down, "The pain…why…why does it hurt? Is…is this the end for me? All my life…all my life…I was a good person…I never did anything bad…why…why is this the end I get?" He cried, "I…I want forgiveness! I just want forgiveness…"

Leaning on the railing of the balcony, Cadmus teared up. _Damn it, kid. You think any of us wanted this shit to happen? You're complaining to the wrong guy…why the hell did my wife get killed by these fuckers? What did I do to deserve that? More than that, why was she killed, and then used as art supplies for a freaking Tzimisce?_ He quivered, trying not to break down with Slade. _My wife. My sister. My entire family, it's all so fucked-up…and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. I'm gonna be stuck on LaCroix's leash forever!_

Dragomir got his footing back slowly, the gash in his back was certainly not pretty. He took the Spas out and stood beside Miranda, "Listen…listen!" He pointed at it, "Its shrieks…are they not louder, more pained when you land your blade in the primary body?"

"Primary…body…" Miranda wheezed, giving another shriek as she sliced into the front body of the creature. That, combined with Dragomir's shots rendered the creature to ash.

"You guys okay?" Cadmus jumped down the ladder, running towards them.

Miranda nodded as her Fortitude wore down, then she looked around. They were the only three Kindred awake, "Oh my…"

"We'll…we'll be fine…" Dragomir put his gun on his back, wincing due to the gash there, "I'll volunteer as pack mule, if you'd like."

"Cadmus, do you have any blood left?" Miranda asked.

"This is my last one." Cadmus took a blue blood pack out and held it over Tess's nose.

Tess's eyes opened as she grabbed the blood pack and drank from it, then smiled warmly at Cadmus, "Thank you…"

"Dragomir, check Slade's bag, to see if he has any more blood." Miranda said.

He nodded and opened Slade's bag, (after seeming to forget how zippers work), then he took out two bags of blood, "Hmm…? Elder Vitae…isn't that dangerous?"

"Hmm?" Miranda ran over, "No. It should do wonders for their wounds. That and it will completely fill up their blood pool."

"Ah…what a treat." He opened the bag with caution so none of it would drip, then held it in front of Slade's nose.

Slade's eyes shot open, he drank the entire pack in seconds, all of his wounds closing up, "Holy shit…what…what did you give me?"

"The Elder Vitae. You should be completely restored." He said as he gave the same treatment with the other bag to Victor.

Victor perked up immediately, "Thank you, son." He remarked as he stood up.

"So where shall we go now?" Miranda asked.

Victor took his gun out and shot a ventilation shaft, giving them a small opening, "That should lead us to the Nosferatu."

* * *

The silence was unbreakable. Until Halcyon cleared her throat, that is, "Sister, why aren't you talking?"

Iphigenia played with the food on her plate, trying to cut it up and make it look like she had at least picked on it, "Because this is all my fault." She said softly.

Harmonia bit her bottom lip nervously as she looked out the window, "It's okay, Iphigenia. We forgive you." She looked back at her sister, "I just wish I knew what happened to all our money."

"I burned it." She said, "I burned it all on something…insignificant and wasteful…" She said through clenched teeth, "It was nothing but paranoia."

"I almost like the place better in the darkness." Halcyon said with a twinge of optimism in her voice, cutting up her salmon, "It doesn't need to be bright to be happy."

"It's not the darkness that's upsetting." Iphigenia said, "It's the fact that they had the audacity to go through with it…I suppose I can't blame them."

"So they just cut the lights? We still have power, right? Heat?" Harmonia asked.

"If we do, I'm not sure for how much longer." Her voice was dry and cold, but far from angry.

"I thought you worked at a library…don't they pay?"

"I put myself in debt." She said, "Do you know what that is?"

She shook her head.

"It means I owe someone money I don't have. And…this particular person is very demanding…every time I get a single dollar to my name, she finds me and takes it…"

She gasped, "That's awful…how did you do that…?"

She shook her head, "It…it just happened."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Harmonia didn't see through her lie at all.

"That's what I was going to ask." She said, "I need help. I hate to admit it…but I do. I can't do this alone, neither of my employers can help me…I need you. Or, at least one of you."

"Of course, sister, what is it?" Halcyon asked.

"I need one of you to get a job to help support us."

"A job?" Harmonia asked in trepidation.

"What sort of job?" Halcyon asked.

"Well…you'll have to find something you're good at." Iphigenia said, "Something that pays well. And I refuse to settle for prostitution." She clarified, "Do you understand? You will not be a prostitute."

"Yes, yes, I'm not hollow-headed." Halcyon insisted as she cocked her head to the side, "I can find a job place."

"Good…" Iphigenia said, the sigh she released from her lungs sounded heavy and purposeless, "Then…that's all I can ask for…" She looked out the window, watching the cars drone by, the people buzz by in their own little world. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something happy to lift her spirits. Naturally, her mind longed back to the happiest moment of her life…

* * *

The bell rang as Iphigenia felt someone grab her arm from behind and pull her off of her opponent. The audience was so loud, she wasn't sure if she could even hear the referee behind her shouting in her ear. But she did hear the announcer over the speaker, "And that's it, folks! Iggy Crystallia is victorious!"

She felt the referee grab her arm and thrust it up into the air, her heart was pounding louder than everything around her, maybe a bit quieter than the sound of her ragged breathing through her mouth guard. She felt another referee sling a belt around her waist, fastening it around her hips.

Whatever the announcer said was blocked out, she just felt her coach grab her shoulders and push her into the locker room. Once her bright yellow gloves were off, a water bottle was thrust into her hand, as well as a cool damp towel. She rubbed the towel over her face, her senses starting to clear up as she pulled out the mouth guard and drank about half the water bottle.

"That was outstanding, man! You good?" Her coach asked.

She nodded as she kicked her gloves aside. She wasn't going to mention the horrible pain in her shoulder, not yet. That was for someone else. "I won…?"

"Yeah! You won!" He hugged her, "We're gonna make it to World Series, you and me! Aw man, this is so awesome!"

She chuckled and pat his back, "I wouldn't have made it anywhere if it weren't for your help."

"Lemme see that belt!" He said as he pulled it off and looked at it, "Damn, look at that…" He said as he held it up to the light, the gold surface glimmered, "You're gonna get every chick in the world with this thing, man!"

She laughed as she took it back and looked at it herself. One muscular man was clocking another man in the jaw, surrounded by other flourishing embellishments. "It is impressive."

"You wanna go out to a bar or something?" He asked, "On me entirely."

"I think…I want to go to the physical therapist."

"You hurt yourself?" He asked, his energetic expression swapped out for one of concern.

"Yes…" She gently reached over her shoulder, "Something he did to my shoulder…he must have threw it out."

"Oh, jeez…yeah, yeah, good call to get that looked at. You get changed, I'll call." He said as he got his phone out.

Iphigenia bit her lip, "Um…I…I could just stay in this." She stood up.

"What's up?" He asked, "You don't want to get into something more comfortable?"

"I…uh…don't want to disturb anything."

"Oh, good call. Alright." He said as he made the call, then took her to the cab and drove her to the familiar office.

As she stepped inside, the therapist had her sit on the same table she always did if she ever sustained an injury, "I don't know why people even box in the first place, it's so dangerous…" The therapist said with a warm smile.

She was always kind to Iphigenia, and always fixed any sort of injuries she received, with minimal pain or wait time. She was like a miracle worker, really, with big clunky glasses and messy hair in a bun.

"I wouldn't complain from your position." Iphigenia smiled, "You make fortunes."

"Shh." She said as she stepped behind her, gently rubbing a hand over her back, "You want to take the shirt off so I can get a better feel for things?" She asked.

Iphigenia's cheeks flushed, "I didn't want to hurt myself in the process…"

"Is it that bad?"

She nodded. It was hardly anything, in reality. But she'd really do anything to see this woman again. There was just something different about her.

"Oh, alright, I'll see what I can do from here then…" She said as she gently held her forearm and moved it to and fro, watching as she grimaced a few times. Truth be told, she was loving it as much as it hurt.

"You know, I was talking to my mother the other night…" The therapist said, "I said, if I ever settle down and have a family, and I have a little boy, I'd name him Iggy after you."

"After me?" Iphigenia asked, "Why?"

"Because…." Now it was the therapist's turn to be flustered, "I don't know, you're sort of a role model for me."

"Am I?"

"Yeah…I guess it's weird for a girl to look up to a guy like that…but I don't know, I just respect you…you're always so modest and understanding…usually all my boxing clients are…assholes…" She said, "Please don't tell anyone I said that."

Iphigenia turned a bit to look in her eye, "I had no idea you thought that way about me…"

"Uh huh…" She said with a small smile, "I just…really like you, Iggy."

Iphigenia felt her heart lurch before she leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips.

The therapist's eyes widened before she kissed her back, closing her eyes and gently rubbing her back. Iphigenia let out a soft sigh as she hopped off from the table and gently walked the doctor over to the wall. It all came together like a dream, all of it felt completely unreal.

The therapist's hands slowly slipped under the tank top and rubbed her abs. She let out a soft sigh as she moved her hands up higher, then stiffened as her hands reached what felt like a sports bra. "What…what is this…?"

Iphigenia felt the color in her face fade, "Daisy, I…" She swallowed hard, then spit it all out. There was no use for any more lies, "I'm not a man…I've…never been a man…"

The therapist stepped back in shock, her face was white as a ghost as she started shaking, "You're…you're a girl…?"

Iphigenia nodded, then spoke so fast, like water tumbling out of her mouth. It all came out, wrapped in a ribbon of hope, "This…this can still work, certainly…just because we're both women doesn't mean—"

"No, no, no…" She teared up, "Go find somewhere else to fix your shoulder…because…I'm not your therapist anymore."

The couch was nicer than the table, at least. The icepack over her shoulder? Not nearly as good. It did something though. She rubbed her brow as she grabbed a beer from the table and took a long drink from it, looking back at the belt on the table. "I didn't win, did I?" She asked herself since her sisters had long gone to bed, "Iggy did…Iphigenia's just…some sort of joke…" She laughed quietly as she sat back and crossed her legs, "Why can't I just…settle for something normal…? Why am I…" She drank the rest of her beer and threw the empty bottle across the room, "Broken…?"

"I wouldn't say that…" She heard a raspy voice next to her. When she turned to the spot on the couch where she heard the voice, there was no one there.

"Excuse me…?"

"Well, you might not be attractive to _all_ the ladies or gentlemen, but _I_ think you're nice to look at. Especially when you don't try and cover up those knockers."

"And…who might you be…?"

"Ever hear of Gary Golden? The legendary actor?"

"I don't watch much television." Iphigenia gave up being terrified or irritated. It was probably someone underneath her couch, a strange paparazzi or fan.

"A shame. You should." He said, "Gorgeous actor, he is. But he's just as good at acting as he is hiding."

"Mmm hmm…" She crossed her arms and eyed at the clock. It really _was_ late.

He appeared on her couch, "This is what he really looks like."

"I see." She eyed him over once, but didn't feel fear. The supernatural wasn't exactly a foreign concept to her, she just couldn't say she was expecting any of it.

He raised a brow, expecting a horde of insults, then after a beat of silence, he snickered, "You have a good set of balls to not piss yourself at the sight of me…no wonder they all think you're a man."

"Why are you in my apartment?"

"Because I like you. I have a better life for you, if you'd like it. You won't have to pretend to be a man to get a good buck in. As for your adoration of women, that sounds like something you'll have to sort out yourself…"

"I'm listening."

"Look, I'll be blunt. You aren't exactly the pinnacle of beauty. Best part is, you know it. You cut your hair and act like a man, so people like you." She looked more and more offended as he continued, so he laughed nervously, "Point is, this job, looks don't matter. You could support both sisters with this kind of money. And that raw strength you have would be absolutely perfect."

"How do you know about my sisters…?"

"Look, I sent you an email." He said, "I'll be nice and let you think about it. But don't take advantage of my kindness. I've never been a very…patient, man."

"Think about what?" She asked, "I need answers, Mister Gary, what are you getting me into? What is this job?"

He rolled his eyes, "Difficult one, aren't we?" He muttered, "You ever hear of vampires?" His words came out casually, no-big-deal like.

"Vampires?" She laughed, "I'm sure there's some sort of…confusion…is it some sort of code name?"

"No. I'm a blood sucking monster. Isn't exactly impossible to believe, is it?" He oozed bitterness, eyeing over her neck briefly.

"Mmm…I suppose not…" She mused, "You want me to become a vampire?"

"Exactly. Sharp one, you are. You catch on quickly, don't you? Oh, you are going to fit in perfectly…" His grin wasn't the prettiest, not with all those crooked teeth.

"I quite like my humanity…"

"Do you?" He asked, "You like being completely insignificant? Providing for your sisters with money _you_ don't even earn?" He asked, "What a laugh. Your life is so terrible, you have to pretend to be a _man_ to make it anywhere. What sort of existence is that?"

"Fine, then let me think about it." She said firmly, "Fair enough?"

"Fair enough." He disappeared, "I'm looking forward to your Embrace…" He purred as the door opened and closed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ah, so that's why Gary is in contact with her…I wonder how he feels about her becoming a Tremere instead of Nosferatu. Thanks for reading!


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N:** Here's chapter fifty-nine! Throw in some more spider creations, some Belials, some head runners, makes a nice salad of warrens…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Their trek down to the lowers levels was far from a graceful one. After exiting the ventilation shaft, they had to steadily jump down a long drop, narrowly missing the blades of a huge fan as they landed.

"Right…so…those Nosferatu…they…they should be here, right?" Slade asked, "This…area seems safe…"

"Don't count your mice before they hatch." Dragomir said, then he grumbled something under his breath about how that sounded better in his head.

True to Dragomir's words, a head runner sped at them, roaring with its ferocious arms out. "Damn it!" Slade shouted, "How much more of this shit is there left?"

Dragomir swung the Utica down on its head like lumberman would with an axe to a log. He then flipped the gun around and fired, the thing turned to ash, "Imagine this being your home." He stood up, "Imagine living here, safe and sound, only to have these creatures invade…how many Nosferatu must have been killed…?" He stood back, "How many are left?"

"I have no idea." Slade said, "Depends on how many of these damn things Andrei made."

"I have faith that most, if not all of them are still alive." Victor said, "The Nosferatu are resilient creatures."

"Well, it's good we're doing this…even if the sarcophagus wasn't a problem. The Camarilla has probably been suffering without them…and I doubt the Prince even knows." Tess said.

"Yes…" Dragomir mused, "Because their lives aren't the important part…no, it's the Camarilla…"

They headed down the leftmost corridor, and once they did, a spider creation lumbered around the corner. Even with her terrible sight, she could detect the food ahead, she proceeded with a demonic gallop towards the party.

Victor held his hand out, and it was boiled alive, leaving chunks of flesh everywhere, raining down. Dragomir brushed an eye off his shoulder, "How lovely to see Andrei made more than one…"

"Jesus…we're never going to make it out of here…how many more times can you do that?" Slade asked.

"Twice." Victor said.

"And…we have no more blood…at all…"

"Save as much as you can." Dragomir said, "I've only used a handful and I'm still here"

"I don't know about that…" Slade said, "The last time we fought one of those for ourselves, it took out half out team…" He said, as Victor began to scoop up any rats he saw nearby and feeding on them.

"Perhaps enough lead will work…" Dragomir said, "Let's not think in this time, let's mow onward, and think only when there are no other choices."

Tess rolled her eyes, "Yes, blindly stumble forward, sounds like a wonderful idea." She looked more irritated, "That's how you became Embraced in the first place. Just stumble into a mansion responsible for the disappearance of hundreds of people, sounds like a great idea to me!"

Dragomir scowled, "Better than your Embrace."

"Tess, Dragomir has actually _killed_ monsters while we've been down here. The same can't be said of you." Slade said, "Maybe talking down to him isn't such a good idea."

"Oh, I'm sorry he's capable of swinging his fists like an ape and firing a trigger. I save my strength where it counts, like knowledge." She said firmly.

"I think I trump her there, too." Dragomir said, "Don't tell her I said that." Tess scowled, since he said that aloud, audible to everyone.

"Tess, you're not smart." Slade said, "Every time a monster's attacked you, you just…aimlessly flail around like a fish out of water. In fact…you wouldn't have even _entered_ the warrens if it weren't for us. Because that Caesar guy would've diablerized you. So you trying to pull rank on either of us is a bit of bullshit at this point." He shook his head, "I can't wait to bring this all up to LaCroix when we report back to him. He'll somehow hate you even more than he did before."

"Oh please." She said, "He'll be thankful to all of us for this. Even you." She looked at Dragomir.

"Good." Dragomir grunted out, "Maybe we'll see a smile on that pretty little face of his, before he cries his tears of blood."

A pair of head runners ran up to them, but Cadmus and Miranda took them both down easily. However, a spider creation came at them next. Victor looked at them all, "Shall…shall I destroy it?"

Dragomir growled lowly, "I feel as if this isn't the last one we will find. And I have no clue if there will be more beasts as we venture deeper, either…"

"Then I will destroy it." Victor held a hand out, boiling the creature alive and killing it.

Dragomir held an arm up over his eyes as parts rained down, "It's like a piñata…"

Tess heard a disgruntled trio of shrieks behind her, she then suddenly felt the hot wheezing of a spider creation right behind her, rearing her claws back. She gasped and fell to her knees, covering her arms over her head. It missed her, but took off a good chunk of her hair. She cowered in a ball, completely defenseless. It bent down and began to eat her, but Slade and Miranda slashed her away, the latter using Fortitude. Victor began to shoot at it from afar. But the spider creation looked far from finished. She swatted Slade and Miranda back and continued eating Tess. She tried to scramble out of the way, but the creation grabbed her and was quite stubborn. Dragomir grabbed the sniper and with one of the last bullets, fired right between the creatures deformed eyes.

The creation hissed, dropping Tess to the ground. It screamed several times, running at Dragomir to end him. Miranda and Slade were able to gather their bearings, however. And they slashed at the monstrosity some more until it vanished into ash. "Jesus…" Slade panted, as Miranda deactivated her Fortitude.

Tess took a shaky breath, then she sat on the ground and started crying into her hands. Dragomir shook himself off like a wet dog. "That one wasn't very nice at all."

"Yes, that was why I wanted to boil as many of them as possible." Victor said, "Remember. There are two left. Two free shots, as you will."

"Let's…continue to save them…"

They wormed their way through another few halls. It was hard for any of them to admit that they might've been lost at this point. "Shh." Victor held a hand up, "Hear that?"

 _Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat._ Either there was a leak somewhere or a spider creation was patrolling.

"God damn it…that's gross…" Slade shuddered, "I almost hate _hearing_ them more than I hate seeing them…"

"What should we do?" Miranda asked.

"I'll take this one." Slade said, "I'll get up close and personal to it. The rest of you stay back. Dragomir and Victor can shoot at it from far away. And I'll be too quick for it. So…logically, we should kinda…trap it, you know? Sound good?" Dragomir nodded as he took out the Spas.

Slade swallowed hard, a little nervous to confront a spider creation up close and personal. He utilized his top-speed Celerity, the Discipline he focused on most. He circled the creation and slashed at it. It screamed and tried to keep up with him, but Slade was too fast. Dragomir and Victor began firing away. Victor musing something along the lines of he was surprised that he had this many bullets left even. As the spider creation was trapped between the two fighting entities, it eventually died and turned to ash.

Dragomir laughed, "Look at that! I think we found our recipe for disaster!"

"Yeah…" Slade panted, "Didn't even take that much blood to do…"

Down a few more corridors, and the party heard a struggle. They had to admit, it was surprising hearing someone other than the six of them fight these monsters. They rounded a bend to see what all the commotion was. They saw two of the obese monsters fighting a lone Nosferatu. However, the Nosferatu was horrendously ganged up on, and it wasn't long before he was rendered to ash. "No!" Slade shouted.

The two monsters then turned to the six of them. They both fired off that odd green mist they always shot out, in varying directions. Dragomir skittered back, firing at their heads with the Spas. They both flinched, eventually walking closer to put their sickles into action. Slade, Cadmus, and Miranda ran up to them, the former of which had his Celerity on to overwhelm the monsters. With the three of them slashing at the monsters, and Dragomir's shotgun, both monsters died and turned to ash.

"Hmm…" Victor stepped forward, picking up a small key card, "Whoever that Nosferatu fellow was, they dropped a key…"

Dragomir put his gun down and looked closer, "Key? That could be _very_ helpful…"

"How though?" Slade asked, "We've been going around in circles since minute one with this section…how are we gonna get outta here?"

Tess sighed, "There's no point…we're going to die too…" She muttered.

"That key has to lead to something." Dragomir said, "We have to keep looking."

Tess was tapped behind by what felt like a skull, then the beast behind it shot his green mist at her at point-blank range. Tess felt the green acidic substance eating away at her as she was hit. She gasped and stumbled back, then fell to the ground. As the monster started approaching her, Dragomir turned and fired his shotgun at it, trying to distract it from Tess.

The beast turned to Dragomir, stomping towards him. But Dragomir wouldn't be touched. Not with Slade, Cadmus, and Miranda, providing a frontline for him, at least. They overwhelmed the monster easily, turning him to ash. Dragomir grinned and put his gun down, "You people are so very nice."

"We'll…we'll make it outta here…" Slade said, hopefully, "There's…there's gotta be an end…somewhere…"

They traveled a bit further, as time went on, it took longer and longer to see a monster, or, find any sort of indication that they were indeed making progress. So it was a mix of welcome, and yet, unwelcome news, when a spider creation came running for them.

"Shit…" Slade said. Their troubles didn't end there, however, as one of the heavier monsters stomped towards them on the opposite end of the hallway. "Fuck…we're trapped between a big fatty and a spider woman…Victor…kill one of them!"

Victor held a hand out, boiling the spider creation to bits. Dragomir ran towards the large abomination to shoot it at point blank range, only to get clawed and knocked to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, not before using his lower vantage point to fire at him.

"Dragomir!" Slade dashed forth with Celerity to help his friend out, slashing the monster back, Cadmus and Miranda eventually came in for backup and they destroyed the other monster.

Dragomir leaned on Slade a bit, the wound on his back stinging from the amount of dirt that entered it, "How…how many more…?" He grumbled.

"Would you like blood, Childe of Malkav?" Victor asked.

"Do…do you have any?" His eyes were weary, nervous, like a skittish animal.

He pulled out what looked like a rotting pig's face, "This has blood in it. It's yours. If you want it."

Dragomir slowly took it and sniffed it, "It smells…like the little weed growing in the bottom of the hospital…"

"Perhaps."

He gave a smirk before he bit into it and drank from it, then handed it back, "Please accept my countless thanks."

"Of course." Victor said, stashing the chalice away.

"Where should we go now?" Slade asked.

"Hmm…" Victor said, "There hardly seems to be a place in this area in which we haven't explored yet…let us try this direction." He led the group.

After countless minutes of travel, they saw what looked like a closed gate in the floor, along with many technological hubs and computers. However, their sightseeing was interrupted as a spider creation and two head runners ran at them to consume them. Victor held out a hand, boiling the spider creation to dust, "Hurry! Go! That's the exit! That's the exit out of this section!"

"It's locked!" Tess cried out, "We need your key!"

Dragomir used the remaining ammo in his Utica to shoot at the head runners, "Hold your horses, girl!"

Victor held the key card out, he used it to open up the large gate mechanism. With that out of the way, they all jumped down the hole, towards who-knows what.

* * *

His office was cold. Her dark eyes drew themselves to the fireplace, where not a spark flew, not a single lick of flame. She turned her attention to LaCroix, his fingers weaved into his hair, slumped over his desk, flipping back and forth between two pages in some sort of report. His knuckles were white, his gaze was sharp as soon as it landed on her. "Miss Rivers."

She hadn't had enough time to prepare herself for whatever lecture he was going to deliver, she decided. But the Prince worked in funny ways. When you expected a lecture, he gave a few words that cut deep. And when you expected these words, he gave a lecture that cut even deeper. She decided to go into it without any expectations, and see where it took her, "Yes, sir?"

He crinkled his nose in disgust, a face that didn't look good on him, "What is that odor? More alcohol? _Why?_ "

 _Why?_ _Why do children cry to their parents when they're helpless? Why do dogs bark, why do you crave power? Not everything can be explained…_ "Apologies, sir."

"No, no, I don't want apologies, I want an explanation." He was exceedingly furious. Something had rightfully set him into a fit. Her eyes landed on the report, but she still faced him, slyly catching the title of the report. _Oh, another dead Primogen._

"I-I'm not sure, sir." Stuttering in front of him brought her back to her younger years with him. Was she scared? "Sorry…"

"This will be fixed. Do you need more blood, do you need more tasks? I cannot risk having my assistant seen…completely intoxicated. What makes it so difficult to grasp how damaging this could be to the Camarilla? Such actions are…are primitive, they're brash and vulgar, like…" He trailed off, certainly going to mention the Anarchs, before he looked back up at her, "Is there…some sort of medication you could pertain?"

 _Oh, so…my frustration is an issue that drugs can fix? Yes, you'd rather have your assistant high on some sort of painkiller strong enough for a whale than caught dead in a bar._ "I'm not sure if…that would be possible. I'll stop, I assure you."

"This is the…what, fourth time I've had to speak to you about this? I ought to deduct pay."

"Then do so as you will." She bowed her head.

He shook his head with a breathy sigh, "I'll bring it up to the clinic in Escondido." He swatted a hand, "I've a task for you, in the meantime."

"Yes, sir?" Escondido, it was where he got his blood. The best hospital in California, he claimed. It carried a heavier weight for her, as well, one that darkened the storm clouds that usually lurked over her head.

He closed the report and looked up at her, "The Brujah Primogen has been declared dead. Suicide." He paused, "I'm certainly not one to doubt hard evidence, but logic far outweighs the likelihood that the man would take his own life. He was a loyal representative for the clan, and seemed to get along with everyone quite well, especially for his…type." He said carefully, "I would like you to head to the apartment. The investigation has been wrought so that the kine are oblivious to it, at most any sort of disruption you will find will be other personnel from the Camarilla, who will gladly allow you entrance. Find any sort of evidence supporting my…hypothesis."

He sat back in his chair, his gaze distant as the Sheriff shifted his weight to the other foot. She forgot about the hulking creature quite often, and especially forgot that he too, was a living thing, completely under LaCroix's possession. What sort of Dominate skill had he used on the beast? It terrified her, really…something so dangerous couldn't just be that docile to him, could it? Could he just ignore every lie LaCroix ever spat? How much did he know?

"It isn't typical of me to rely on such…outlandish notions, but due to the recent movement by Mister Rodriguez to decrease the Primogen count, I fear more might have followed his path." LaCroix's gaze met her again.

"I see…" She paused, "If you don't mind a question."

"Yes?" His tone wasn't as patient as it always was, like he was in a rush for something.

"Was it an Anarch who killed Mister Lorcan?"

She saw him think. Even though it was just for a split second, he had to _think_ about it. It was a dead give-away that he was lying. "No."

"Then…who was it?"

"I'm not obligated to answer any further questions." He put the report aside, "Was there something else you needed? Why are you loitering?"

She stepped back. She wasn't loitering, she stayed half a second longer than usual. "If you don't mind me saying, you seem…upset."

"Upset…" He chuckled softly, "No, Harper, politicians cannot be upset. Especially Ventrue. We do not get _upset_."

"Then…what is it?" She asked, "Surely you can acquire a new Brujah Primogen…there's something…off…"

He averted his gaze for a moment. "The sarcophagus." He said before he finally looked up at her, "The Nosferatu have it."

"Gary?" She asked, "What does he want with it? Money?"

"My thoughts exactly."

She waited a beat, "Well…why do you want it?"

Another beat. And his eyes looked away from hers, at her outfit. _You're over a-hundred years old and you're the worst liar I've met._ "Camarilla protection." He sat up and looked back up at her.

"…Camarilla protection?"

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors of what may lie inside…I cannot risk the Sabbat, the Anarchs, or even the kine to lay a hand on it. Who knows what sort of danger they could bring about for all of us."

"Yes…of course." She said, "I understand."

"Have you any further questions?" He asked, his voice still sounding irritated and burdened by her presence.

"No, sir…" She backed away, "I will return with as much information I can gather of the Primogen's death."

"Excellent. Do keep your intentions silent, am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." She bowed, "Good evening."

"Good evening, Harper."

She closed the doors behind herself and stared at the floor of the elevator as it eased her down.

He was certainly acting different. Was it because she smelled of alcohol? Part of her was even irritated he could smell it, she had taken two showers since the last time she drank. It must still be in her blood, she figured, which she found even more unnerving.

But so long as he was this stressed, this focused on the sarcophagus and Primogen hunt, he seemed to have no focus on her at all. Not even a fraction of him looked like he may want to Embrace her, she didn't even feel a slight pull towards him, besides a desire to receive some sort of job for more cash. He called her Harper now, casually, which did irk her some. She debated whether or not calling him Sebastian instead of Mister LaCroix would result in her death.

Perhaps the sarcophagus wasn't that bad after all, if it turned him away from being such a monster to her. But then again, what did he really want the sarcophagus for? He told two lies to her tonight, one seemed much less concerning to her than the other. Julius's murderer was justified, in her opinion. Really, she had no care who killed him, after learning it was not an Anarch. LaCroix wouldn't hesitate in ratting out the Anarchs for anything. She was surprised he even admitted they didn't.

Perhaps _he_ did it. In which case, her respect for him would skyrocket.

The sarcophagus was her concern. An Antediluvian supposedly resided within the box. If that was true, then why did he want it? She remembered the night Gary spent in her room when they first moved to L.A.

 _She was unpacking boxes when some started moving, then a book opened and flipped through some pages, "Hmph. Wretched thing, you fill out a bikini_ very _well."_

 _Her cheeks flushed as she ran over to the book and grabbed it, "Whoever you are, let go!"_

 _His laugh was dry as he gave the book back, "You're the Prince's little childe, aren't you? No, a ghoul?"_

" _Yes…I'm…I'm his ghoul…his assistant…"_

" _Well, isn't that precious. I suppose even the Prince of the city needs a good lapdog now and again."_

" _Excuse me?" She raised a brow._

 _He gave a dry laugh as she saw the couch sink a bit, "I ran some research on Mister LaCroix before he came here, seeing as I'm going to be doing a lot of work for the man."_

" _And…you've…concluded…?"_

 _"Lots of things…" His voice was smug, "…such as a rumor of diablerie." His voice grew hushed, "Which I found fascinating…seems you can defy one of the main laws of the Camarilla and still become the Prince. Unless L.A. is just that corrupt."_

Diablerie? She looked up as the elevator door rang and she exited. Something about LaCroix sinking his fangs into an elder made sense to her. How else would he gain power when he was refused the attention he sought? But how did he get away with something like that? How was it possible?

And even if he did diablerize the Antediluvian, the Camarilla would execute him.

Or not. If LaCroix had the powers of an Antediluvian, he would really have total control, wouldn't he?

The thought made her sick. She got inside the cab, and asked the man to take her to Santa Monica Suites.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, Gary made a debut in two people's memories now, what a scene hog. Hope you liked it!


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty! (party horns) Finally out of the warrens! …kinda. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"This one isn't bad either. At least, I didn't think so. Not perfect, the shading is a little…off, right there." The Nosferatu Primogen set a small photo down amongst a pile of others that was on a rotting dining table, a few candelabras lighting up the dim room, "Not ready for being released to the hands of the hungry, but it's almost there." He had a handful of other photos of photoshopped women in his hand, as did Edgar, who was sitting next to him. They seemed to be comparing their work.

"Can you two do this somewhere else?" Cressida grumbled, a book in one hand and a dead rat in the other that she was drinking from, "You literally have like, dozens of other rooms."

"Ignore her." Gary muttered, "What else do you got?"

"Honestly…aside from Voerman…I don't have the finest pics here, sir." Edgar said.

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine. You should see the stuff I saw yesterday, looked like a child made it." He said, then he paused and looked up, like a deer who heard a squirrel in the woods.

"What's wrong?" Cressida looked up.

"I hear people…" He grumbled, handing Edgar the photos before he disappeared, "Make yourself scarce. They smell like floor-wax and fabric softener."

Cressida put her book back in the shelf and disappeared, pushing her chair in. Gary tidied the place up a bit as well, adjusting the skeletons that were sitting in the chairs, "This ought to scare them off, if they're as fresh as I think they are."

Edgar gave a quick nod as he Obfuscated as well.

The party of six entered the room a few moments later, looking around, "Ooh, a dinner party." Dragomir said, "…where's all the food?"

"I mean…if…if vampires live down here…I don't think they'd have food…" Slade said, " _If_ …if we're where the Nosferatu live. I still half-expect a damn monster to jump out and try to eat us again…"

"Six guests…?" They all heard a voice, "You weren't on the guest list…I'd say you're all about forty years late…"

Dragomir put a finger to his chin, "Is that so? I suppose we'll have to head back…" He said quietly to himself.

"Who…who's there?" Slade asked, looking around.

The chuckle was short, deep and rumbling, "Maybe I'm another monster you have to kill…maybe this one can talk, maybe this one's telepathic…"

"Uh…"

Cadmus and Victor exchanged a glance, unsure about how long they should let Gary go on with his little game.

"Invisible, too?" Dragomir asked, "Where are you? I smell you here, Mister Monster…"

Gary laughed, before Tess crossed her arms, "Enough. We just want to talk."

There was a slight pause, the sound of footsteps on the ground, "You want to talk…? We are talking, aren't we? But you aren't listening." Gary's voice said.

"Face to face." She spat with aggravation, "We just cleared out your warrens for you, isn't that enough reason for you to give us the respect to speak face to face?"

"Maybe I'm over here!" They heard his voice in front of her, then to the left of her, "Or over here…" They heard it right behind her, "Or maybe I'm behind you with a hatchet in my hand…ever think about how quickly your life could end…? Ever think about how many people would care, dollface?"

Tess scowled, "What do you want with me?"

He chuckled darkly, "I want to dunk your lovely face in a piranha tank; I want to apply an acid glaze to your sculptured body; I want to throw your pocket mirror under a thresher and watch you fetch it. But I'm no butcher, dollface, are you?"

Slade blinked, "So…if we let you do all that stuff to Tess, will you help us?"

"I'm sure time will do that to her without my interference at all." He mused.

Tess crossed he arms insecurely over her chest, "We're here about the sarcophagus, because we know you have it."

"Why must you be such a business-liver?" Dragomir said, "This was fun!"

Gary laughed, "Ha, ha! This one knows! Insanity isn't given enough credit, is it?"

"Enough of this. We know you have something to do with it." Tess said.

"You don't say? Wake up, boss!" He snapped suddenly, "Who do you think you're dealing with? Why else would LaCroix send you on this little snipe hunt?" He paused, his voice gave away that he must have been grinning, "That's right, I know you all work for the Prince…I know everything about you…"

"To get rid of us, most likely." Victor said. Cadmus looked down in shame, he knew he was merely a pawn for LaCroix, but it was the fact that LaCroix made it so _obvious_ that really irritated him.

"I don't think he wants to get rid of us." Miranda said.

"I do." Slade said, "LaCroix's wanted to kill me since minute one. I know that. I bet you do to." He said as he tried to look for where the voice was, "You probably saw the botched execution."

Gary chuckled, "Of course I did. We all did. There isn't a soul in L.A. who didn't see that show."

"Just tell us about the sarcophagus so we can go home." Tess said bitterly, "We're starving."

"Oh, what a shame. You should have gotten here sooner. That lot's been sold."

"You sold it?" Slade asked, wondering who would exactly be in the market for buying sarcophagi.

Tess seemed to read his mind, "Who the hell did you sell it to?"

Gary snickered at her frustration. Or perhaps it was the answer he had to give her, "I like to discuss business face to face."

Her nose twitched with irritation, "Then show yourself."

"Are you sure, dollface? You don't want my image in your pretty little subconscious. It's the stuff nightmares are made of."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, the suspense is killing me."

"Careful what you wish for, you might just get it."

"That's hopeful." She muttered.

"Behind you." His voice hissed in her ear from behind. She whirled around, then looked down at him and scowled, "Ugh…"

He smirked, seeming pleased with her response. He took a step back so he was facing the others, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So…you are Gary?" Slade asked cautiously.

"Yes, this is Gary, the Nosferatu Primogen." Victor said, "Was he who you were after all this time?"

"Yes. Yes, indeed." Miranda said, looking in pure bliss now that they had found him, "We've been looking for _so_ long."

"Not many of them seemed scared by the act, a shame." Edgar said, as his Obfuscate wore away.

"…who are you?"

"Who am I? Oh, that's rich. I'm probably older than three quarters of your little team, and you don't know who I am. Just goes to show you how much we're under your nose all the time."

"Yes, thank you for the introduction, Mister Tremere Magister." Gary said snidely, "Tell that little apprentice of yours that I haven't forgotten what she's gone and done to me."

Cressida appeared, "Yeah, and tell her she still owes me two-sixty while you're at it." Tess looked appalled that there were more.

"Apprentice?" Victor smiled, "Which one?"

"Ask them all, if you have to." His grin was grizzly, "I'd love to hear her scream from down here."

"You'll have to forgive me, I know not what you're speaking about." Victor said, strolling over to Cressida, he held out a single hundred-dollar bill, in which Cressida at first thought that he was trying to pull a fast one on her, but he splayed four more hundreds under it, like playing cards, "Will this drop the charges to my apprentice?"

Her eyes narrowed as she took the money, "Maybe next time, tell her to do her own spying, if she can't afford the price of keeping a secret." She tucked the money in her torn up back pocket. "I don't like risking my life for creepy mages."

"A name would be nice. Or else I won't really be able to be telling anybody anything."

Gary giggled like a devious schoolboy, "Ask for Iggy."

"Iphigenia? You don't say?" Victor mused, "She's my most promising student. But whatever she did to any of you isn't my place or business to say. I don't know anything about her previous life. You'll have to take it up with her directly."

Gary laughed, "Oh, that's rich. Most promising student, huh? Maybe I'll make a headline for her."

"You've been making quite a few headlines for yourself, haven't you? Mister Primogen?"

"Have I now?" He said with fake interest, "I believe you're confusing me for Mister Rush, our dearly missed Brujah Primogen. So dedicated to the Camarilla, he took his own life so he wouldn't have to worry about scuffing the Prince's floors with his dirty All-Stars."

Victor's positive countenance faded, " _Another_ Primogen, dead? What's that leave us with, three?"

"Correct." Gary said, "So I'm sure you can imagine how charming it is to find the Sabbat toying around in my turf."

"One can expect the eradication of their cabinet when they're thrust within a four-way war, wouldn't you say?" Victor smiled again, "Ah, but fear not! We have vanquished the monsters and the Tzimisce who created them."

"Then I guess I should thank you." He mused, "But it wasn't the Sabbat responsible for the death of any of our leading ladies and gentlemen. No, I like to think I'm quite safe down here. And your little Tremere top-dog Strauss is safe too, as long as he's in that Chantry of his. The Ventrue Primogen's the next target. By who? Well, I'm here all night if you're interested."

Cadmus looked a bit sourer at the mention of the Ventrue Primogen, while Miranda blindly asked, "What's going to happen to the Ventrue Primogen?"

"Well, as far as my hypothesis goes, Rodriguez killing the Malkavian Primogen was the straw that broke the camel's back. No, the Blood Hunt was. LaCroix might as well have raised the red flags and invited open warfare with the Anarchs. I think _that's_ how Mister Rush was killed. The Camarilla is a death-sentence, but you'll find that Kindred don't usually resort to suicide, unless they're a thin-blood. It was a murder, and I think it was the Anarchs. That, paired with Ventrue-hating Anarchs lurking around like Jack, explain why I don't think the man's going to last very long."

"And the Toreador Primogen?" Tess asked.

Gary just started laughing. It was a shameless laugh, a laugh that made him hold his chest. It was clear he really wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"I guess they'll have a lot of new slots to fill." Slade said, then he looked at Gary for a few moments, "Are you…are you Gary Golden?"

Once he finished laughing, he wiped an imaginary tear away, "Yes, that's my name. Why, has LaCroix mentioned me before? Did he show you the dart board in his closet with my head on it?"

"No. You were an actor, weren't you?"

Now he seemed interested, "Yes I was…have you heard of me?" He asked, "I would have thought I was too young for your time. Tap Hotel? Pirate Town?"

"My mom saw all your movies. It's…what inspired her to get into the industry."

"Would I know her?"

"Probably not. Because then you started to go missing." He looked around, "I guess this is where you've been the whole time."

He chuckled, "Well, either way, I'm rotting in a hole underground in Hollywood soil."

He snickered, "True, true."

"So…are we going to talk idly all night…or…discuss the sarcophagus?" Tess asked.

"You're not really like your sire all that much, are you?" Gary asked, "He rarely got down to business…he was much too focused on all the women in L.A….unless…maybe that does sound familiar." He grinned.

She crossed her arms impatiently, not bothering to dignify his response with any words.

He threw a hand in the air and looked around like he had forgotten, "Where, where, where could it have gone?" He asked, even with the face of a Nosferatu, he put on a good show, "That thing seems to get around more than Mae West." He turned to Tess, dropping the act, "So, why then, would I give _you_ that information?"

"Because I helped killed the Tzimisce."

"Did you just say that with a straight face?" Slade snapped.

"Oh, yes, bravo, my hero." Gary said bluntly, "I know you, boss, you just wiped their blood on your clothes and ruffled your hair a bit." He paused as she saw how irritated she looked, his grin grew, "If it hadn't been for the Tzimisce, you'd still be digging around for us, you wouldn't be invading my lovely little dinner party." He huffed, "Well, I do know where your Prince's prize is. There's very little that I don't catch wind of, you know. _Very_ little." He turned his attention to everyone, "Have any of you gone against a Kuei-Jin?"

"In Santa Monica, Miranda and I did." Cadmus said quietly.

"Ah, so you aren't completely useless." He said, "You know they ain't kin, not to us, at least. They're just another one of the creeping things in the night that might just give you a taste of Final Death, if you're not careful."

"What are they, then?" Dragomir asked, "Forgive my curiosity."

"Curiosity aside, they're dangerous. I can't blame you for wanting to know your enemies. They're known as the vampires of the East, but they're not our type of vampires."

"What else?"

"Even for old Gary, there ain't much more to tell." He said, then his eyes looked at Edgar briefly before he looked back at them, "I sent an agent of mine, Barabus, to Chinatown, where the Kuei-Jin occasionally show their faces. I just wanted him to do a little hacking, make a few contacts, but he hasn't been calling recently, and it's breaking my heart."

"You think the Kuei-Jin took him?" Slade asked.

He was about to respond before Tess butted in, "Do they have the sarcophagus?"

Gary paused, "Where the hell did he _find_ you? The bimbo convention?"

"Yeah, probably." Slade answered for her, "So Barabus, you want our help to get him back?"

"If you're up for a little trip to Chinatown. You're all in no danger there, no Isaac Abramses or Nines Rodriguezes. Me? Best not mention my name around there. That's the most information I have for you now." He crossed his arms, "Bring my chum back, and I'll get you what you need."

Miranda nodded, "Consider it done. Though…Cadmus and I may be absent from this project…"

"And I need to return to the Chantry, at once." Victor said.

"We'll have to leave it in your capable hands." Miranda smiled at Slade.

Slade nodded, "Yeah, I'll do it."

Tess sighed, "Guess I don't have much of a choice then."

"It's not like you'll be doing any of the work yourself, anyway." Slade said.

"Yes, but I'll be needed. Besides, I'll do anything to get the sarcophagus in the right hands."

"No you won't. You won't fight a Tzimisce, or any of its creations. Even the little ones. You couldn't kill them."

"Were you listening? He said Chinatown was safe, we'll be fine. Besides, I'll bring weapons."

"Yeah, sure. Once you're done spending the little money you have on sex toys and male and female prostitutes, I'm sure you'll be a great addition to our team."

She crossed her arms, "What do you take me for?"

"What the hell am I supposed to take you for, Tess?" He yelled, "You did absolutely nothing in the warrens! You've done absolutely nothing when we were escorting Ash out of the sewers! You did nothing when we were at Grout's! You did nothing when we were fighting Gimble! And you did nothing at the warehouse! How can you honestly be surprised by any of this?"

She laughed nervously as she looked at the others, "Slade, there's no need to make such a scene."

Gary snickered and sat down in one of the ancient looking dining chairs, "Oh, be my guest."

"Make a scene?" Slade got a little closer to her, not bothering to tone it down at all, "We were friends, Tess. The three of us were. Damn good ones too. Then you turned Kindred and you…stomped all over the both of us. Then you took a shit on us. Once you found out you could play office sex with everyone in the Camarilla, and everyone in between, why care about two losers like us anymore? You thought you could outrun us. But here we are. And I'd like to think we're here to stay too, at least compared to you, if the warrens are an indication of survival skills."

She smirked, "And what happens once I survive this? This phase of Camarilla work? Yes, you're right, the Prince _is_ using us. Testing all of us. He's going to keep testing us, to see if we break, to see if we'll fall apart and die. Because who wants anyone in their Camarilla who isn't devout and loyal? Who wouldn't do anything for him? So…after this…after this phase, that's where I'll shine brighter than you or that bumbling excuse for a thing." She looked at Dragomir briefly, "Because your morals will rot you to the core. You can't lie." She said through narrowed eyes, "You can't do something for the benefit of others, not when it overrides something that you value more. You don't know how to communicate with people, how to pick the right option, how to handle the mundane tasks that will be required of us without losing your mind and crying for your humanity. And he's the same exact way. So before you go shutting me down for not being able to kill the little gremlins of the night, remember that I'll always be better at the most important aspect of being in the Camarilla. I'll always be better at strategy."

"Pfft, I'd love to see _your_ Camarilla." Slade scoffed, "No Nosferatu. They aren't handsome enough. No Malkavians. They're too crazy and uncivilized. None of those grungy Anarch clans either, let's just…alienate the last of them too. No Tremere either. They're too magical and creepy. Just Toreador. And some Ventrue, if they're good looking enough, right?" Gary snorted.

Tess shook her head, "You just don't understand at all, do you? Sometimes, you need to deal with things you're uncomfortable with in order to come out on top. That's something you'll never understand."

"Pfft, you always act like you're top dog around everyone else, but whenever it comes to the _real_ work, you seem to be a little absent on the battlefield…care to explain that?" He growled, "I love how you try to act all deep and complicated, but you'd fuck a tree if one of the branches were sharp and thick enough, wouldn't you?"

"Fighting the creatures won't last long if I rise up in the ranks. Which I will. I have the right personality."

Slade started laughing, Tess thought he just about lost it. Him drawing his swords certainly didn't help stop that theory, "None of that's going to matter, don't you see? Because I'm going to tell LaCroix that you died in the Nosferatu Warrens."

Cressida sat next to Gary, "Wouldn't the Prince get pissed if one of his little fledglings died down here?"

"Like sire like childe." He grinned.

Tess stood back, "You wouldn't." She laughed.

Dragomir stood back, "I think he would."

Slade disappeared. Tess had been cowering from the action so much she had yet to be graced with the full blast of his Celerity. This changed as he flashed in front of her and slashed through her with both swords.

She grunted as she was splattered up against the wall, holding her forehead as blood leaked from her blouse. She seemed dazed, shocked he would even hit her.

Dragomir held an arm up to cover his eyes from the spray of blood, "Ooh." He licked his lips.

Slade went in for another attack, and his consecutive hits struck faster than lightning, due to his speed.

Gary crossed his legs and watched with amusement, "This is a riot."

"Yeah, two Toreadors duking it out, bet you're thrilled." Cressida snickered.

"You know it."

Cadmus wasn't watching, Miranda looked worried, and Victor looked, slightly amused. Like another piece of the Jyhad puzzle was falling into place.

Slade sheathed his swords for the time being, as he preferred to violently punch Tess in the face for the time being. She grunted as she took the punches, trying to catch them, but he was far too fast. She then activated her own Celerity to kick him in the chest with the heel of her shoe.

Slade gave a sick grin when he avoided her attack, though she had no idea why. He moved away from her, regrouped himself, then he drew his swords and stabbed her again a few times. This didn't make any sense to her. Why was everything proceeding as though she didn't even use Celerity in the first place? Then it hit her.

His Celerity was faster than hers.

Pain clouded her vision, she actually saw stars as he kept carving his blades into her. She fell to her hands and knees, puddles of blood oozing from her mouth onto the floor. She looked seconds away from Final Death, really.

Slade deactivated his Celerity. Cutting off a sharp, yet light stalactite, he reared it back, "Any last words before I shred you up so you're only slightly prettier than Bertram Tung?"

"Just don't make too much of a mess with it. I was quite clean with Lorcan, now pay it forward." Gary said.

Tess covered her face as fat tears appeared in her eyes. She shook her head and gave up. Dragomir sighed as he looked away, actually seeming a little upset.

Slade reared the rock back, but Miranda jumped in the way, a blue glow coming from her hand, "Sleep." She said, and Slade fell back like a sack of rocks.

"Ooh." Victor said as he folded his hands, "The house isn't going to like this development…"

Miranda threw Slade's body over her back, looking at Gary, "We will bring your agent, Barabus, back. I will have Slade and Tess tend to the matter, and he will be safe." She said, if anything trying to pretend that the entire fight never happened.

Gary almost seemed disappointed before he stood up, "Very well. I'll have my two agents here accompany them…seeing as they seem to get along quite well."

"Oh, great…" Cressida muttered under her breath.

"Ooh, I hope I get to kill people." Edgar said.

"You're going to have two Nosferatu and two Toreador work together?" Cadmus asked, "Are you crazy…oh wait…I forgot who I was talking to…"

Gary snickered, "Careful, Ventrue, or I'll ask you to go too."

"As long as you don't have a Brujah go with me, I'd make out fine." He insisted as most of the party began to take their leave.

"Very well. Oh, Frost. Come back, there's more I need to discuss in private."

"Hmm?" Miranda whirled around, she handed Slade off to Dragomir and returned to Gary, "Yes, sir?"

"The Golden Temple in Chinatown…it's a piss poor copy of a real place…looks like it'd be more at home in a theme park. That eyesore's where you'll find Ming-Xiao. You'll be more of a curiosity than a threat. Talk to Xiao, ask her where my boy is, and get him back. Once he's safe, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the sarcophagus."

"Right." She nodded, "I'll rely this information to Mister Lockwood and Miss Perry."

He nodded and sat down again, "So…business aside…I'm sure you're aware of your…assets."

Cressida scowled, "Leave the poor thing alone, Gary."

He ignored her, "There's a lot of money in the photography field. If you'd prefer, we can keep you anonymous."

"You want to take pictures of my naked body?" Miranda asked.

"Well, you don't have to be stark naked, if you don't want." He said with a smile, "Whatever you're comfortable with. I'm sure they'd eat up pictures of you as you are."

"That they would." She smiled, "I must say, it's rather stuffy up in Venture Tower on most occasions. I rather like the…attention I'm getting down here." Her smile grew, "I'll pose any way you'd like."

He chuckled, "Edgar, fetch the camera."

* * *

"I got some chicken."

"Chicken?" Steadman's head peeked up, he rushed over to Angelique's side. They were in a basement somewhere, a singular flickering light in the ceiling. He ran over to the staircase where she was, "Where'd you get chicken?"

"Some guy was bringing it home, I stole it."

He had a good laugh, "Nice job!" He pat her back and took the chicken, in a flimsy Styrofoam and cellophane package. "I'll get a fire going, cook it up." He said as he approached a garbage can and rustled in his pocket for a match.

Angelique stood beside him, the top of her head reaching his shoulder, "So…uh…I started bleeding the other day."

He looked over at her, his deep-set eyes looked paranoid, "Bleeding? Where?" He looked her over, "I have bandages."

"Uh…well…" She swallowed hard, then leaned in and poked his shoulder.

He raised a brow and leaned down to her level as she whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened and his cheeks turned a little pale, "Uh…" He swallowed hard, "I…I don't know what to do about that, kid…"

"Am I going to die?" She asked, her eyes wide with panic.

"No, no…I…I don't think so…"

"Did that happen to you ever?"

"No…"

She swallowed hard, "I don't want to die, Steadman…"

"Look, kid." He put an arm around her shoulders and brought her in closer, her face buried in his coat, "I'll take care of you. If you get sick, god help me, I'll bring you back to health. You ain't gonna die on me, got it? Not unless I go first."

Angelique's eyes snapped open as she heard the door open downstairs. She got out of bed and ran downstairs with the enthusiasm of a dog when its owner returns. She slowly stepped into the kitchen as he walked in, "Cadmus…?"

Cadmus's black eyes were small and shaken, as if the eagle he was had lost his course due to strong and turbulent winds. The weather outside looked terrible, just like, when he fought against his sister. He flinched as lightning crashed outside, "Hey…" He said quietly.

She looked a little nervous, "…did you want some blood?"

"No." He walked past her, sitting at the kitchen table. His shoulders heaved with a shudder, and he buried his face in his hands.

She walked behind him slowly and silently, her hands timidly reached out and rubbed his shoulders lightly.

He moved his hands away from his face, only then could she see the tears in his eyes, "My…my wife…she…she…"

She put her arms around his neck and hugged him from behind, "What?"

"Andrei the Tzimisce…made her corpse into…one of his monsters…" He sniffed.

Her arms stiffened, then brought him closer as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm sorry…" She said softly.

"I…I don't know where she is…I don't know if…whatever she is…wherever she is…is dead or not…" His head hit the table, he kept trying not to break down, "I…I can't do it anymore! Anytime I fight Caesar, he puts on this shadow armor and I can't hurt him! I'll never be able to avenge her death!"

"You…you just have to keep trying. You can't give up so easily."

"And…and Anastasia…" He sniffed, "I can't even go _near_ her without the Anarchs having a fit…"

"I…I could kill more of them…I'll just keep hunting them…"

He shook his head, "Don't. I…I can't lose you too…"

She nodded rigidly and swallowed hard, "I'll help you with whatever I can. Things will work out, we have all the time in the world."

He closed his eyes. Every time lightning struck it brought him back to that night where he saw his sister, Anastasia, flailing in the mud with a frenzy.

" _Boop!" She poked his nose, "I found you, Caddy!" She said as she started running away._

" _Annie! Wait! We're playing hide and seek, not tag!" The young Cadmus shouted as he tried to catch up with her._

" _You can't catch me! You can't catch me! Hee-hee!"_

He clenched his fists as he started crying quietly, "Damn it…"

She pulled her arms away, combing her fingers through his hair briefly, "If she loves you, then I know you'll both be able to come together again.

"But how…?" He looked at his hands, tears running down his cheeks.

She came around and sat across from him, reaching out to take his hands, "I don't know. But…" She blinked, seeing Steadman smiling at her with that smug grin of his, "If you care about someone…if you're close to someone, nothing can keep you away from them. Not even the Jyhad."

He took a calm, slow breath, "Maybe you're right…"

"This war has to calm down eventually, right?" She slid her hands away slowly.

"And then what? Even if I kill Caesar, the Anarchs won't let me take Anastasia to safety." He said, "I'll just have to kill them too."

"That might be what it takes."

"Right…" He stood up, "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Jeez…felt like we were down there for days…"

Angelique opened her mouth to ask if she could come with him. Then her mouth closed and she nodded rigidly, "Good night."

"Goodnight Angelique."

* * *

 **A/N:** Now that Anastasia and Cadmus have both received their words of wisdom, let's see what happens if we put them together again…Thanks for reading!


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-one! Finally, the Prince is actually…doing something…about his problems…yay LaCroix.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"I don't think the tables have ever looked so clean." Skelter's scowl grew with annoyance as Damsel peered over his shoulder.

"You mind not breathing down my goddamn neck?" Skelter turned his head to face her.

She put her hands behind her back, "It's just nice seeing someone else clean the place up for once. You know, someone beside me."

"C'mon, this place is small, it can't be that hard." He muttered as he stood up and threw the rag he was cleaning with over his shoulder, "I just cleaned up, what, half the place? Ten minutes. Takes you an entire day."

She crossed her arms, "Well, cause I'm stuck doing other shit too. I have to multitask and sort out all your guys's—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" He grumbled as he pushed her away and went back upstairs, where Jack and Anastasia were. He draped the rag over the railing and walked over to listen in to their conversation. Nosy Damsel came upstairs as well, standing by the railing and pretending not to eavesdrop.

Jack was in the middle of telling Anastasia a story, "…and guess what that jackass said?" He said with a smile, a sincere smile, like he was actually enjoying whatever tale he was telling, "Said," And he roughened his voice even more, "'You know what, Jack? You keep this up, you'll never even be second mate!'" He pounded a fist on the table for enthusiasm, "So guess what I did?"

"Did he need a new jaw, Jack?" Anastasia smiled.

Jack gave a loud and hearty laugh, nodding as he slapped her back playfully.

Skelter shook his head, "We've heard that story a-hundred times already, Jack, when are you gonna tell something interesting?"

"Aw, what's the matter, Skelter?" Jack looked up, "Miss your little black and white TV time?"

Skelter rolled his eyes, "What the hell have you been up to anyway? Damsel's been looking for you."

"When the hell isn't she looking for someone?" He asked, "Honestly, Skelter, you oughtta take her out on your leash and run her around now and again or else she'll forget how to feed."

"Now that just ain't right." Skelter crossed his arms as Jack laughed. Anastasia face-planted the table with laughter.

Damsel walked over, "Jack…"

"Oh, there's my favorite little redhead." Jack looked up, "Find your soul yet?"

She crossed her arms, "Where were you? You weren't causing problems, were you?"

"Nah, I just popped by San Diego, alright? Killian said Big John was there, wanted to see if he was."

"Was Big John on your crew?" Damsel asked.

"Yeah, he never pissed me off, either. Good guy."

She sat up against one of the tables, "Was it fun…?"

"What, being a pirate?" He asked, cracking his neck, "Wasn't as boring as sitting around here playing LaCroix's games, that's for sure."

Anastasia caught a glimpse in Skelter's eye, something about him looked nervous.

"You hear the Brujah Primogen killed himself?" Damsel asked, Skelter looked over at her, that nervous look only growing, "Wonder if the poor guy wanted to be an Anarch the whole time."

Jack looked confused, "Primogen killed himself, huh? What's that leave, four?"

"Three." Damsel said, "We should attack one of them."

"Eh…yeah, and who you gonna tangle with?" Jack asked, "Strauss? Gary?"

"I'm thinking a little more Ventrue." She said, "It's just…well…they have Dominate. So…that's where you'd come in." She elbowed Jack.

"Nah…I…don't really feel up to a Blood Hunt." Jack said, "Those are shit luck, man. You think I need that?"

"Well, we have to do something!"

"It's fine, Damsel." Skelter said, "We can't just…go in and take out a Primogen without some kind of repercussion."

She sighed, "Aren't you tired of sitting around and doing nothing? What about Nines? Doesn't it piss you off that he's out there by himself, for us?"

"He's out there because the Camarilla is corrupt and broken, he didn't kill the Primogen. We don't have to make the Cams right."

"Yeah…I guess you're right…"

He stood up and paced across the room, rubbing his forehead before the door was heard closing. He paused, "Who's that?"

"Probably Killian." Damsel said, "I'm gonna go back downstairs, I guess, before someone else barges in." She headed back downstairs.

Jack was chewing on at thumbnail before he said, "Nah. She's gonna go call her boyfriend."

Anastasia looked towards the stairs. Truthfully she was worried about Nines too, and she was thankful Damsel at least kept in touch with him to give them some semblance of an update.

Killian came upstairs, the look on his face was much sourer, which seemed odd, since the last time he visited, it was just after Lark's death, "Hey guys."

"Good to see you're still alive." Jack said, "Hope you weren't pulling my leg about Big John, cause he wasn't down there."

Killian shrugged and leaned against the wall, "I saw him. I swear." Jack muttered something under his breath.

"Did something happen?" Anastasia asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing…"

Skelter crossed his arms, the stare he was giving newly defined the 'death glare'. "What's the matter, Killian?" His tone was far from actually concerned, it was more mocking.

Killian threw him a glare back, neither of their faces cracked. The tension in the room was thick and unveiled as fast as lightning. "I just said. It's nothing."

"If it was nothing, I don't think you'd be pouting about it like a damn child."

Killian pulled out a cigarette from his back pocket and lit it before he stuck it between his lips and took a deep sigh, "VV."

Jack sat back and crossed his arms, "This is entertaining, huh?" He elbowed Anastasia.

"I'll say." Anastasia leaned her head on one of her fists, "I'd say we should make bets, but, I finally got into good money…so…"

Killian rolled his eyes, "Skelter, stop being such a baby. Sorry I stole your little love interest, alright? Maybe stop being such a dick, start making some friends, and you'll see that being happy once and a while isn't such a bad idea, huh? Maybe it'll get you places."

Skelter's eyes narrowed, "Maybe if you stop thinking with your dick, you'll make it places too, but I don't think that's ever gonna change." He waited a beat, "Must be genetic."

"Jeez, you sure have a knack for being an asshole, don't you? This is why we don't have any Anarchs. Because there's people like you with us. There's people like you who stand around, spitting at the feet of everyone like they don't deserve to breathe the same air as you. You're lucky I have a set of brass balls and didn't fall for that shit, or you wouldn't have me or Lark here."

Skelter chuckled shortly, "Yeah, what's worse, getting pounced on by a psychotic pervert, or dealing with me?" He shook his head, "We'd be fine without you, Killian, as much as I hate to admit it. What do you do for us anyway, tell us how the weather is in Hollywood?"

Jack leaned over to Anastasia, "You got one of them camera things? To record this for Nines to see?"

"I wish…" Anastasia muttered.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue with you." Killian said, "I'll save whooping your ass for later. I came here to ask 'Stasia if she wanted to grab something to eat." He turned to Anastasia, "Or…I guess a visit to the hospital would be more fitting."

"Shit." Jack ducked his head dramatically, "Now they're dragging us into this!"

"You want to get blood with me?" Anastasia asked.

"Yeah, hang out at my place after?"

She shrugged, standing up, "Sure. I don't have anything else going on."

"Guess I better get the shock collar out." Jack sat up.

"Shut the hell up." Skelter grumbled, "Damn racist geezer…"

"Hey, I am not a geezer." Jack insisted.

Killian smiled as he went downstairs with her, about to talk to her when Damsel piped up, "Hey, where are you two going?"

"Just, out." Killian said, "We'll be back."

"What the hell happened to your little stripper girl?"

"Piss off, Damsel." Killian swatted a hand at her as he left with Anastasia, "Jeez, haven't really had the chance to talk to you in ages. One on one, at least, without one of those assholes interrupting."

"So…what did happen to VV?" Anastasia asked.

"I don't know." He said, clearly irritated about it as they flagged a taxi down. The driver nervously looked at Killian, he must have recognized him from his rampage, "She literally broke down in tears, told me how much she loved Slade, and told me to get the hell out of her life." He pulled the car door open for her.

"Really?" She sat next to him, "So…you guys are like, done?"

After telling the man he wanted to go to Santa Monica, he proceeded, "I mean, I didn't ask. I'm not gonna bang a chick who isn't interested. She knew my father, told me I looked like him, guess she can't get over that or something, I don't know. Fucking pissed me the hell off, I don't know why she even tried. Why she even bothered if she liked another guy the entire time."

She gave a shrug, "Seems everyplace I go that Toreador guy Slade is brought up in some shape or form…"

"What the hell is so great about him? I almost broke his neck cause he's best friends with the jackass who killed Lark." He seethed, clenching his fist and looking like he was going to punch the window out, "And then Skelter starts this bullshit with me, I don't know what the hell that's about. Jesus, I'm going to kill someone again. Swear to fucking Christ."

"Yeah, maybe don't do that…"

He sighed, "No shit." He paused, "Sorry, that wasn't nice…" He rubbed a temple, "How've you been?"

"Me?" She shrugged, "I've been fine…mostly…"

"Sounds like a load of bullshit to me."

She raised a brow, "You didn't hear about the run-in with the Tremere? The guy who staked me?"

"Oh yeah, Isaac mentioned something about that."

"He wanted Skelter and me to destroy the Gargoyle. But then Victor and this little Tremere girl sidekick of his attacked us. His girl fucked up the Gargoyle and Victor beat both of us…damn near did it with one hand tied behind his back, too…"

He grunted as the car stopped and he opened the door for her, "Cause Skelter can't do shit. He just gets angry and frenzies, that's all he's good for. You're what a Gangrel should be, he's just some washed up soldier who's better off as a pile of ash."

"You need to bind a Tremere's hands. That's what the real problem was. With their hands free, I was helpless. And before I knew it I was staked too." She said as she got out of the car.

"Staked, huh?" He asked, "Jeez, what was that like?" They started walking towards the hospital.

"It hurt like hell…then everything went black…" She said, "I guess I would have been stuck in that for a hell of a lot longer if Isaac didn't help me out."

"Yeah, Isaacs good like that." He said, "Always watching out." He opened the door to the blood bank and headed downstairs, his booming voice travelled, "Yo, Vandal! My man." He approached the cage, "Blue blood, four bags."

Vandal sat back, crossing his legs and looking at Anastasia, "Hmm…who would have guessed…" He leaned in again, "Even corpses can fuck. How stirring."

"Four blue blood bags." Killian said a bit darker.

"Sorry, Jack, fresh out. Unless you want to bring one of your pretty dollies down here for me so I can whip some up for you."

"I know you keep some back there for the special clients." He leaned in, "I'm gonna give you two options. You give me the blood, like a good little ghoul. Or, you don't give me the blood, and I smash your face into the wall."

Vandal yawned before that creepy smile found its way on his face again, "I don't think your little girlfriend needs to be impressed that much, pal."

Killian stood back, "No, no, of course, you're right." He crossed his arms, "You understand I work for your master, right? I see Therese every week, I go up to her office, bet you've never been there." He grinned, "And I bet you want to go there, huh? Maybe catch her right out of the shower?"

Vandal raised a brow, "Oh, oh, right, see…your first mistake is assuming that I fuck dead chicks. Your second, the Queen Bitch is the last person I'd ever want to see more than I have to."

"Oh…so…" Killian tapped his fingers on the table, "If I…brought her here…told her you were refusing my service…?"

"I'd tell her you were threatening me. And it wouldn't be a lie, would it?"

"You think she cares about you?" Killian asked, "You think she'd care if you died? You're completely replaceable."

Vandal seemed a bit peeved, "You've exceeded the threshold of impressing your date."

He growled, "Just give me the blood, Vandal, before I get mad."

"Get angry for all I care, your emotions mean nothing." He closed the door and waved with a wide smile.

Killian snarled before he reared his fist back, lit up with Potence, and smashed it through the glass and wire. Vandal looked horrified, he scrambled up from his seat and stood back against the wall. Killian grunted as he pulled his fist away, it was coated in blood, "Need more motivation, assclown?"

Vandal fumbled in the back in a safe and pulled out a few bags of blood. Killian grabbed the four blood packs and started walking off, almost as if Anastasia wasn't there at all.

"Killian, I could've…just paid him…" Anastasia said in a small voice as she followed him.

"I was going to pay him." He said, "But he was being an asshole. He always is, Therese needs a new ghoul. I ought to go in that club and beat the shit out of her for that."

"Uh…Therese…you…realize…she…breaks a-hundred and fifty, right?"

"What's she gonna do? Obfuscate? Dementation? Not with Celerity." He chuckled, "She's a pushover anyway…both of them are." He looked around the streets, then he grabbed her wrist suddenly and pulled her into an alleyway, pushing her up against the wall as he kissed her hungrily, "God, I've missed this…"

"Celerity, what?" She asked, "Dementation is a targeting Discipline…Celerity wouldn't save you forever…then you'd be…on the ground, crazy forever…in a trance…drool…pooling outta your mouth…"

He smiled and put a finger to her lips, "Less talking." He trailed a hand up the back of her neck and kissed her again, "Unless it's dirty talk."

She pulled away, "Look, I'm not in the mood."

His smile faded, then turned into a scowl, "What the hell…? C'mon, I need this…"

"I'm not in the mood. I just had my ass handed to me by Cadmus and Victor, sex is the last thing on my mind."

He sighed through his nose and gave her space, "Goddammit…" He grumbled under his breath as he combed his fingers through his hair, "Guess I'll…see you at the Last Round then…" He handed her two of the blood packs, "Here."

"Yeah…thanks." She took the bags and watched him walk off.

* * *

"Mister Strauss, I thank you for your attendance." The Prince said, there were only two chairs pulled in front of his desk, and one was already taken, "It appears, as disheartening as it may seem, this is the current state of our Primogen meetings."

Strauss gave a small nod, as he, rather reluctantly, sat next to the Ventrue Primogen. He was an older man with short blonde hair, small blue eyes, and iron-rimmed glasses. He wore all white, a collared shirt, slacks, and dress shoes.

Not to mention his voice was the most annoying and grating sound anyone had ever heard, "Rather disheartening indeed." He said in a high and wiry voice, "Is it just us two? We're it? But what happened to the Brujah Primogen? Did Mister Rush really kill himself?" When push came to shove, Strauss wasn't really surprised that this man was a devout follower of LaCroix.

"Well, I have put my assistant on the case, I don't doubt her ability to find the smallest inkling of any other…motives." He said carefully. "The matter of protection comes to mind, for the remaining Primogen." He paused, "Mister Golden is safe, from what I've heard, but for extraneous reasons, he cannot be here with us tonight."

Strauss and the Ventrue Primogen exchanged a glance, they then both faced LaCroix again attentively.

"While the recent…hunt, as I've heard, on the Primogen seems to be for various reasons, one piece of information remains as a constant. The whereabouts of these Primogen. Now, before I continue, I must address that, in no way do I doubt the physical capabilities of any of my representatives. No, in fact, in such cases as Mister Strauss." He motioned to Strauss, "I needn't say a word to you at all about defenses, as your Chantry stands more than buttressed with support of your clan." He turned his attention to the Ventrue Primogen, "But in the case of other Primogen, such as the Ventrue, your abode must remain secure enough to where no sort of influence may result in your Final Death."

The Ventrue Primogen nodded, "Yes sir. It shall be done."

"Very well. I will provide a location in Venture Tower if the matter of finding a secure location deems itself to be a challenge."

"Yes. We Ventrue need to stick together." He smiled.

LaCroix nodded with a smile, "Very well. Now, onto the next subject." He sat up a bit, "I have already begun the process of locating new Primogen. I've gathered a few responses, and so far I have found two rather promising reports for a Toreador and Brujah Primogen. However, there is still the matter of paperwork to sort through, and interviews to run."

"Do these two applicants seem more…" Strauss paused, "Promising, than their late counterparts?"

LaCroix chuckled softly, "Yes, yes, much more promising. The Brujah contact is currently working for the Prince of London, while the Toreador is currently stationed in Southeast Asia, likely doing research. So, yes, already it seems they have more experience and worldly knowledge of the Jyhad."

"Ah, yes, you do know how to pick the best of them!" The Ventrue Primogen smirked.

"Those do sound like rather promising individuals, indeed." Strauss said quietly. It seemed LaCroix had genuinely impressed him. For once.

"I have gathered backup Primogen, in the case that—"

A knock on the door seemed to almost put the fire out that was glowing in the fireplace.

The door peeked open, Harper stood there, looking petrified as she saw the Primogen. She had a manila folder in hand, as well as what appeared to be an evidence bag with a switchblade in it, "I'll return later." She hissed and the doors shut.

LaCroix rubbed one of his temples, "Apologies. As I was saying, I have gathered backup Primogen, in the case that the pair run into any sort of conflicts with their schedules. And I would like both of you to attend the interview. I've yet to schedule a date, with recent activity in pertaining the Ankaran Sarcophagus, but I will update you as soon as dates are decided."

"Yes, sir. Do let us know when you would like our presence again." The Ventrue Primogen said.

"Very well." He sat back, "Were there any enquiries or concerns that needed to be voiced?"

"None, sir."

"Very well. I thank you for such and efficient and proactive meeting. I wish you both, a good evening."

* * *

As the door to the Asylum closed, Jeanette leaned back in her barstool to watch the visitor enter. What delighted her the most was that it appeared no one was there. "Ooh…" She smiled as the drunken man sitting next to her collapsed on the counter. She stood up and sauntered over, "Hello there, pudding. Did you want to go upstairs to…" She brought a thumbnail to her mouth, "Talk?"

"Something like that." Edgar's voice said.

She giggled as she walked over to the elevator, pressing the button and assuming he was behind her, "You came at a good time. Therese would blow my head off if she knew you were here, let alone getting invited upstairs again, but there was something I really wanted to talk about." She said as the doors closed, "You can put Obfuscate down too. No one's upstairs. The Queen is away at…some fun little meeting."

"I can't imagine _why_ she would hate we Nosferatu so much." Edgar said as he deactivated Obfuscate and crossed his arms, "Must have something to do with your little stint with Bertram. Not that I care. He fed me many a detail."

"Oh, Bertram's just the tip of the ice berg, tadpole. Sometimes I wonder if she's part Toreador, she always rants and raves about how unclean you are. We're all dead, I don't see what the big fuss is."

"There aren't many around here like you."

"Aw…" She giggled and put her hands on her hips, "What a flatterer you are, Edgar." The door opened and she took him into her room, "I just wanted to discuss…business, you could call it, before we delve into any fun."

"Is that right?" He asked as he followed her in.

"I know, I know, this is really unlike me." She swatted a hand, "I hate talking about this more than I hate thinking about it. Politics. Jyhad. It's never been my forte, but it's no secret that the Anarchs have been having a lot of trouble recently, what with the Blood Hunt and fingers pointing everywhere…" She paused, "And…I don't know if you knew, I'm an Anarch. Well, not like a…a…a Nines Rodriguez, Damsel or Jack Anarch, but I like what they're about, I appreciate it. I'm not gonna go out and get my hands dirty all over their messes, but I like what they do."

"Go on."

"Well, we've been friends for a while. Friends, I think, is the right word to use. Anyway, I just…" She put her hands down by her side as she sat on the bed, "I know you're Camarilla. I know you do work for the Prince and stuff, but I think you'd be a better Anarch."

"Do you?"

"You just seem like the type of guy to…to stand up for what's right…and the Camarilla are so…so stuffy. You know, like Therese and LaCroix…you're not really like that, are you? And I know you're in a tough position, cause you probably have a really nice place to live that the Camarilla provided, but…" Her eyes darted around, "Look, I just made up with my sister. We've been fighting so much, and forgot to realize how much we love each other and blah, blah, blah. Point is, she gave me more control of the club. Which turned into a bigger wallet. So…I could get you a place to stay, a new place, one away from the Camarilla stuff. If you wanted, that is. I'm not very good at all this politics stuff, but I just like to see people happy."

"A new place?" He asked, "I'm not so sure about that, Jeanette. You know how the Nosferatu work, don't you? Clan first, and sect second."

She put a finger on her chin, "Well, maybe you could stay there then. Maybe you could be a…an agent for us. Living in Camarilla territory. It would be dangerous, but…" She clearly eyed his chest over, "Well, you're clearly cut out for it."

"A closet Anarch member? Yeah, I'm already one step ahead of you."

"…really?" She smirked.

He nodded, "When someone as foppish as LaCroix is in charge, how could you not be an Anarch?"

She giggled, "I can't blame you on that one. Well, you have my full support, I'll help you out whenever you need. Jack and I are…close, too, so he'll update me on things now and again. You'll get emails from me, unless you don't want to get caught or anything. Well, they might look innocent from me." She said, then she smirked, "Really, I shouldn't say _innocent_."

"I'd rather have contact with you face-to-face." He said, "Gary's pretty good with watching over our servers. If he deciphers one of your messages, I'm finished."

"You won't hear me complaining." She untied her top and threw it across the room.

Edgar snickered, "Now we're talking…"

* * *

 **A/N:** I don't think we're going to hear any complaints about…not going into depth on that one. Thanks for reading!


	62. Chapter 62

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-two! What happens when you put two irritated people together? Fireworks. And not the good kind.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. There's also some risky business going on in the last scene, if that isn't your cup of tea, skip over it.

* * *

Dragomir and Genevieve weren't home. Slade wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Maybe a bit of both. They gave him company sure, but he became the definition of a third wheel whenever he was around.

It wasn't like Dragomir would shove it in his face, but it was the little things, like Genevieve sitting in his lap or him playing with her hair as they talked about all the sorts of problems they were facing.

But, it was bad in cases like these, when he heard a knock on the door. Because Dragomir never knocked. Not the new Dragomir, at least.

Slade walked over and answered the door, "Killian?" He asked.

Friendly wasn't normally what Slade would call Killian's face, but there was always at least a sense of goodness somewhere. Like he wasn't completely corrupt. Today was a little different. He looked more like a monster than a person, "We need to talk."

Slade stepped out of his apartment and closed the door behind himself, "What is it?"

Killian paused, "Wouldn't you rather talk _in_ your apartment?"

He rolled his eyes, stepping back in and leaving the door open for him.

Killian made himself at home and sat on the couch, "Your sire's gone bananas. I don't know what the fuck you did to her, but she's completely off the rails."

"What I did?" He raised an eyebrow, "Look, I've been in a Tzimisce monster nest for the past three or four days. This has nothing to do with me."

"Uh, yeah it does. Cause, when I go in that VIP room for a nice conversation with my girlfriend, and she has a fucking breakdown about how you completely ruined her life, I think it has something to do with you."

"How did I ruin her life? _She's_ the one who turned _me_ into a vampire, pal."

"You think I know? Go talk to her, fix her. Cause she wants nothing to do with me, Isaac or Ash. I don't know what you said to her, but she hasn't been the same."

"I don't know what I said to her either."

"Then go find out." His eyes narrowed, "Because my patience for you is thinner than glass, kid."

"Pfft, what are you going to do about it? Last time you tried to fight me, you almost died, so it shows how much you know."

He snickered, "You see, I might be an idiot, but I'm not stupid." He gave a cocky grin, "I know I'm not just doing some digging for a snuff-tape. The wolf walked into the doggy's den, and this time, he brought his fangs."

"So you came in here to kill me?"

"No. I came here to tell you to get your sire's panties sorted out."

"And I'll tell you to go fuck yourself." He frowned, "You think you can order me around worse than LaCroix just because you didn't get your fuck today? That's all you care about isn't it. Getting a good fuck. You're just like Tess. Useless too. Why don't you saddle up with her so I could just be done with both of you?"

"Look, I get it, you're used to dealing with Cams. I like to think I'm…a compassionate guy." He said as he took a pistol out from his pocket and laid it in his lap, "You don't get how Anarchs do business yet, which is fine, it's cool, I can work with this." His gray eyes met with Slade's as his fingers tightened around the gun, "You talk to VV. Someone who, rightfully, should matter to you, but, whatever, not my business…you talk to V, and, maybe then, I can get the Anarchs off your ass."

"Fuck you and your Anarchs. You're ordering me around just like the Camarilla is. There's no difference between you."

He laughed, "Oh, oh, really? I'm not forcing you to do anything. No, not at all. You have all right to draw your pair of butter knives and slice me to pieces if you want. You have all right to scoop my sorry ass out of your apartment. But, if you do talk to her, then I can help you out."

"Like your peashooter is any better. It won't even catch me!"

"Maybe not. Maybe you'll kill me. You, a fledgling. Cause, I mean, I've only been around, what, four times longer than you have? Makes perfect sense that I'd be able to die so easily." He said, then he chuckled, "Well, I guess your little newby friend did kill my sister, maybe I should just shut my mouth."

"She won't be the only dead Anarch."

"Yeah, and you won't be the only dead Cammie. Let's see, that whore, Tess, Dragomir." He threw his feet up on the table and crossed his arms, tapping the gun against the side of his head, "Who else? Anyone else you've ever liked?"

"You couldn't kill a fly."

His brow furrowed, "Did you miss something about me killing fifty something people? Maybe it's not a good idea to piss me off."

"You can't kill me."

"That's not my goal. I'm blond but I'm not your little Prince. I'll defend myself if I have to, but I just want VV sorted out."

"To fuck her."

He leaned in, his forearms on his knees, "What, does that bother you? You don't like me fucking your sire? Maybe if you wanted her pussy so bad, you'd just get over yourself and bang her already, she's been waiting since she first met you."

"That's probably why she's so messed up. She doesn't want to be caught dead with you."

"I mean, if she's interested in you, she doesn't have many standards."

"I'll be sure to tell her you said that."

His grin was wicked, "So you're talking to her then."

"Look. Are you done begging me for help?" He asked, "Just go. Go back to your exhibit. Bananas are that way. I don't know why you'd think I'd ever help an oaf like you in a-thousand years."

Killian growled, "Last chance, buddy-boy. Talk to your sire, something not every Kindred is gifted with, and we'll drop our aggression."

"Last chance? Yeah right. You'll never kill me, because you'll never get _near me_. Bring whatever the hell you want. As powerful as it is, it's useless if it can't hit me. I beat your lousy ass the last time with a fraction of what I am now. If you tried anything now, you would just embarrass yourself. You should've just had me killed by LaCroix and his chimp when you had the chance!" He let out a laugh, "Because now you Anarchs created a monster that you can't even deal with properly. Look, unless their name is 'Dragomir', I don't give a damn in the world. So I guess you'll be having sex with a bagel tonight, gorilla."

Killian grit his teeth and fired the pistol for Slade's guts. Slade sidestepped the shot, "Missed. Huh, and I didn't even put Celerity on yet. I guess your family can't aim _or_ survive there, eh pal?"

Killian's eyes darted around as he stood up, "This is a pretty nice apartment, I have to say." Potence flickered around his legs, "It'd be a shame if someone," He reared back and kicked his foot down into the couch, completely shattering it, "Made a mess of the place." He adjusted his collar, "Oh, but I guess the Prince does pay you a lot, doesn't he? Tell me, how's sucking his dick going for ya, huh? As fun as you thought it'd be?"

When he looked around again, Slade was nowhere to be seen. At first, Killian thought Slade ran away out of fear. But, this theory was killed the second Killian was sniped in the forehead from an unknown location.

Killian fell back and held his forehead, "Son of a bitch…" His eyes were shut tight, the pistol thrown across the floor, "Oh, you bastard…" He grabbed the post of the bunk bed and ripped it away from the wall, throwing it across the room and destroying it, as well as the desk and laptop.

Slade appeared as nothing more than a blur, which, honestly wasn't a good sign for Killian. In his last fight, he could at least _see_ where Slade was headed. Instead of being armed with a sniper, he now had the Jaeger spas in his hands, and he turned a knob at the bottom, changing it from single shot to pump action. By itself, the fire rate would've been extremely fast, but this was mixed in with Celerity. So Slade unloaded the entire round of shotgun shells in Killian's chest, and reloaded before Killian knew what hit him.

It was a miracle the man could even stand. He would definitely be dead if he was human, or even ape. It was frustrating that he _wasn't_ dead, especially since he had virtually no supernatural defenses up. He grabbed the door and flung it open, "Mark my words, Lockwood, you just put a bounty on your head."

Slade shot another six rounds into him, pulling him back and shutting the door, "You're going to pay for all the shit in my room that you destroyed or you're gonna be a pile of ash, asshole."

Killian looked like a hot mess, blood all over his face, his dark blue shirt was a blackish purple. His head slammed into the door as Slade pulled him in, then he reached in his back pocket and pulled out a stack of cash, "Take it and whack off to it, I make more than you do. Let that sink in." There was blood between the teeth he was baring, it turned his entire mouth bright red, "I make more than you do working for LaCroix. Every paycheck you get from the guy? Amounts to shit."

Slade shot him again, "Get going, you little bitch." He said, taking his money and his pistol on the ground.

Killian grunted as the bullet landed in his arm. He grabbed the door and opened it, "Don't think this shit is over. You might never see my face again, but it won't be the last of this." He slammed the door shut as Slade heard his heavy footsteps head out.

"You come near me again, I'll kill you!" He snapped through the walls, "You hear me! You and your little gangbangers are history!"

* * *

It wasn't often that Victor wanted to become human, but in times like these, he really wished he could.

The smell of the scones filled the entire apartment, if not the entire apartment complex. Venus bent down as she took out the tray from the oven, peering over it, before she put them down on the counter. "Bloody shame you can't try any. But, more for me." She smirked as she picked one up and put it on a plate, wincing and shaking her hand off as the scone was burning hot. She sat at the island with him, "So, where have you been?"

"The Tzimisce's nest." Victor said.

"Mmm hmm." She pulled her glass of wine a bit closer, then crossed her legs and took a sip from it, "So…this…and please, correct me if I'm saying it wrong, Tzimisce, was it as dangerous as before?"

"Before I was alone…and he nearly killed me…this most recent time I had five others helping me, so the reverse happened."

"He's dead?"

He paused, "I was never sure they could fall so easily…I've…I've never been able to observe one up close before…but, I don't think we'll be hearing from him again."

"Well, I guess that's good, right? Putting him in the ground where he belongs. Dirty bastard." She took a bite of her scone, "Teach him to screw with my Victor."

He chuckled, resting his head on a hand, "Then we spent close to a day crawling through a maze of his flesh-crafted abominations." He sighed, "The younger Kindred were rather spooked by them. But I found it to be a scientific journey. Other Tzimisce won't like that a Tremere got so up close and personal to their work, I assure you. The Tzimisce and Tremere have been at war for centuries."

She grinned, "What a zealot you are."

He sighed, "So I've been resting for the time being. Conserving energy. I should cherish these lulls in the Jyhad in which there isn't really much going on. As, I'm sure in the near future, the air won't be still for long."

"How's your 'employer'?"

"He's been rather fine." He said, "Oh, I'm supposed to be creating a fabrication as to your status as a ghoul…" He buried his face in his hands, "I forgot again…"

"It's alright, love, it'll get sorted out. I'll keep hiding, I don't mind."

He rubbed his finger on the countertop, watching it move to and fro, "I…dread to think of the tasks they'll have for you. You…you already run a club. Perhaps that…will be enough for them…"

"Oh, I do hope I don't have to give up the club. I've fallen in love with the old girl."

"Absolutely not. That…shouldn't be a possibility. If there is some sort of action towards it, then I'll put a stop to it."

She smiled, "I think my favorite part is the people."

"And their subsequent stories."

"Mmm. I'd love to tell their stories, but I value their privacy with my life."

"That's why you make the perfect ghoul." He smiled.

She giggled a bit and played with her collar, "Well, I can think of other reasons."

"As can I, darling." His smile grew, "You're an exceptional woman, crafted by fate itself."

Her cheeks blushed as she stood up and finished her wine, "Come here." He stood up and held her close, kissing her on the lips for a while.

She held his face with one hand, the other rested on his chest and tugged at his tie. She hadn't made any breakthroughs with figuring out how to take a tie off. "I've got it, silly." He undid the tie and flung it over her shoulder.

She smirked at the tie on her shoulder, then kissed him back as she pushed him up against the island. One of her legs wrapped around him, grinding her hips against his. He gave a soft sigh as he kissed her back, reaching a hand down and grabbing her butt. She bit her lip and arched into his touch, pulling his coat off as if there was a fire and they needed to get off _now_.

He took his blazer off, followed by his gloves. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Tell me how much you want me…"

He felt her shiver in his arms, "Oh, you dirty bastard, you'll pay for that…" She pulled her top off and tugged at his shirt, the buttons all popped in succession.

He snickered as his shirt fell off, reaching forward and unbuttoning her shorts, watching as they slid down her legs. His hands started massaging her waistline, as well as her lower abdomen, pressing his hand a bit further in every so often.

Her head landed in his chest as she bit her lip, hissing a string of curses as her nails dug into his shoulders, "Fucking hell, Victor…we need to go somewhere…"

"Shall I pleasure you in your bed tonight?"

"If you carry me there." She wrapped her legs around him.

"Yes, but where?" He chuckled, "You'll have to give me directions."

"Go into the living room, take a left past the bathroom."

He chuckled again, carrying her to her room and setting her down on her bed, "Your room is lovely." He smiled as he took his boots and pants off.

"I'm so glad you think so." She slid her boots off, "Now come here and continue what you were doing." She laid back on the bed with her legs spread, "Oh, but…maybe just a little _lower_ …"

"Hmm?" He asked. He got on her bed and held her butt, kissing her waistline. A sigh slipped past her violet lips as she wrapped her legs around his chest and held his head down. It almost felt like she was trying to press his head down more, towards her womanhood.

He stuck his tongue out and he licked just above her sex, gently squeezing her butt and patting it a few times. She let out a frustrated groan, her breath shaky as she said, "Victor, you know I'm not a very patient woman…"

He crawled up a bit and took his underwear off, rushing the blood through his system to give his member some impressive length. He then pressed it against her sex with a smile. Her eyes closed as she reached up and held onto his shoulders, kissing along his neck before she said softly in his ear, "Did you want to try a different position…?"

"Only if you do." He held her breasts.

"Is my mouth a tempting venue for you?" She asked, her other hand reaching down to slowly rub his shaft.

His eyes widened and he clamped down on her breasts. He must've felt sorry for it because he released his grip afterward, "T-That…feels nice…"

"Oh, you like this?" She asked as she used both hands to rub up and down rhythmically.

He closed his eyes, "Yes…a little…at least…it…it's scientifically sound…that I would…"

"Uh huh." She planted a kiss on his collarbone, "I'll keep it up all night, if you'd like."

"No…No…V-Venus…I won't last that long…"

"Aw, well, that's alright." She teased as she wrapped her legs around him and grinded her sex against his, both her hands on his back, "How about this, is this any better?" She asked, trying to contain as much lust as she could.

"Where…do you want it…?"

"Wherever you can fit it." She hissed in his ear, before she said airily, "You know, my chest can do more than catch attention…"

He blinked a few times, confused as to what she was talking about at first. Until a smile came across his lips and he slid his member in between her breasts, letting loose with a groan.

His shaft vibrated in her chest as he shivered and grabbed at the bedsheets, sighing out her name over and over again as he pushed her slightly into the mattress. She held her breasts together to create more friction, that is, until she figured out she could do that very well with just her upper arms. Meanwhile, her other hand reached down and pleasured herself as she sighed his name between gasps and moans.

As he came down from his peak, she was finishing her own, and tried her best not to pant in his face as he fell beside her, "I think just about every man…who walks into my club…has wanted to do that…at some point…"

"That…that was a rather…erotic end…to our adventure…" He said.

"Oh good…I like to take…take some twists and turns…good fun…they are…"

"It's…unfortunate…that our libido…are at…such different speeds…"

"Oh…sorry 'bout that, love…" She pulled her sweaty bangs away from her forehead, "I've just been a bit…busier, in my past, with people…really just to get where I am…"

"Of course…" He closed his eyes, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

She smirked, "As will I." She picked up his hand and held it, laying it over her stomach, "Even if I'm not allowed."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry the chapter's on the shorter end. I would've gotten a move on with the plot, but I really wanted to write more Victor and Venus smut. Hope you liked it!


	63. Chapter 63

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-three! Allow me, (chopperlover14), to preface and say, I have respect for Mister Nines Rodriguez. I do, I swear. So, I wrote a scene entailing a summary of, from my vivid imagination, where he came from. However, I was dismayed to see that, on the White Wolf Wiki, this backstory I had created was only partially correct. I'm not one to allow all my writings and creativity to be dictated by facts, as sometimes, I feel that it is acceptable to color outside the lines. However, in this case, I felt as though my original tale paled in comparison to what might have really happened. I mean, it isn't as if the wiki went into deep detail about every fingernail the man has ever clipped, but it still took a different path than my original story. *takes a deep breath* So, yes, I decided to rewrite the lovely fifteen page tale I had slapped together for accuracy for the beloved Nines Rodriguez, only because he's such a damn charmer. I guess following the actual plot did help though, because it ended up ten pages longer. Lol, enjoy.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, there's some frisky fracas in the last scene, if it's not your cup of tea, you can skip over it. Not sure if I used the word fracas right.

* * *

Brotherhood wasn't a fairly new concept. But patriarchy was a little different.

"Manny, Manny!" A rough shaking of his shoulder forced his weary eyes open.

"What…?" His voice was a croak, like the bullfrogs that spoke up at night.

"Mama, she had the baby!"

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, sitting up, "The baby?"

"You have to come see him, he looks like you!"

"No he doesn't…he's a baby…" Manny got up out of his bed and pulled on a shirt, as it was stuck over his head, his lanky arms trying to navigate the armholes, he turned towards his brother, "Where is she?"

" _Cocina_." He said in a flurry, "C'mon, c'mon!" He grabbed his big brother's arm as soon as the shirt was on and tugged him along.

"Berto, don't be so rough!" Manny urged as the floundering children ran into the kitchen.

It was a small kitchen, but it was homely. Clean, polished excessively, with scuffed floors and tabletops. It always smelled like something was cooking, even when it rarely was. And there was their mother, sitting in the kitchen with a baby in her arms.

Their mother was always thin, with sharp cheekbones, long wavy locks of brunette hair, long dark lashes, and bright blue eyes. Manny's brothers always teased him for looking so much like his mother, saying how he looked more like a girl than any of them. The baby that was swaddled in her arms was in a ratty blue blanket, one that Manny had recognized from his other siblings being carried around in when they were that little. "Oh, Manny…" She her thin lips smiled, the bags under her eyes dictated exactly how much sleep she hadn't found, "It's been such a long time." Her voice was like that of a nightingale, it always seemed to float above everyone's head, to catch in the air and flow through like a breeze.

Manny stepped past his other brothers in the room who were running around frantically, some of them throwing marbles at each other and pretending they were bombs, others were just playing chase to piss Manny off, it seemed, "Is it…is it a boy?"

She smiled and nodded, a slight laugh in her voice, "Yes, you have another brother."

He was about to respond before the door opened with a wiry creak and closed with a rickety slam. His aunt came in, a basket of folded laundry in her hands. While their mother had been going into labor in the hospital, their aunt had stepped in with laundry, at least. Manny's father stuck around to help take care of dinner and monitoring his rowdy brothers, "Elise, you look like you're going to drop dead any minute."

"I'm just fine." She said, though Manny knew well that that was a lie, "I can't thank you enough for keeping up with all the clothes."

"Oh, it's no trouble…I just wanted to talk to you about something." His aunt turned, Manny caught a look in her eye that was positively terrifying, "Privately on the patio."

His mother caught the look as well, "Privately? If you have something to say to me, I'm sure the kids can hear it too…we're a family, aren't we?"

"Yeah, family!" Eduardo, the fifth child his mother had bore insisted, he was six, if Manny's memory served him correctly, "Family dinner?"

"No, Eddy." His aunt affectionately pat his head, "Elise."

"Fine, fine." She stood up from her chair, looking like she would faint just from standing. She handed Manny the baby, "Here, please hold him. It won't be long."

"Of course." Manny said as he sat where his mother was sitting, looking at the baby in his arms. Maybe Berto was right, maybe the kid did look a little bit like him, what with those bright blue eyes and long dark lashes.

Berto sat with him at the table. Manny and Berto were the two older brothers, with Manny being the oldest at ten, and Berto being second oldest at nine. His brothers went down chronologically by years, and their names were even alphabetical. Armando, Berto, Carlos, Daniel, Eduardo, Fabian, Geraldo, and Hector. The new baby was almost definitely going to have an 'I' name, Manny wondered if maybe he'd be able to pick one out. But, Manny supposed his father had always been a bit of a control freak.

His father didn't stop by often, but when he did, the house was always full of singing and dancing. His father moved from Spain, apparently because he felt his mother's presence in America and said he needed to be with her, but, Manny highly doubted that. Sure, maybe when he was little, he fell for that, but as he grew up, he started to see how much impact money really had on things. It was most likely an economic reason, one that he'd have to ask his father about during his next visit.

His father worked in the automotive manufacturing industry, but Manny didn't know exactly what it was he did. All he knew was his father was amazing with a wrench. He could fix any sort of problem the house had without spending a dime, and was constantly making an extra buck or two from neighbors with leaky pipes or waterlines. And a broken automobile? He could always fix it. _Always_ , and he loved it too.

His father talked about bringing Manny into the industry. He was going to be Manny's _profesor_ , as he told him, teach him the ways of all automobiles. Manny had done some work on them before, with his father's help of course. He wondered if maybe he could be just as useful as his father, just as helpful.

Looking up to his father was an understatement. His father was a hero.

The man was always smiling, always singing, always spending time with his brothers. And at night, when Manny was tucking his brothers in for bed, he'd see his father and mother dancing downstairs with the stereo on like a pair of kids themselves. It almost put a pressure on his chest, _How could someone be so nice? Am I going to be that good of a man when I grow up? I'll never be so loved…_

They say irony is a high form of morality.

The door flew open as Manny's mother rushed in, her face in her hands as she sobbed shamelessly. The room felt cold, his brothers all stopped running around and looked up at their mother with terror.

Manny stood up. He felt like he had to. Like he had to be the voice that spoke out, he wasn't sure why, "Mama…what's wrong?"

She lifted her face away from her hands, her cheeks stained with tears, her cheeks pale, "Manny…your father…he's dead."

* * *

At least the wind in his hair was refreshing. As for the back pain? Well, let's just say it was so bad, he felt like one of the dog carcasses on the side of the tracks that had been split clean in half from being run over so many times. Then he felt the stack of cash in his pocket and knew everything would be okay. He'd get home, and he'd be able to sleep it off, right?

Was that too much to ask?

He felt the caboose shake and turned his head to see a girl jump up in from the back. She adjusted her hat, then tipped it to her, "Hey."

"Hey." His voice was hollow, "The hell you doing here?"

"I could ask the same to you." She crossed her arms. She looked the same age as him, about thirteen, or maybe fourteen.

"Work."

"Yeah, so was I." She said firmly, kneeling next to him. It was dark out at first, so he didn't get a good look at her, "This is my part of the train, pal."

He looked around, "I don't see a sign."

"Jackass." She spat, "What's your name?"

"Manny."

"Manny, huh? That's a dumb name."

"Hey, thanks."

Her brow furrowed, "So you're not gonna kick me off?"

"No, why would I do that?" He asked, facing her again. He saw the look on her face, a certain sense of nervousness in her eye. And the switchblade in her hand.

"I don't think you should even be asking that."

"I don't care what you're doing here. I'm just on my way home."

"Home? You got a home? What are you doing riding the train like a runaway for?"

He looked over at her with confusion. He'd been using this train for three years now, and only just met her. Then again, he supposed he had never been home from work so late before, "I always jump on this train. Faster way to get to where I need to go." He turned back to the view of the country going by.

"And where is it you go, huh?"

"A farm, west of here."

"Oh. I've seen that place. They take little girls?"

He paused, then looked back over at her, "You'd have to ask."

"Like hell." She snickered before she leaned back on her hands, "You make money, huh? How much?"

"Enough."

"Enough is never enough." She said, "I don't make any money."

"Sorry."

"I don't make jack squat." He didn't know what to say, then she turned her head, "You got a momma and poppa at home?"

"Yeah." Only half of it was a lie. Maybe three fourths.

"What do they do for a living, if you work? Why do you gotta go out and work? Got a lot of siblings or something?"

"Yeah."

"Really? How many?"

"Eight."

"Eight? Lord almighty, no wonder you gotta get some extra cash. And I know girls like to waste their money on all their little dollies, huh?"

"I don't have any sisters."

"You don't? Eight brothers? Christ, I pity your mother."

He gave a dry laugh and closed his eyes as the fresh wind picked up again. He saw his mother lying in bed with a cool cloth on her forehead, that weak smile, thanking him for another day of hard work, and telling him she'd be feeling better by tomorrow.

"How much money do they take up a week?" She asked.

"I don't know…it depends." He said, "I never bothered counting."

"This sure is a fun time to be in, isn't it?" She said with a sigh, "I can't wait to be on my deathbed and find out that all this shit's done and over."

"I…I don't think that's how it works."

"You think this is it?"

"As good as it'll get."

"You're so negative."

"It's just realistic, isn't it?" He asked, "As long as the big people are up there, counting their fat wads of cash, where does that leave us? Down here, playing in the dirt for them. Why would that change?"

She bit her lip, "Well, maybe you should go up to one of their mansions and just…shoot 'em in the head."

He snickered, "I don't have a death wish."

"You'd be a hero, wouldn't you?"

"I guess so. But I'd be dead. My family would be too."

"I thought you said you had a mommy and daddy."

"My mom's sick."

"Sick? With what? Pneumonia?"

"I don't know. I paid for a doctor to come and see her…and…they said she doesn't have anything."

"What a quack."

"That's…that's what I thought."

"Well, you ought to get some real doctor to come and save her."

"I don't have the money for that."

"Yeah you do. You got stacks of dollars all around you."

He looked around, "You think I should steal the cargo?"

"Yeah, just stuck a few crates under your shirt, walk home a few more miles, make a hundred, pay a good doctor. That's what I would do, at least. If they can steal from us, we can steal from them."

Adrenaline tasted good in his mouth, it numbed the pain in his back, "What is this stuff anyway?"

She grabbed one of the crates and opened it, "…looks like a box of bullets."

"Bullets?" He asked as he walked over and peeked in, "It does…where would I sell them?"

"I dunno. I don't know your town."

Manny felt his throat grow dry as he grabbed the box and closed it, stuffing it under his shirt. Yeah, this wasn't helping his back very much. He strained a hand out for another box, "Help me out here, would you?"

She grabbed a box, then paused and made a face, "Ew, why is your chest so hairy?"

"Just give me the damn box."

She stuck it under his shirt, he held onto both of them with his life, then looked out the empty side of the boxcar, the jump looked quite daunting.

"You look funny with all those boxes in your shirt." She giggled.

"You think I can make it?" He leaned over the edge, the train started turning.

"Yeah. Maybe." She snickered and pat his shoulder, "Break a leg."

"Shut up." He muttered gruffly.

A door from the other boxcar flew open, smacking against the wall with a resounding sound. A rotund man in a suit took out a pistol, the revolver spun around and landed on the girl's head, "What in God's name are you kids doing back here! Get out before I shoot you dead!" His voice practically oozed how well off he was.

Manny felt his blood run cold as his friend stepped back, holding her hands up, "I didn't mean any trouble, sir."

He scowled at her, then saw Manny with the cargo under his shirt, "Hey, hey, don't steal our cargo!" He fired.

Manny fell and hit the ground hard, the crates of ammo squishing his guts down into the cold hard ground. He felt his heart pounding, then looked over himself. Safe and sound. He turned back to the train, watching as it plowed onwards.

And then, a flash from the caboose, as a gunshot was fired. A body fell out of the back of the boxcar, and hit the rails. The body didn't even move in the slightest.

Manny ran over as fast as he could with his cargo, his eyes wide with horror as he saw her body on the tracks, her eyes wide open, a red oozing hole in the center of her forehead. He swallowed slowly, then dropped the ammo and carefully stepped on the tracks, leaning in and closing her eyes. He then picked her up and moved her off the tracks, laying her in the dirt with her arms crossed over her chest. He looked at her one last time, then grabbed the necklace he had around his neck. It was a cross he had found rummaging in his father's nightstand, his father told him about how it was his _abuelito's_ , and as long as he carried it, he would be watched over by God.

He unclasped the necklace and set it down on her chest, before he grabbed the carts of ammo, and turned away from her, running home.

The moon had almost fallen out of the sky when he made it back to his home town. His feet ached, his shoulders throbbed, and he couldn't feel his fingers anymore, but he was almost home. He was walking the streets when suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around, "Hey, what's that?" It was a police officer, he was pointing at the smuggled crates.

Manny held them out, looking up at the officer with fear in his eye, "Bread. I'm trying to keep it warm."

The police officer pushed him aside and opened one of the crates, seeing the ammo. He took out his gun, "Kid, you better get home, _now_."

"Look, I just need enough money, my ma's gonna die, I—"

"Get going before you meet her in heaven."

He bit his lip and turned away as he ran home, reaching in his pocket to feel the wad of cash that he had comforted himself with.

His hand whizzed right through the fabric.

He stumbled forward to a halt as he checked every pocket. No, he put all his money, his week's savings, in the right pocket.

The one with the giant hole in it. Because he couldn't afford a jacket that was tailored better.

He felt tears roll down his cheek as he sulked home, his head hung low as he opened and closed the door.

His three year old brother, Inocencio, who they called Ino until his speech got better, ran over to him and hugged his knees, "Manny!"

Manny got down to his level and hugged him, holding his fuzzy head close, "Hey Ino, what are you doing up?"

"Mama said I could stay up until you came home!"

"Did she…?" He stood up and gently pet his brother's hair. "Where is she?"

"In bed." He said, then coughed in a tiny fist.

Manny's gaze hardened, "You sick?"

"Sick? Like Mama? No."

"Maybe you should stay inside tomorrow, okay?" He asked, wiping a dirt smudge off his brother's cheek. Unlike all his other brothers, Ino's eyes were blue, like his, and his hair was the same shade as his mothers. He really did look like a mini-Manny. And his name? Well, Manny got to pick it out, but he picked something he knew his father would name him anyway.

"No, I wanna play with Berto and Eddy!"

"Yeah, well…" He walked into his mother's room, "We'll see about that." He left Ino to go annoy his other brothers, or maybe to go to bed, as he walked into his mother's room.

It was dark, and smelled of something unfamiliar to Manny. Whatever it was, it was bitter, and unpleasant, "Manny…there you are…" Her eyes opened, dark bags under them. She looked terrible, really, even though he had just seen her yesterday. She cracked a small smile, "Today was payday, right?"

"Yeah…" He muttered as he rubbed a tear out of his eye.

She reached forward to hold his cheek, "You've been crying…"

"I lost the money…" He choked out, "There was a hole in my pocket…"

A silence filled the room again, "Manny…I'm not upset with you…"

"Why?" He broke out, his temper flaring, "You should be, I've wasted a week worth of my life in hard work out in that old man's terrible corn fields, and what do I get? Callouses? Back pain? I'm supposed to be keeping this family together, what the hell are we going to do now?"

"Shh…just relax, alright? We have time…we can make it another week…"

"No we can't…Ino isn't old enough for milk anymore, he eats food. A lot. And so do the others…" He sniffed, his voice had never sounded so vulnerable, and he hated it, "I just wish…." He slammed his fist against the mattress, "Why the hell did he have to die!? I can't do this by myself! Why did he have to die!"

"Manny, please…" His mother urged with a rasp in her voice, "It will work out…We still have three cans of beans…and water…we'll make something work…"

"Ma, you can't feed a family of nine with three cans of beans and water, even I know that." He spat, "What the hell have you been eating?" As there was a silence, he scowled, "That's why you're like this in the first place…because you haven't been eating, and you miss Pa, and you can't deal with the stress of it all…I can't blame you…I just wish I could do something about it…"

His mother's eyes looked far too peaceful, "Then do something…"

"What…?" His voice was a whisper.

"Do something about it, Armando…you always do." She smiled warmly, "Just…like your father…always doing…the right thing…"

"I always do what?" He stood up as his mother's gaze grew distant, "Ma…Ma, what do I do? Ma!"

Silence. Peace.

"Ma! Ma!" He held her shoulders and shook them, her head fell limp to the side of her left shoulder. Her body felt like ice. He backed away, his hands trembling. "Ma…?" He squeaked out.

Ino walked in, "Manny, why are you yelling?"

Manny couldn't hold the tears in, even if he wanted to. He swatted him off, "Go to bed, Ino."

"But I'm not—"

"Please…just go to bed…" Ino paused, then turned around and headed back up to bed.

Manny sat back on the edge of the bed, "Do something, huh?" He asked softly as the tears landed on the bedsheets, "You want me to do the right thing…what is that?" He sniffed, "There is no right thing, Ma, there can't be…but…I can't cheat, like they do…I can't steal like they do, or kill…the good guys don't win…" He sniffed, "How the hell am I supposed to do anything when the good guys never win?"

* * *

The streets weren't always so dark, were they? It had been two years since his mother's death, six months since he switched jobs, and a week since Ino couldn't get out of bed.

And, now, it seemed, their town couldn't afford to pay for streetlamps.

Manny stuffed his hands in his pockets, (yes, thankfully, sewn pockets), keeping his head down as he walked forward. Twenty bucks had to be enough, if fifteen was cutting it short. Another week of work was cutting time closer than his father's razor, but he wasn't going to watch someone else innocent die.

To play devil's advocate, Manny Rodriguez wasn't exactly as much of a looker as his father. At least, the neighbors didn't think so. He looked scruffy, he didn't fit into his hands or feet, his head looked huge; he was like a puppy. His cold blue eyes could have a mean glare, and his clothes looked like they were washed a few months ago. So seeing this teen push a door open to the doctor's house unannounced, it raised some suspicions.

And gun barrels.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The doctor's wife wasn't the sort of loving nurse he'd expect. No, she was the one who aimed a shotgun at his chest.

He felt his throat go dry, "I need your husband." And hastily he added, "Ma'am."

"Maybe he's busy."

"I don't doubt that…it's just—"

"Just what?" She snapped, "Get the hell out of here, you beggar!"

Manny pulled the money out of his pocket, "Look, look, I have cash."

"Cash, huh?" She snorted, really, her actions were overall very pig-like. She grabbed the stack of money and flipped through it, then tucked it into her top, "Not enough."

Manny felt like she just ripped his tooth out, "Well, you might as well give it back if it isn't enough…"

The doctor walked in, adjusting his tie. Manny wanted to grab the entitled piece of fabric and choke the man to death with it, but he restrained himself. The doctor cleared his throat, "Mister Rodriguez, what can I do for you?"

"It's my brother, sir, he's on his deathbed…"

"I'm sorry." He raised a brow, "You wanted me to do something about that? Contact the funeral home, if you're looking for coffins."

"No, I want you to cure him. He's sick, he's been sick for years now."

The doctor crossed his arms, "You brought me fifteen last week, another penny isn't going to cut it."

"I have twenty."

"Oh, is that so?" He asked as he stepped forward, "Where?"

All this civility really took a toll on him. He wasn't like his father, who was he trying to kid? "Your wife took it."

"What?"

"Your wife took it from me." He spat.

He snorted, "Oh, that's rich. Look, son, even if you did have the twenty dollars lying around inside a pair of your maracas, it wouldn't be enough. I need a-hundred for such last minute deals. You're a fifth of the way there." He said with a grin, "You know how math works? _Matemáticas_?" He taunted.

Manny had enough by then. He pulled a gun from his pocket, a nice pistol he stole from a man whose suit looked more expensive than Manny's entire house. He aimed it firmly in the man's chest, "You willing to die over this?"

The doctor's eyes widened, "You think threatening me will save your brother?"

"You got two options. You take my money and heal my brother, or die right here, right now."

Manny heard a loud blast, and it wasn't from his gun. The hole in the floor behind him signified that someone had fired their shotgun behind him. "Get the hell out of here!" His wife barked.

Manny scowled, then stuck his gun in his pocket and turned around, headed back for his house. Screwed out of his money again, he pulled the door open and saw Berto tugging on the faucet in the kitchen, no water coming out, "Manny, they cut our water!"

"Shit." Manny walked over and watched in shock, "What the hell do we do now?"

"Well, where's your paycheck? Maybe we can pay them off for now." Manny's silence made Berto look like he was about ready to blow a fuse, "You lost it? On what?"

"I tried to get the doctor to come over for Ino…but…"

"How much did you have?"

"Twenty." He said, "Which should have been enough. Should have…but…"

"Wasn't." Berto said as he turned around, "Well, we have some milk left…and some leftover soup."

"And no water."

"Yeah…so…I guess only one more night of milk, if we can't water it down."

"Has Ino eaten?"

"He…he isn't taking anything…"

"What do you mean, isn't taking it? I don't care what he wants, he needs to eat."

"No, Manny, he's starving…but…anything he takes in comes back up."

A pause as he turned around, "Shit."

"Carlos, Danny and Eddy are looking for a job, still…Fabian and Geraldo are asleep, they're starting to look a little feverish, and Hector is with Ino."

Manny nodded as he went back into one of the three bedrooms. Ino was in bed, Hector was there trying to feed him soup, it seemed. When Manny entered, Hector stood up.

"Did you get the doctor?" Hector asked.

"No."

"Oh, damn…" He sighed, then gave him some room, "Well, I'll go help with dinner."

"Thanks." Manny watched Hector leave before he sat down on the edge of Ino's bed, "Hey kid."

Ino smiled, his cheeks were withered away, his eyes were bloodshot, his hands, peeking out from under the blankets, looked skeletal. He didn't seem to have the energy to open or close his eyes, let alone respond.

Manny's smile faded as he looked away, "Tried to get a doctor for you, but…that old quack wasn't going to do anything anyway."

"Manny…" His voice was soft, he tried to speak with as few words as possible, since it hurt so much, "Don't…let the others…come in…"

"Why?" He asked, "You're worried we'll get sick? No. No, if you go down, we all go down. I don't give a damn."

"Manny…am I gonna see Mama again…? In…the sky…?"

Manny felt like he swallowed a lung, "No. No, you're not going in the sky, you're staying right here with us. Don't give up, you can't."

Tears ran down one of his cheeks, "Manny…I just want to go…" He squeaked out, "I don't want to cause…" He sniffled, "So many problems for you…"

 _Goddammit, this kid is what, five?_ "You're not a problem, Ino. You've never been a problem. You're part of our family, got it? We love you, no matter what."

"I just want…to be free…" He sniffed and closed his eyes, "Is that too much to…to ask for…? I don't want to…see you cry…"

"You just have to hold on, another week, alright? I'll get another job. Swear to god, I'm the handiest man around, they'll have to give me a job. And…and then the doctor will give us some medicine, get you back in shape. And Carlos, Danny and Eddy, they'll get jobs too. Good jobs, they'll make us more money. And we can have steak, every night, like kings." He chuckled, "And we can go out with pistols…and we can shoot cans of soup…and…fuck it, we can shoot the rich people's windows in." He laughed and turned to Ino, "What do you say? Sound fun?"

Ino had a smile on his face, his eyes glossy. He looked peaceful.

Manny's smile dropped, his eyes teared up, "Ino…buddy…?" He reached forward and shook his shoulder.

They do say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

* * *

"Heh. That one looks like a dick." An arm reached up and pointed at the dark night sky, pierced with white stars as far as the eye could see. Black chipped nails and rings of all sorts of metals on each finger.

"Are you four?" Nines snickered as he looked over to girl next to him, lying on the hood of his truck with him. "God, it's nice to just…lay out here and do nothing…"

"You can say that again."

"I'm getting really sick of just…sitting around and doing nothing. I think…I think tomorrow, I'm going to do something. I have no clue what, but something has to be done. I can't stand this."

She didn't say anything, until she pointed again, "C'mon, look at it and tell me it doesn't."

"What are you pointing to?" He snapped.

"That one." She took his hand and pointed with him, "Right there."

He moved his head in closer so it was right beside hers. Her hair tickled his ear, "Still don't see anything."

"Shit, you're terrible at constellations." She snickered and looked over at him, his hand tight in hers. There was something about her grin that he found absolutely endearing.

She was lynx-like, from her wide bright green eyes, to her thin lips and pointed canines. Her mousy-brown hair was even pinned up in two pigtails, like ears. She was in a black bra and dirty denim shorts, the outfit she usually wore around. And who could forget her red converse she wore religiously. She took his fist and planted a kiss on it, "Haven't you ever played connect the dots as a kid?"

"I don't know, Lara, do I look like the kinda guy who sat on his ass and played with coloring books?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck you."

She stuck her tongue out and rolled over so she was sitting on top of his hips. Then she leaned in a bit, her hands on either side of his head, "Why don't you do that for me?"

"Out here?" He looked around. They were parked on the edge of a cliff, a canyon, the drop beneath them could easily kill a man.

"There's no one around." She said, "I think it'd be fun." She leaned in, her forearms slamming against the metal hood of the car so she could whisper in his ear, "You could make me scream and no one would hear."

His cheeks flushed just a tad red, "I don't want you to dent the hood of my car."

"Oh…c'mon…that'd be a pretty cool reason to explain to the mechanic why your car's busted, don't you think?" She grinned.

He sat up a bit, "C'mon, it's scorching out here anyway, let's just do it in the car like normal people."

She hopped down and grabbed the shirt he threw on the ground when they first got there, throwing it on his head, "Hey, I'm not gonna complain about you being shirtless, but when you forget that out here and we drive home, I'm not gonna be the one listening to your bitching."

He grabbed the shirt, "I wasn't going to forget it." He opened the door for her to get in the back.

"Uh huh. Sure." She paused as he opened the door to his jeep, surprised that he wasn't getting in, "Oh, ladies first, huh?" She crawled in, "You decide to be a gentleman at the weirdest times."

He jumped in after her and slammed the door shut, then reached over and turned the AC on, "Did you want to stay out here for the rest of the night and drive back in the morning?"

"No, no, let's just…go back to your place after this." Her voice sounded a little more nervous.

"But it's so nice out here…"

"I know, I know." She pushed him back against the seats and sat in his lap, her legs on either side of him as she kissed him.

His hand landed on the small of her back, "How come you never hang out or anything during the day? Where are you?"

"Busy." She said as she moved her kisses down along his jawline, then on his neck, licking and sucking where his pulse was.

He tangled a hand in her hair, "You have a job or something?"

"Would you shut up and just do me?" She asked, "Why are you always so talkative when we fuck?"

He snickered and held her waist, "You know, I had something else I was going to bring up, but I guess you don't want to hear it."

"What?" She asked as she rubbed his shoulders and biceps, "Damn, I love how ripped you are…" She hissed under her breath.

"I think I'm gonna to go back to California…to tackle this bullshit head on…and maybe see my brothers. I wanted to bring you." He cupped one of her cheeks, "My muse."

Her green eyes hardened a bit, "You haven't seen them in a while, huh?"

"My brothers?" He asked, "It's been years."

Lara looked back out the window, "You miss them?"

"Yeah, for what they're worth."

"They know you're out there?"

"They have no clue where I am." He said, "I just think Cali will be a great place to set things off…I think I can get some support down there…why not bring you?"

"Nines…let's just talk about it later, okay?" She smiled, "Sound good?"

"Why, can't think straight or something?" He smiled.

"Shut up." She smirked as she kissed him again, sighing as she started grinding against the growing bulge in his pants.

His hands ran down her back to cup her ass and control her rhythm as she kept kissing his neck. Her nails slowly dug into his shoulders as her teeth slid against his neck, "Don't fucking bite me, Lara." He said.

She peeked an eye open, "How do you know you wouldn't like it?"

"Because it would hurt."

She chuckled and rubbed his chest, "Honey, you have no idea…" She whispered as she fumbled with his belt. His hands helped hers until it was off, then she slapped his hands away and undid his fly, pulling his jeans and underwear down to his knees. She gave him a devious smirk as she grabbed his length, then started kissing the sensitive area under his jaw where she was before, "Now say that again…" She whispered.

He grit his teeth as he tightened his grip around her rear, "Bite me and I'll make sure you can't walk tomorrow."

"That's what I thought…" Her other hand trailed down his chest, "Anyone ever tell you how your name is the fucking hottest name ever?"

"Nines?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed against his skin as her grip around his member tightened, " _Armando_ …"

He struggled not to thrash in her grasp, doing everything he could to remain stationary, "Lara…" He grunted with frustration.

"What, want a little movement or something?" She slid his hand up and down his shaft, "A little too boring for you, hon?" He let out a relieved sigh and kissed her collarbone before her nails dug into his shoulder, "Armando, you got me fucked up, you know…" She whispered, but he was hardly listening, "You got me to fall in love with you…you're a devil, you know that…?"

"You're welcome." He smirked as he reached up and palmed her breasts.

She moved both her hands up and held his face as she planted a kiss on his lips, "What the hell did you do to me?"

"I don't know." He unbuttoned her shorts and tried pulling them down, but their position made it impossible, "You mind getting your fat ass off of me so I can fuck you?"

"What a gentleman." She rolled over next to him, due to the limited space in the back, then pulled her shorts and thong off, before she perched in his lap again, "You put me in hot water, Rodriguez."

He pressed his lips to hers before he held her hips and thrust inside her. She really didn't seem to be expecting it at all, since her eyes widened and she whispered a stream of cusses in his ear. One of his hands fisted in her hair, the other kept a firm grip on her rear.

Her eyes were sealed tight as her head rested on his shoulder, gripping the back of the car seat tightly. Any time she tried to snap her hips against his a little faster, or increase the speed, his grip would tighten around her waist and slow her down.

A frustrated moan slipped through her lips, "Armando… _stop_ …"

"Stop what?" He smirked, just because he knew she loved it so much. She kissed his lips again, then pressed herself up against him a bit closer, her chest rubbing against his. He hissed under his breath, "God, you're tight…"

She let out a high pitched moan as she started kissing his neck again, "Fuck me already…" She begged.

"Just cause you asked so nicely." He kissed her cheek before he pushed her down onto the ground, the space between the back seats and the front seats. From there, he drove his hips into hers with unrelenting force, like he knew she liked it.

Her eyes shut tight as she screamed piercingly, then she buried her fangs deep into his neck. He gasped and grunted as everything started to whirl, his body feeling as if it went numb before he blacked out.

When he woke up, everything was dark. He couldn't feel anything, and he wasn't breathing either. But he didn't feel the urge to. He tried to sit up and hit his head against something hard and metal.

But it hardly hurt. He winced and cursed, babying his head, but it hardly left any sort of feeling.

It then hit him, he was in the trunk of his car. It was cramped and overheated, but the heat didn't bother him. He could feel it, but it didn't feel bad. And he wasn't sweating either.

He felt something on his chest, it was a sticky note. His eyes narrowed as he picked it up and tried to read the chicken scratch in the limited light.

 _Armando ~_

 _You're a vampire now. Kindred. Brujah. I'd be a lot more worried for you if you weren't a tough guy, but I think you'll be fine. Avoid the sun, avoid fire, and for god's sake, don't try to eat anything. You drink blood now, from people or animals. Don't tell anyone what you are, don't let anyone see you feed, and most importantly, don't die._

 _~ Lara_

 _PS: You can't see your brothers anymore, you're dead now. Move on._

* * *

 **A/N:** Alright, SigmaFang here, let me just say for the record, that I like Nines too, just, not the interactions you're forced into him with in the game. Such as:

PC: Aren't you part of the Camarilla?

Nines: Them's fighting words newbie, but you're young and stupid.

Me: Okay, but the game forced me to say that

Or this:

PC: Sounds like you're a Prince of the Anarch.

Nines: No such thing, and again, don't throw those kinda words around or you're risking a beat down.

Me: Okay, again, no sane person would ask that, the game forced me into saying it

Actually, a lot of the game's characters could fall into that category. I hated dealing with them in the game, but I like to read about them in fanfics (This one included. chopperlover14 does a good job being Nines, and the rest of the Anarchs for that matter. I wouldn't have the patience to be these guys on a regular basis). I appreciate our teamwork and I'm glad we can work on this story together. So, I hope you guys enjoyed it, and if you have time, you can leave a review.


	64. Chapter 64

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-four! A little sample of each roommate off doing their own thing, let's see how it goes…

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. And, for the third time in a row, there's some smutty stuff in the first scene. If it's not your cup of tea, then skim over it.

* * *

The desk was something modern. The couch looked nicer, a teal-blue color now, not as ratty or worn, the coffee table was also more modern, less scuffed and smelling of cleaning agents. The laptop was new, too. That's what frightened him the most. The bunkbeds that once resided in the corner was replaced with a single queen-sized bed. Tess was gone, so really, two weren't needed.

He closed the door, observing a blood stain on the floor, before he looked up and saw Genevieve lying on the couch, "New décor, hmm?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Genevieve cheered as she bounced up and down on the couch, "We got new stuff!"

Dragomir noticed a note on the new coffee table as well, it read as follows:

 _Dear Dragomir,_

 _I owe you new Spas ammo, and new sniper ammo._

 _\- Slade_

Slade had his simple moments. Not that his penmanship was bad, he could just be a man of few words when he needed to be.

He grunted as he folded the note into a heart and left it where Slade put it, "I do wonder what happened. Really, he should have written that for you."

"The yellow monkey visited." Genevieve said.

"Yellow monkey, hmm?" He sat next to her, "Hmm…this couch feels different."

"The yellow monkey fought Greenhorn in here." She said, "He's part of the rebels."

"Yellow monkey…" He mused, "I don't think I've ever met him."

She squeezed him and rested her head on his shoulder, "So how was your search for Golden Boy?"

"Victorious. In the sense that we located the man, and spoke to him. I didn't have much to expel, so I absorbed. He doesn't have the little box, he's sent them on a goose hunt after it. I'm tempted to show up on the Prince's desk again and ask for cash before furthering any investigations. I pity Slade."

"Has his dark path unfolded in front of him?"

"I hope. I hope that was it…I don't know if I could handle more…he nearly killed her…"

"Juice Pouch?" He nodded, so she continued, squeezing him a little and kissing his chest, "I…I wish I could help but…you're the only one who understands me…"

He held her closer, "You are helping. You inform me, you fill my mind with things about this world that I would never know. And then I can pass this information on to others."

She gave a small nod, closing her eyes, "The Sword of Caine is not dead…"

"Mmm?" He pet her hair with long, languid strokes.

"The False Prophet."

He took his glasses off, (yes, he had glued them since his trip to the warrens), and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "False Prophet…?" He asked himself, "Those words ring in my head, but land nowhere…"

She rested her head on his shoulder, "You'll see him again." She said, "Perhaps…one problem at a time…we should be thankful that the yellow monkey was warded off…"

"I don't like the sounds of this yellow monkey either…" He grumbled, then his hand froze in her hair, "The Sword of Caine…well I'll be damned, the thought just landed."

"Be cautious around him."

He gave a nervous sigh, then kissed her nose, "I'm going to call him. To see where he is. Greenhorn."

"I'll watch the couch. And the stars."

He snickered before he stood up and grabbed the phone, dialing a number before he picked up and hummed an aimless tune until the line picked up, "Slade."

"Hmm? Who is this?" Slade asked on the other end, "Oh, hey Dragomir."

"Hello. I was told of a yellow monkey behind the new furniture."

"Pfft…yellow monkey?" He snickered and wondered aloud, "Must be talking about Killian."

"Mmm, is that his name? I'm not sure."

"You know what, while we're on this subject, why don't you tell me why you did it? That Anarch you killed? What happened Dragomir, no one's telling me the same story."

There was a pause. He knew the Nosferatu were likely listening in, "I was hungry. Famished. So I went to the watering hole, looking for kine." He sat on the end of the couch, "The customer service was less than satisfactory."

"Customer service?"

"The girl said mean things. About the ivory tower I supposedly worship. And you know how I can be when I get hungry, I get irritable. She brought her little friends downstairs, they handed me a tray of threats and pain. When the little bird tried to break my ribs, I decided she would be my next meal."

"So they were assholes to you? I freaking knew it. They made it sound like you terrorized them for no reason…Jesus Christ…"

He gave a shaky sigh, "I can't say that I was particularly pleasant back, but a few kind words would have likely soothed my nerves."

"God damn it. They fucking lied to me. I'll have their heads for this. All of them. I'll send them to hell one by one. Fuck them."

Dragomir chuckled deeply in his chest, "I'm assuming the yellow monkey is affiliated with these rebels."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. That's why you called me. So the girl you killed, Lark. Apparently she has a brother."

"Ah…remind me not to meet the yellow monkey then. I like having my head attached to my neck."

"You need to be careful. I think I mentioned him the last time we called each other. He hates you the most, and we've already fought twice. He wants to kill anyone close to me. Me, you, Tess. Look, I mean…let's face it, Tess is like a cockroach at this point, it's not her I'm worried about. But I don't want you or Genevieve to get hurt. From now on when you leave the apartment, you'll have to be armed. And it probably wouldn't hurt to hone your skills a little bit too."

"Of course. My guns are always with me." He said with a grin.

"That's the worst part. He knows where we live. I don't know how, but he does." He said, "That's when our second fight started, when he threatened you. But I'm too fast for him. He has a habit of destroying property when he realizes that he can't do anything to his opponent. So he destroyed our room and everything in it. That's when I took your guns. My aim is shit but suddenly that doesn't really matter a whole lot once your Celerity is ridiculously high as mine. Once I filled him with enough holes, I stole his gun and made him pay for all the damages. Hence, the new stuff."

"Ah…" He said, "Really, Slade, you have as much right to use the guns as we do. You were the buyer."

"…oh yeah…I guess in the heat of the moment, I forgot about that. Huh, I might buy some guns for myself at some point, learn how to shoot." He said, "Those things sure make the vampires run for the hills."

"Shotguns, at least. The little peashooters aren't worth your time."

"Look…I don't know if he'll even come back. I mean…I beat him _twice_ now…but…he might just go over me and head for you directly one day. So just be careful. As for me, I think I'm going to start dedicating my free time to wiping the Anarchs of the face of state probably."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck. I'll help you, if I find you, but they're much more bloodthirsty for me than I could ever be for them."

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind. See you around. Call me if you need anything."

"Yes, of course. I'll see you around, yes? Farewell, Slade. Do be careful." When Dragomir hung up the phone, he saw Genevieve watching the television, laying on her stomach, with her head simply laying on one of the cushions.

He smiled and approached the couch, standing in front of the TV with his arms crossed, "You ought to be careful sitting like that, or I'll squash you."

"Ooh, it's the Dragomir channel." She smiled.

"Do you like that channel?" He asked as he kneeled down so he was at eye level with her, still blocking the TV.

She chuckled, "Depends on how much you like…" She traced a hand on her back, which eventually reached her rear, " _My_ channel."

His grin grew sinful, "I quite like your channel. One could say I'd like to….put a lot of stock into that channel."

She sighed and closed her eyes, "Stick your remote in my cushions…"

He snickered, "So, if I may ask…" He leaned in so their faces were barely inches apart, "Which channel should I take…?"

"My boo…"

"I would worry we're not on the same page, but I don't think you'd necessarily be disappointed with a surprise." He threw his jacket aside, "So, should we try the new couch, or the new bed?"

"Ooh, we've never been intimate in a bed before…"

"We haven't." He scooped her up off the couch, despite how awkward her position was. He kept her close and tumbled back onto the bed, with her back against his chest. She rolled over and started kissing him eagerly, giving him a squeeze and sighing his name quietly.

His hands ran down the plane of her back, then the curve of her rear as he gave it a firm squeeze, "You know…we're going to need some…supplies….if you're thinking what I am."

"I'll go get some." She left the apartment, coming back about twenty minutes later, "Here." She handed him the lubricant.

He paused as he looked at it, then looked back up at her, "You don't have any money, do you?"

"No." She said, "Anyone who bothered me for too long started laughing."

"Good." He smiled, "So they're happy." He set it on the nightstand and rubbed the sheets, "Slade really bought a nice bed, didn't he? A nice size for both of us."

"Mmm-hmm." She held his face close, kissing him. He kissed her back and combed his fingers through her hair, slowly pulling her shirt over her head and eyeing her chest before he leaned in and kissed the top of one of her breasts. She sighed and unlatched her bra from behind, giving Dragomir a few more squeezes as she kissed him.

His hands landed on her breasts, massaging and kissing them to his leisure, sighing as he felt her legs cling around him. His smile grew as he reached down and rubbed her thighs, "I can't get enough of these…"

She unbuttoned her pants and took them off, sticking her butt in the air as she did so. A deep growl rumbled through his chest as he palmed her breasts, then he crawled out from underneath her, quickly unfastening his pants and pulling them off as quickly as he could. From there, he sat on his knees behind her, warmly rubbing her hips.

She bit her lip and gave a little moan of ecstasy, sticking her bum a little higher in the air. He leaned forward and kissed her back, his other hand rubbed her stomach in little circles. "The slidy juice, it's closer to you." He said after a moment of this. She reached over and grabbed the lube, handing it to him.

There was only a minute of waiting, (which Genevieve felt was far too long), before he trailed a few kisses up her spine, "You want it now? Or should I…wait?" He asked, the hand on her stomach drop back down a bit towards her sex. Her groans got louder as he touched her. She begged his name as she repeatedly collapsed on the bed.

His grin widened before both hands grabbed her hips tightly, and he slowly inserted himself into her rear, trying his best to decipher whether her groans were sounds of pain or pleasure.

Her groans turned into screams as she clawed at the mattress with both hands, biting at the nearest pillow with her mouth. She seemed to enjoy the throbbing pain behind her, or at the very least had a tolerance to it.

Her hips quivered with an ecstatic joy as she began to hump whatever she could around her. He gave a loud sigh once he was completely inside, and complied to her needs with a hand. While his fingers never entered her sex, they teased all areas around it, focusing on the especially sensitive areas.

Dragomir kept the rhythm of his thrusts and movement of his hands in synch so she could reach an optimal climax, and once she did, he only lasted seconds more before he too, hissed her name like a curse and lost control.

The bed rattled one last time as he collapsed down onto the mattress beside her, a sigh escaped his lungs, "That was beyond exceptional…"

"Mmm-hmm…I had fun…" She squeezed him.

"Sure sounded like it. I hope we don't get noise complaints…"

"We won't."

"Good." He pet her hair, closing his eyes as he grabbed her hand and held it to his chest, "Don't you ever belittle yourself…you're the reason I'm able to carry on without a hitch."

She kissed his lips, "I'll carry you forever." She squeezed him.

* * *

"I knew we shouldn't have done that…" Tess's voice was a moan as she brushed the hair off of her forehead.

Ash pulled the covers over both of them, "If you didn't want to, then why the hell were you all over me?"

She closed her eyes, "I don't know…" She whimpered, "Because I wanted to kill the pain…"

He grumbled something inaudibly under his breath before he rolled over.

She too, faced away, "I've been healed for a while now…but…it still hurts…why?"

"It's in your head." He muttered, "Go to sleep."

She sat up, "I think…" She sighed, "I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"Fine. Just shut the damn lights out on your way out."

She got out of the bed and made sure the covers were nice, reaching over to the nightstand and turning the light out. In the dark, she managed to find her clothes and pull them back on, wincing as they touched 'sensitive' skin, which was really healed completely. "Take care, alright? I'll be back…at some point."

"Yeah." His voice was muffled, he was likely half asleep.

Good for him, she thought. Good for him, because she never got any sleep. Never, not since entering the World of Darkness. Occasionally, she'd get a few good hours of dreamless void that she supposed could be called sleeping. It wasn't as if the concept was foreign to her, since even her high school days, she'd only get a handful of hours. It just never caught up to her as much as it has recently.

The streets were cold, rightfully so, for January. Some argued it never felt cold, but she had lived in warm places her entire life. Fifties were freezing. She hustled on her way to the curb, to meet a taxi.

She watched out the window as the colors went by, the colors of the street signs, of the clubs and office buildings. Hollywood past by in a blink. Anytime she was there, she felt like she was wearing a target on her back with LaCroix's face on it, that Anarchs would spring from the bushes and pin her down until she was ash. And then she remembered Nines.

He went out of his way to save her. They could have died, both of them, he'd die saving a little fledgling Toreador. Why? What good did he see in it? He was sincere about it, very much unlike what LaCroix had said about him trying to gain popularity. And then he killed the Malkavian Primogen? It had to be Nines, she remembered the look in his eye when he introduced himself, when he held his arms around her to make sure she wouldn't fall to her death.

And he argued for her, defended her in the Last Round, when the other Anarchs barked and cursed her out. He cared about her, it seemed.

She shouldn't have opened her mouth. Not at all. She didn't dream of ever going near the Last Round, of ever dealing with the Anarchs, after taking away someone like Nines. Someone who, it was highly likely, kept their entire group in order. She didn't need to see them now to know that they were in shambles without him.

And she knew he was still out there. Somewhere. Was he mad at her? Did he know it was her? Maybe he was hunting her down as much as they were hunting him. She kicked herself, why did she open her mouth to the Prince about him? What made her do it?

There was something about LaCroix that ticked her off the edge. He was a power-crazed vampire, that was sure, a thirst for blood and domination. Evil, in almost every sense of the word. So why did she enjoy the concept of working for him? The thought of filing papers for him, writing up reports, sitting through interviews or meetings, it almost sent blood rushing through her veins again. She just wished she could exceed the phase where he struggled for her trust.

And why did he struggle for her trust at all in the first place? Why did he place her in the hands of combat, rather than a secretary position? Was her interview that botched? What did it take to do something she liked to do, rather than something she was terrible at? Unless he wanted her to meet the faces of the Jyhad. But what good would that serve her? She just wanted to be secretary. She wasn't asking for much. She didn't want to be Prince, or the Prince's right-hand, or even an assistant, she just wanted to be a secretary. She wanted to be able to snoop and get inside information, and keep it. Keep it safe, give her a reason to exist.

Violence was never her forte. She'd taken martial arts briefly in middle school, before she outgrew it. But the blunt force of kicking or hitting the demons of the night was not enough. She tapped the driver's shoulder and told him gently to stop please, and let her out here. He gruffly muttered something under his breath, before he pulled over and held out a hand. She got out and handed him the money, plus an additional tip.

The streets of downtown just reminded her of the Prince. Reminded her how he could talk and talk about the most evil things, yet enchant her into doing whatever he wanted. How was it that he did that? Was it because he was Ventrue? Or was it him? Was it his personality?

Miranda was a Ventrue, so was Cadmus, and they could never talk her into doing anything she really didn't want to. (Well, Miranda might have been able to.) It must have been him, it must have been the way he treated her. Every time he berated her, or punished her, she just felt like she owed it to him, she needed to make it up, make it better. To make him proud. Why? Why did he matter so much? Even questioning that was enough to send chills down her spine.

She sighed to herself and reminded herself why she was there in the first place. She had seen this man before, lurking behind a truck, looking shifty. But she knew he wasn't into drugs or sex, or at least that he wasn't selling it. He had different merchandise she had plans of getting a hold of.

Her mind swarmed with what amount of money she had as she approached him behind his truck, "Good evening." She smiled, "Fat Larry, yes?"

"Whoa there, girl, don't be sneaking up on me with that creamy, sexy voice and those double E's, give a man some time to process all that shit, a'ight?" Fat Larry asked.

Tess chuckled as she crossed her arms, "Very well, take your time."

He crossed his arms as well, "That's right, I'm Fat Larry. More of me to love. What'd ya need?"

"Depends what you have. I need protection."

"I ain't got no condoms."

She raised a brow, "Weapons. Guns, knives, something so I don't get _killed_."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Jeez…" He pulled the back of the truck open, revealing a basic, yet, impressive stash of weapons, "You just got that whole 'office girl, who just got out of work, and needs a good fuck.' Jeez, I mean, your eyes look dead cold. Get more sleep. Or a fuck. Pick one."

"Mmm, I wish it were that simple…" She mused as she looked everything over, "I can't say I have much experience with most of these things…I've used a sniper once before, it was a bit too unwieldy for me, I'm sure you can imagine. I'm thinking of a handgun, but I'm not looking for something that would frighten. I need something that would kill."

"Baby girl wants a hand-job, huh?" Fat Larry slid over three pistols. One was a tiny gray piece, the middle one was black, and the last one was gold. "They's get more expensive as ya go up, but they more lethal too."

She reached in her top and took out a handful of cash, skimming over it, "The most I can do is two-fifty."

"Tell ya what, I'll give ya this one, fill it up to the brim with lead, and you'll be on your way." Fat Larry picked up the compact, black pistol.

"Sounds like a deal to me." She smiled as she handed him the money.

"Yeah, that's beautiful!" He snickered, "You need a place for mo' weapons, I'm your dude."

"Of course. I'm sure I'll be back, when I can get the money." She tucked the gun into her waistband, pulling her blazar over it so it remained hidden.

As she headed away from the corner where the truck was, a gust of wind blew, tugging a few strands of hair from the bun it was perched in. Dead or not, she hated the cold.

He couldn't call her useless anymore. She had something, it wasn't much, but it was something. Enough to ward away kine, cause damage to Kindred, and god-knows what else she was sure lurked about. Better than kicking at least.

She remembered the feeling of his blades slicing through her, of the burn it left in her skin, her muscles completely gave in. If Miranda hadn't stepped in, she'd be gone. And he'd be happy, wouldn't he?

Was it impossible for things to go back to the way they were? She'd love it, to step back to the days when she'd just tease Slade and Dragomir, when they lived together like a family. And she tore it apart, for what? For greed? Avarice? It reminded her of something someone else would do.

Well, if there was no fixing it, if there was no going back, she might as well throw in the towel. Change could hurt, she knew well that it could smart, but it always was there, and it was always needed. No good things can last forever.

So, she might as well make the most of it then, and succumb to her greed. It was the only thing she was really good at, if she couldn't even keep hope for herself. So who better to work for than the Prince?

"Tess?" She heard a voice from a little distance, and looked up to see Leonardo, his hands in his pockets.

"Leo!" She ran over and hugged him, "It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"

He pushed her away with a finger to her shoulder, like she was diseased, "It has."

She stumbled back, her face instantly offended, "Is something wrong?"

"Tess Lockheart, hmm?" He raised a brow and chuckled softly, "See, in order for that to be so, you'd need to…oh…I don't know…be faithful?"

"…this is about Ash?"

"Yes, it's about Ash. And…whatever other street scum you've decided to…scoop into your lap. I'm not one of them."

"Yes…very well…" The sigh that left her dead lungs felt heavy, like it pressed down on her stomach, "I'm sorry, it was nothing against you, it's—"

"Nothing against me?" He asked, "On the contrary, if it wasn't against me, then I think I would be your only suitor. But…no…no," He threw a hand in the air dramatically, "I'm not enough, am I?" His lips turned into a bitter scowl, "You Toreadors have the rotten tendency of involving drama in every facet of your life."

"Toreadors, hmm? I don't think it has anything to do with my clan—"

"I've heard enough. We're done, am I understood? Ash was one thing, but telling my Chantry about us? What is wrong with you?" He was simply baffled, "Is your life really so boring that you need to use mine for your entertainment?"

"I didn't mean to get you in trouble…"

"Perhaps if you listened to me mention on multiple occasions, how it was imperative we keep our relationship a secret, then yes, I'd believe you. Maybe I'd even think about forgiving you as well." He swept his fingers through his black hair, "Are we done now? Can I carry on?"

"You were the one who called out for me." She bit back bitterly.

"Mmm, yes, you're right. I thought you might just walk past, since I don't look like your current lover. What is it, not dumb enough for you? Not emotional enough, hmm?"

Her brow furrowed, "Goodnight, Leonardo."

"That's more like it." He walked by, his shoulder rather forcefully brushing hers as he walked into the Chantry and slammed the door behind himself.

* * *

 **A/N:** I missed Fat Larry. Thanks for reading!


	65. Chapter 65

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-five! Welcome to Chinatown, starring a rather…interesting group of people…enjoy! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

For what was once just the place that was a rest stop for Slade to buy his trademarked katanas, was now their next stop in trying to locate the Ankaran Sarcophagus. It definitely looked foreign, especially to Tess and their two Nosferatu counterparts, as, for them, it was their first visit here. They relied on Slade's very limited knowledge of the city, which wasn't saying much, because Slade typically bought his katanas here and left, especially given the nature of the Kindred and Kuei-Jin relationship.

The city seemed to be coated in a much more sublime, lifelike state, than the three cities Slade was used to. Perhaps that was just his own lens, but felt this city more welcoming. Merchants would shout about their wears in subpar English, and people seemed to be having a good time. Even in the dead of night, this city seemed alive.

"Is this what cat smells like? I've never had one." Cressida grumbled, she and Edgar shielded from the public via the safety of Obfuscate.

Tess rolled her eyes. "No. It just…smells like soy sauce."

"Huh, so Miss Royal Highness, Ming-Xiao lives here, is that right?" Edgar asked.

"Yeah." Slade said, "Miranda says she's in the golden temple of Chinatown, so I guess that's our next stop."

"Golden Temple, huh?" Cressida looked around, "So…which one of these buildings is the Golden Temple?"

"I have no idea…" He said, surveying the area as well, "Let's try the huge double doors to the north."

"Sounds good to me." Cressida said as they moved forward, "Wonder if the Queen of Asia will let us put our Obfuscate down."

"I don't see why not." Slade said, "She's gotta know what Kindred are."

The double doors led them to a courtyard, with a small lake in the center, a few trees, and a small chamber ahead. The courtyard looked very scenic and like the thing of nature, so at first, Slade believed they made a wrong turn. Though the aroma of tea led them into the chamber, and in it was the person they were looking for.

"Good guess, kid." Cressida elbowed Slade.

She had green eyes, with a considerable amount of makeup on her face, red eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and red lipstick. She had black hair in a ponytail, with hair sticks intertwined within it. She wore a dress that was green at the top and red near the bottom, wearing black heels.

"Welcome Kindred." She gave a little bow as she spoke in a crisp, refined voice, "And thank you for respecting our traditions and announcing your presence in our domain. I am Ming-Xiao. High Priestess to the people of Chinatown. Can I get you anything? Tea, perhaps?"

"Tea?" Slade asked.

"Ah, that is right. Your kind drinks solely of mortal blood, correct? No longer may you partake in the simple pleasures of the mortal realm. A shame."

"…you…your kind can?" Slade sputtered, as if he regretted which type of vampire he was reincarnated into.

"We can. We Kuei-Jin are similar to you Kindred in fewer ways than you might think."

"How fascinating." Tess said with a smile.

Cressida's voice chimed in, "So you wouldn't mind if my pal and I here put down our Obfuscate?"

Ming-Xiao looked a little confused at first. Not only did she not know who said that, but she didn't have the slightest idea what they were talking about, "Of course. You are free to do as you please, here."

"So…are you guys even vampires?" Slade asked, as Edgar and Cressida revealed themselves.

"We are supernatural." Ming-Xiao said, "But we are not like yourself. We are beings returned to through the Second Breath for a purpose."

"Second Breath?"

"The Second Breath. Our rebirth into our supernatural forms. It is a spiritual awakening. Not some lowly blood ritual meant to spread a despicable curse."

"Watch your mouth, girlie." Cressida growled.

Tess held a hand up, "We do share some similarities, or else I don't think we'd be communicating so civilly."

"We share superficial similarities. Kuei-Jin feed on essences that can be found in blood, yes…but as we refine our existence, rarely are we lowered to consume the bodily fluids of others." Ming-Xiao said.

Slade looked amazed, "Holy crap…"

"Our existence is another chance to find our place in the Universe. A chance for transcendence. We are not damned, not burdened with ancient guilt, as in the legend of your biblical progenitor."

"I'm about to shove our biblical progenitor up your scrawny ass—" Cressida snarled.

Tess stood in front of Cressida, "So, I'm sure you've heard of the Ankaran Sarcophagus, it's been attracting attention everywhere."

"Of course. The entire city is alight with news of its arrival and speculation about one of your ancient vampire grandfathers…" Ming-Xiao chuckled, "And his apocalyptic plot."

"I take it you don't believe in that either?" Edgar asked.

"Kuei-Jin do not share your history, nor do we share in your false prophecies." She said, "It all serves to distract the Kindred. Such a distasteful existence you live, skulking in the shadows, fighting for scraps and fearing the return of your fictitious fathers, completely oblivious to your true purpose."

Slade smiled, "It is all a bit silly, isn't it?"

Ming-Xiao smiled back, "With my help, you might find the path you were meant for. Instead, you stumble through the afterlife, a meaty remnant still clinging to the mortal rib."

"Do you know where the sarcophagus is?" Edgar asked, wondering if she had somehow interfered with his Primogen's ploy with the sarcophagus.

"We seek it, of course. I have two of my best agents looking for it. It could be a powerful bargaining tool." Ming-Xiao said.

"What agents?"

"Let me just say that I do not encourage you to seek the Ankaran Sarcophagus."

Tess now seemed a bit concerned, "Oh? And why is that?"

"It would be a dangerous path to partake. One that would not end in victory for you, Kindred."

Tess crossed her arms, then Cressida pushed her legs away, "Look, a Nosferatu has gone missing in your little domain here, and we're not going to point fingers, but the Kuei-Jin and Kindred have never gotten along. And we know you fucking detest our Primogen. I'm gonna ask this once, alright? Where is he?"

"Ah, so the great Nosferatu have lost an agent, have they?" Ming-Xiao asked, "It was not by my hand, if that is what they believe."

"Oh, really?" She bared her teeth.

"Enough of this." Tess said, "Have you heard of any Kindred in this area?" Tess asked, "Before our visit?"

"I don't know where he is." Ming-Xiao said, "Perhaps you should speak to Wong Ho about this."

"Who is Wong Ho?" Slade asked.

"Wong Ho owns the Red Dragon restaurant. He is a prominent businessman, who has garnered much respect among his people. If something is amiss in Chinatown, he may know how to help you."

"One goose-hunt after the next, huh?" Cressida's eyes were angry.

"Very well, we will speak to Wong Ho. Apologies for disturbing you." Tess said.

"I grant you permission to operate in the Kuei-Jin domain…for now. May you find your path, Kindred." Ming-Xiao gave a bow. Slade was the only one courteous enough to bow back.

Once the door closed and they entered the courtyard, Cressida crossed her lanky arms, "What a bitch. If you're going to pretend to be respectful, do a good job, or don't do it at all."

"I bet I know where Barabus is." Edgar muttered, "Under her feet, in a secret underground Kuei-Jin death camp…"

"She probably straps crates of chopsticks on his back and makes him carry them around like a pack mule."

When they left the golden temple, a swarm of gangsters ran by them, with one of them hoisting a young girl over their shoulder, screaming and yelling for help. By the time the four of them registered what had happened, the thieves were gone.

"What…the hell was that?" Slade asked.

"Kidnapping." Cressida said, "Guess you want us to go after her."

"…why…why would you say that?"

"I don't know, I figured you were the only one here who would give a damn."

"And I wouldn't?" Tess asked.

Her beady eyes landed on Tess, "No, she'd be a potential love rival for you."

Tess rolled her eyes, "That's entirely unreasonable. Let's just find Wong Ho."

"Alright." Slade looked back at Cressida and Edgar, or, where he guessed they were, as they were Obfuscated, "Did you guys…even want to go in the restaurant?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt, but someone could bump into us, depending on how busy it is." Cressida said, "Did you want to wait outside with me, Edgar?"

"Let's go in the sewers." Edgar said, slinking under the nearest manhole with her.

Slade and Tess entered the Red Dragon restaurant, Slade glanced at one of the headlines. He picked up the newspaper and read it, "Nine Lives? Ash Rivers survives deadly car crash. Again and again." He chuckled and put the paper down, "I'm so glad I wasted time saving that bastard…"

"It was hardly deadly…" Tess muttered, "The writers made it far more dramatic than it was."

"Uh-huh. Course it was hardly deadly. Soon he'll be gone and you'll move onto another one, won't you?" His brown eyes locked with her purple ones, "Because you're just one big useless whore."

Her expression didn't crack, "I know."

He laughed at her for a few minutes, then he turned to the hostess, "I'm sorry…" She said, "Dinner service stopped a few hours ago. But our lounge is still open."

"We're here to see Wong Ho." Slade said, "Ming-Xiao sent us."

"I'll get the elevator. Have a good night."

"Thanks." Slade said, taking the elevator up with Tess.

She looked around, "I bought a Brokk."

"Really?" He asked, "I think I have the same gun. Except I got mine for free."

"Where?" She looked over.

"This Anarch asshole wanted to kill Dragomir. Basically broke himself into our apartment. I dealt with him. Now he has no money or weapons. I don't think I'll be seeing much of him anymore."

She chuckled, "Is he dead?"

"Almost. But I think I scared him away. I'll destroy all the Anarchs if they want to fuck with Dragomir so badly."

"I'm sure if you did kill a few of them, LaCroix would be thrilled."

His mood completely soured when she mentioned LaCroix, he left the elevator in a rather big hurry, approaching a businessman at his desk, who didn't look as if he were in the best of states.

"They took her!" He panicked, "They took her!"

"Who?" Slade asked.

"Kiki, my daughter. They grabbed her. They called and said that Wong Ho has meddled with Tong for the last time!"

"Oh…so…I guess…the fact that Ming-Xiao sent us…"

"Ming-Xiao? Oh, of course. Please, forgive me, but as you can see, I am in a most terrible situation. I am Wong Ho. Owner of the Red Dragon. Again, I apologize for my inconsiderate behavior."

"Inconsiderate?" Tess asked, "Your daughter was taken, we can understand your fears…would you like us to look into rescuing her?"

"Yes, yes…" His face lit up, "If…if only I knew what they were doing with her…I will undoubtedly hear from the Tong very shortly. They will have demands, and we will know more…"

Slade swallowed hard with guilt. Could it have been the same girl who was stolen right in front of them? "So…what did…exactly happen here?"

"The Tong…a local street gang here in Chinatown just broke into my restaurant and kidnapped my daughter at gunpoint. The Tong grow bolder every day, and now they have my Kiki!" Wong Ho said, "I am a man of some prominence here in Chinatown. I have many allies, but there are also many who would like to see my demise. The Tong have chosen the coward's path, using my daughter as leverage against me."

"Why would they just take your daughter, though?"

"No. The Tong have many…" Wong Ho started, then he paused, as his cell phone rang, "…uh, wait. Please excuse a moment." He picked the phone up. "Hello. Zhao! Huh? Yes! How did you…? Of course. I see. Thank you, my friend. Your debt has been repaid a thousand times over. Yes. Of course. Goodbye." He hung up.

"Who was that?" Slade asked.

"That was…someone who owed me an old debt. It has been repaid. I now know where the Tong are keeping my daughter."

"I see…" Tess said slowly, "Where is it, we can get her back rather quickly, I'm sure."

"Kiki is being held at the Lotus Blossom, a massage parlor here in Chinatown. If you bring her back to me, I will help you in any way that I can." Wong Ho said.

Slade nodded, "Sounds like we have a deal."

"Thank you. I shall wait here until you return. Strike fast. The Tong will not be expecting anyone so soon. Good luck, my friends."

Tess nodded as they headed back to the elevator, pressing the button for them to head down.

The ride down was silent, or at least for the first minute it was, "So…" Slade crossed his arms, "You think LaCroix's the way, huh?"

"For me, at least."

"You really think giving him the sarcophagus is a good idea?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The type of work he does, the type of company he runs, the politics he organizes fit my life the best. He's cynical, heartless and power-crazed, but clearly that's the only type of company I would work under efficiently."

"You realize what's probably in there, right?"

"You realize the world is going to end one day, yes? How soon it does doesn't faze me. If he opens the box and an Antediluvian eats us all, then so be it. We're not going to live forever."

"Or if he drains the Antediluvian."

"How would he do that?" She asked, looking skeptical, "Just take a hold of its shoulders and bite down? Its Disciplines are probably more than powerful enough to kill everyone in the state within a heartbeat, I don't think little Sebastian LaCroix will even be able to get _near_ it."

Slade closed his eyes, "Realize this Tess. At one point in our little journey, we'll have to cross blades. Or…feet and cheap pistols in your case. Right now, we may be able to coexist, but everything is going to hit a breaking point soon. The Camarilla, the Anarchs, the Sabbat, the Kuei-Jin, vampire hunters, that's a bit too many factions for one city, don't you agree? Soon war will finally erupt." Tess didn't like how he was talking at all. As if he fancied himself to be a prophetic Malkavian. It annoyed her. But the next thing he said could have shocked her most of all as he opened his eyes, "But I understand the problems you're faced with, Tess. These aren't, sparks of rebellion for you. What you've been saying. It isn't anger. They're cries for help. And when that time comes, when fire and blood are all around, if you want to end the charade and finally ask or beg for help, I may give it to you. Hell, Dragomir and I may both forgive you someday. But we can't forgive you if you died of your over-indulgent pride."

" _Pride?_ " She asked, "This has nothing to do with pride." She looked away, "I might as well make myself useful, hmm? Help LaCroix with my dwindling abilities. Pick up a gun so I'm not useless. If I make him happy enough, he'll give me more cash, for better weapons. My pride has nothing to do with this. I don't _have_ any pride."

"LaCroix is the last place you want to run to if you want to feel better about yourself. Don't pretend you don't know that."

"It's the only place where my skills would fit. I'm Kindred, so Kuei-Jin wouldn't accept me…I fingered Nines, the Anarchs won't accept me…I would not be Sabbat, ever…The Camarilla is my only hope. I'm already involved, I might as well take advantage of the connection and carry on."

"Can't Kindred be Independent?"

"You know that isn't possible for me." She said as the bell rung and she got out like the building was on fire.

As they stepped outside, the heard a laugh from Cressida, "Look, she still has all her limbs!"

"I was sure one of them would be dismembered!" Edgar agreed.

Slade sighed, watching Tess's back as she was storming off. Did he feel sorry for her? No. He couldn't. Not after all she had done. She was still sleeping with Ash, and god knows how ever many other men and women too, "Look…" He looked at where he _assumed_ the Nosferatu would be, "We need to head to the Lotus Blossom. Wong Ho's daughter was kidnapped. He won't help us unless we save her."

"God damn it. I knew we should have chased that little hogtied piglet…" Cressida muttered, "You lead the way."

Slade nodded and the four of them entered the Lotus Blossom. Almost as soon as they entered, they were attacked by Tong. Some of them were armed with Uzis, some with pistols. Slade instantly sped up, lopping off body parts with his katanas as he dashed around. Edgar on the other hand immediately fired up Potence, clobbered anything around him like a demonic monster, roaring and feeding on all those around him.

Cressida used her claws to dig into their flesh with Potence, not as good as Edgar's, but still damaging to the humans. Tess took out her gun and dashed around with Celerity, firing at them, seeming pleased with herself for actually being able to kill them. As soon as she saw others able to feed on them, she too, grabbed onto one and fed on them.

The next level had even more guards, they fired at the group from all directions. Slade took a few down, examining some of them pretty closely, "Nice. These guys have the same type of gun I do. Ha, now the ammo's free." He said as he loaded his pistol.

"Do they?" Tess asked as she followed Slade's actions, "Nice observation."

"Hey guys, I found a key. It might to wherever this person is trapped." Edgar said.

Cressida picked flesh from her claws, "Good job." She looked around, "So where the hell would that be?"

"This way." Slade walked through a door at the front, leading them to a tiny room in which a teenager was stuck behind a boarded up doorway.

"You son of a bitch!" Kiki yelled, "I can't breathe in here…oh my god…" She looked at Cressida and Edgar, "What…what happened to you? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Cressida smiled, "This is what happens to little girls and boys who get kidnapped and act ungrateful when they're saved."

"Okay, okay, just…just get me outta here, okay?"

Cressida looked from the Toreadors to Edgar, "Edgar, you wanna carry her?"

"Yeah, I'll get her." He unlocked the shackle and hoisted her up. (Kiki protesting the entire way back). They got back to the restaurant, Slade and Tess returning to Wong Ho.

"Ah, welcome my friends! I owe you a debt of gratitude! You have returned to me, my greatest treasure! Kiki told me how you rescued her. You, are people of great courage and honor. Thank you!" Wong Ho said.

"No problem." Slade said, "Hey, how come the Tong took your daughter?"

"I have not been able to find out why they took Kiki, but I fear that it goes much deeper than the Tong."

"Deeper?"

"For a long time, I have been trying to clean up Chinatown. It was a difficult job, but the community came together and we started to take back our streets from the criminals like the Tong. Businesses reopened, families moved back into their homes."

"Looks like they're back and better than ever…"

"Yes. I thought that the Tong were almost gone, but then something happened. Their numbers began to grow and then suddenly they had a lot of money to buy weapons. With them followed the drugs and the violence. It is almost worse now than before."

"Who's in charge of them?"

"I do not know, but there is a change in the air. I meditate, but my spirit is restless. The words of the I Ching are dark and unclear. Everything seemed to change as soon as, uh…"

"As soon as?"

"I am sorry." He whispered, "I have said too much."

"Come on. Anything you say won't leave this room."

"Well, things seemed to change as soon as Ming-Xiao arrived and reopened the Temple of Golden Virtue. That was three years ago. I do not mean to insinuate that she has anything to do with the resurgence of the Tong. The two events merely seemed to coincide."

"Hmm…interesting…" Slade pondered, "It may be more than just a coincidence."

He looked offended, "No! I will hear no more of it! Ming-Xiao has been my most trusted advisor since she arrived! I trust her completely."

"Yes, of course. My apologies." Slade said quietly, "Why don't we move onto to the original deal?"

"Of course." He narrowed his eyes, "What can I help you with?"

"Someone has gone missing." Tess said, "They were last spotted in Chinatown."

"Who is this person?"

"He's…uh…Barabus…a business associate of ours…" Slade said.

"Hmm." Wong Ho said, "What else can you tell me about him?"

Tess exchanged a glance with Slade, wishing Cressida or Edgar could at least provide a description, "Pale…tech-savvy…" Tess's eyes darted around as she tried to come up with the most average Nosferatu summary, "Night owl?"

"I see. I do not think I can help you find him, but I know someone who could."

"Oh?"

"His name is Zhao. He is the man who called me and told me where Kiki was being held. Zhao has many connections. He owns an import-export warehouse in Chinatown. Go and see him there. I will call ahead and tell him to expect you."

"Very well. Thank you, Wong Ho."

"Can you tell me about the Golden Temple of Chinatown, before we go?" Slade asked.

"The Temple of Golden Virtue?" Wong Ho repeated, "Well, it has been here in Chinatown for a long, long time. Even before I was born. For many years it was old and forgotten, but Ming-Xiao bought it and restored it to its former glory."

"Did she now?"

He nodded, "Ming-Xiao holds our culture and our traditions in very high regard. The temple is a symbol of our strength as a people. It brings hope to the community."

"It must be really nice."

"I wouldn't know. Ming-Xiao receives her visitors in an antechamber, but no one is allowed to enter the temple itself. She tells me that it is a holy place, and that it needs to be left… undisturbed."

"That doesn't sound suspicious to you? Like she's hiding something in there?"

"I will not hear such a thing! Ming-Xiao has done much for my people, and I will not have you casting dispersion against her character!"

"Right…" Slade said, "We'll just go then." He said, heading into the elevator with Tess.

"You seem very interested in Ming-Xiao." Tess said.

He crossed his arms, "Yeah…well…there's something different with her…I mean, every vampire elder has been dicking me around…but…she does it differently…somehow…"

"Is it because she isn't Kindred? She seems to be a little less…corrupted. From what I could tell."

"I mean, I like how an _outsider_ from Kindred society told me about how fucked up we are. That was nice."

"What I'm confused about is why you seemed so…so friendly to her, to her face, and seemed so dubious about her to Wong Ho."

"Eh, I was kinda just acting nice to her, seeing how much dirt she actually had to spill. Like those agents with the sarcophagus and all that shit. That was nice to hear. I do the same shit with LaCroix. Hate him, but only privately. Then I act like I kiss the ground they walk on in public. I think it's even easier since I'm a Toreador. Just do a bit of acting to get them on your side." He said, then he threw in, "I learned it from you." Though the last bit actually sounded genuine, unlike when he usually talked to her, in which case he would've sounded snide, sarcastic, or childish.

She smiled, as the bell rung and they left, "I still miss eating dinner together."

* * *

 **A/N:** Who knows whether or not the three roommates will ever be reunited again? Thanks for reading!


	66. Chapter 66

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-six! A mix of politics and violence in this chapter, hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"I would…I would just be careful of…of how you sit…there…" Cadmus said, as the three of them were sitting on an outer patio of a restaurant.

Miranda looked over at him, with her legs crossed, reading a book, "What do you mean?"

"Uh…just…never mind…" She looked back at her book. "What the hell are we even doing here, anyway?" Cadmus asked.

"I thought I would see Slade or Tess by now. I thought they would tell us that they found Barabus so we can continue our search for the sarcophagus. Gary has us on a wild goose chase for it, as it is now."

"Yeah…I guess I kinda do wonder where it is now…" Cadmus said.

Angelique took a sip of her tea, she still felt a little off being the only one able to get something, "Something could have happened to them."

"I doubt as much." Miranda turned a page, "They seem to be capable individuals."

"Yeah, if they survived the warrens, I'd say anything's possible." Cadmus said, "Still, I don't think waiting around in Kuei-Jin territory is such a good idea."

"They're not openly at war with us."

"Remember how _one_ of them almost gave us the business?" She didn't respond.

"I can't see the Kuei-Jin exactly caring about our sects anyway." Angelique said, "The Anarchs are very clear and…somewhat flashy with their hatred of them. I'm sure the Kuei-Jin would likely chalk up their hatred to all Kindred, not just Anarchs."

"Course they do. That's why we almost fucking died in Santa Monica." Cadmus said.

"We did not _almost die_." Miranda rolled her eyes and put her book down.

"It was harder than most of our other assignments. Even ones pitting us against Kindred."

"We should really conduct more research on them. The Kuei-Jin." Angelique said as she took another sip of her tea, "We're both fairly clueless about each other."

"That's a fairly accurate statement." Miranda said.

"Ugh, I could care less." Cadmus said, "That's why I warned LaCroix about it ages ago. It's his own damn fault for doing nothing."

"Same could be said for many things." She said quietly.

"Ugh." A girl walked by, looking over their table briefly, "Demons…" They all turned their attention to see her. She looked fairly young, perhaps in her late teens or very early twenties. One of her arms looked artificial, and she had a katana on her belt.

Cadmus cocked an eyebrow as she gained the trio's attention, "You talking to us?"

She took a step closer, still keeping her distance, _"Sore wa utagai arimasen ka?"_

Angelique's eyes drifted over to Miranda. Miranda met her gaze, "What on Earth are you looking at me for?"

"Don't look at me." Cadmus said, "I know Italian. Not…Japanese…"

Miranda turned back to the girl, smiling and speaking very slowly, "Is it…possible…you have us mixed up for someone else…?"

"No. Your kind, I know." She said, "I am _shi_. I am not like the rest." Her eyes darted towards the horizon, "I have no vengeance for you. Yet."

"You a hunter?" Cadmus asked.

"Yukie, _watashi_. I am _shi_ , demon hunter. I come to this city for the blood of the demon that kill my master." Her eyes landed on them, "Do not interfere, my revenge will cut through you if it has to."

"So you're hunting a demon that killed your master?"

"Yes." She said, "I hunt hengeyôkai. My sensei killed demon that killed my family and now I take the life of his killer. I follow trail of corpses from Japan to _Rosanzerusu_. Hengeyôkai is here and it will die here!" She declared firmly, seeming very impassioned now, compared to how dry and cold she seemed with them before.

"Want help?" Cadmus asked.

" _Hontōni, ē?_ I appreciate your concern for my vengeance… _arigatō_. Hengeyôkai is a demon that hides in the skin of man, but it is not man. I know he is nearby, _ē to_ …I lose its trail."

"It…might be hard to find him, if that's the case." Miranda said.

"So he's a shapeshifter." Cadmus said.

"Do you have any tips for…how we could find him?" Angelique asked.

"Hengeyôkai scent smell like…sakana, fishes. I do not know why. Maybe other demons know why." Yukie said.

"Fishes…alright…that's…uh…interesting…" Cadmus said, "We'll see if we can find a lead off that…" She nodded, then a friend, or perhaps a familiar waitress took her arm and tugged her along to the table she was supposed to be at.

"That was…interesting." Angelique said.

"You seem rather interested in this little task we were given." Miranda looked at Cadmus.

"Of course." Cadmus stood up, "It's slaughtering a demon. I gotta get all the training I can get."

"Did you want my help?" Angelique asked.

"Sure thing." He smiled.

She nodded, then looked into her jacket, "I'll make sure I have all my gear."

They looked for anyone or anything they might've seemed fishy. Anything related to fishes, or demons, or the supernatural. Their search eventually led them to the Golden Temple of Virtue, where Ming-Xiao resided in the antechamber.

"Welcome Kindred, and thank you for respecting our traditions by announcing your presence in our domain. I am Ming-Xiao. High Priestess to the people of Chinatown." She smiled, "I suppose none of you will want this tea?"

"Tea?" Cadmus asked, "You saying you _can_ have tea?"

"Indeed. Rarely are we lowered to consume the blood of other."

"Oh yeah?" He narrowed his eyes, "Can you guys walk in the sun, too?"

"We cannot. Our kind is also banished to the realm of the sun. Though our kind suffer rot instead of burning, the sun is no kinder to our people."

"That's impossible." Cadmus said, "You can't have it better than us. You just can't. You have to have weaknesses too."

"Weaknesses?" She raised a brow, "You sound as if you're sizing up your enemy for war."

"Don't bullshit me. Our kind don't exactly get along."

"Hmm…a shame. I have admired the Ventrue's passion and zeal for maintaining order and providing a path for your mortals to cross." She said, "Although luckily, here in Chinatown, our mortals are a bit more, well-kept, than the ones in downtown Los Angeles."

"Oh, so now even our _humans_ are inferior."

"You'll have to forgive him. Do you know anything about a hengeyôkai?" Miranda asked.

"Yes…Zygaena, I believe his name was…I had nearly forgotten about him." Ming-Xiao said.

"Have you seen him around here?"

"He announced his presence in our domain, and I granted him permission to operate. He does not act on my behalf, however, I can assure you."

"Yeah right…what a load of bull…" Cadmus muttered.

"Do you know where he is?" Miranda asked.

"I believe he said he operates an importing business and entertains clients at the Red Dragon."

"Red Dragon. I appreciate it." Miranda bowed, as the trio left.

"What a bitch!" Cadmus screamed.

Miranda flinched at the noise, "I'm sure she could've been more…insufferable…"

"Whatever. I'm going to find her weakness…then all the Kuei-Jin will be sorry they wormed their way into the state…"

"Why are you in such a foul mood tonight?"

He muttered something under his breath. "Did you need blood?" Angelique asked.

"No. Sorry…I'll just…be quiet for the next guy…" Cadmus said quietly.

They entered the Red Dragon, seeing a rather antsy individual waiting by one of the tables.

"Five-hundred up front? Another five-hundred after the deal. No questions asked, or I walk." He said once they walked up to him.

"What? You're not making any sense." Cadmus snapped.

"My pardons, you looked like someone who might have some interest in my product. Actually, you'd be surprised at the variety of people who fit that profile."

"You know a guy named Zygaena?"

Miranda gently tapped his shoulder, then she smiled at him, "What he means to ask is…have you ever done business with someone named Zygaena."

"No. Anyone else, this would not be an issue. But him? No, I'm sorry, you're going to have to ask somebody else." He crossed his arms.

Cadmus held a hand out, as a blue glow came from it, "You will tell me all you know or feel my wrath."

The blue glow went around his head, but the dealer said, "Excuse me, I think I made it clear that I do not want to talk about him. I think you should leave."

Cadmus's eyes turned to the size of dots. He was beyond terrified that Dominate didn't work on him. "We're just doing a little hunting, you will not be involved." Angelique said.

"Oh, you plan to kill him?" The dealer looked dubious.

"No, no, we just want to talk." Miranda smiled.

"Talk? I do not know. He is somewhat of a…paranoid man. I am afraid if you were to try anything. He would kill me for letting you near him."

"You have our word. We are just going to talk."

"I was supposed to meet him at the fish market tonight. You go in my place, but if you do, I hope your intentions are serious. He is a very serious man."

"…very well." Angelique said.

As they left the Red Dragon, Miranda made a decision, "We should tell Yukie." They went back to the restaurant where Yukie was previously, hoping to find her there.

Sure enough, she was still there, she turned her head as she saw them enter again, " _Konbanwa_ , demons."

"I think the hengeyôkai is at the fish market." Cadmus said, "Let's kill it there."

"You want to kill hengeyôkai with me? Why?"

"Why?" Cadmus smiled, "Because I sympathize with your cause. There's a demon out there who killed my wife. And _another_ demon who turned my wife's corpse into paste for a monster of their own making. I need all the demon-killing training I can get." His smile grew, as a weak gust carried his trench coat.

Miranda half-wilted, "He looks terrifying when he smiles like that…"

There was a short pause, Yukie cocked her head a bit and looked over Cadmus, like she was really thinking over his words. Or maybe she completely misunderstood him. "If you trick me, I kill you after hengeyôkai. Is this fair for you?"

Miranda gave a quick nod, "We won't trick you. You have our word."

"Fish market, _yukō_. See you there, demons." She nodded firmly.

"Are you positive we should be doing this?" Miranda looked at Cadmus.

Cadmus nodded, "Let's set this straight." He said, leading the four of them to the fish market. It was a big warehouse, of course, the smell was mildly off-putting. Inside, they were met with the same dealer inside the Red Dragon. He was laughing hysterically about something. "What are you doing here? Where's Zygaena?" Cadmus asked.

"You're all here. My hunter and my targets…so this is very convenient." He laughed.

"What do you mean?" Miranda narrowed her eyes, cracking out half of her blade.

The dealer laughed and laughed, "Surprise!" He morphed into a giant bipedal monster with the head of a hammerhead shark.

Cadmus and Miranda ran up to attack it, but the hengeyôkai slapped them back with his sharp claws, with such force that Cadmus and Miranda flew back and crashed into the nearby supply boxes. They both winced in pain as they tried to get up, "Fortitude?" Miranda asked weakly.

"Fortitude…" Cadmus nodded, as both the Venture coated themselves with a green mist.

Yukie ran in with just as much gusto, armed with a crossbow. Seeing as close combat resulted in such powerful blows, she stayed back for a moment instead and fired her projectiles.

Angelique took out a pair of pistols and fired them at his face. The hengeyôkai had enough of this and roared, running at Angelique to presumably tear her face off.

Cadmus slid in the way, taking the hits, still somewhat badly, even with Fortitude up. He pulled his axe out and slashed away at the creature, "Get back!" He looked at Angelique, "I'm going to get him far away from you. You make a sniping post. He won't get past me."

She nodded quickly and stuck her guns in her pocket, wincing as they burned her thighs. She then grabbed her sniper off her back and made more distance, lining up the shot and firing as Cadmus distracted him. Her fingers were agile and adept to the mechanics of the gun, reaching in her pocket to reload the gun within seconds and starting up another round of sniping.

The sniping seemed to be making marks on the beast's skin. It roared in pain, that, as well as Cadmus's frequent axe swings were penetrating its tough hide. Zygaena swatted Cadmus aside, and he crashed into whatever wreckage was nearby.

Cadmus spit blood to the side, now soaked in it, "Miranda…get behind him!"

Armed with her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, Miranda slashed him a few times from behind, while Cadmus got in front. Zygaena would swat at one of the Ventrue, but he could never hit both at once.

Yukie stood closer, a little too close for comfort, as she sniped the beast to hit it in the chest or face. Angelique kept her post in the back, their attacks perfectly blended with two melee fighters, and two snipers.

The two Ventrue provided a wall too great for Zygaena to overcome, and thanks to this, he was helpless against the firepower being hurled against him. After some time, his body fell to the ground with a thud.

Cadmus closed an eye, falling to his knees, as he was swatted around the most, "Okay…it's dead now…"

Angelique ran over and got to his level, "Do you need blood?"

"No…I…I'm fine…" He wobbled as he stood up.

"Those were rather curious claws." Miranda felt her wounds, "Aggravated in nature. I've never fought a creature like that…"

Yukie walked over, putting her crossbow away as she panted, "Hengeyôkai is in hell. My revenge is complete… _Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita_ , demons."

* * *

"Mister Chamberlain, so glad you made it safe and sound from your research in Southeast Asia. I trust your stay this morning in Venture Tower was comfortable?" LaCroix sat up as a figure stepped into his penthouse.

"Of course, Prince LaCroix." A wiry, refined voice said as the sound of clacking metal boots were heard. The figure in front of LaCroix wore a black tunic and black pants, as well as black and red spiked boots. He was armed with two cutlasses at his belt, as well as a moderately sized red bag. Black-rimmed glasses went over his hazel eyes, and his short black hair was arranged in a swoosh at the front, like a big black wave.

"Exceptional. It appears you've arrived sooner than my other two Primogen here," He eyed his watch, "But I do appreciate your punctuality. Please, make yourself comfortable." He motioned to one of the chairs towards the front. "You must understand, most interviews run here are far less staid, but seeing as you could potentially work with these most reliable Primogen, I myself need to ensure and assess your potential."

Mister Chamberlain sat down at the chair provided, "I understand, sir."

As there was another knock on the door, LaCroix beckoned them in, "Ah, there they are." As the two Primogen sat, the Prince motioned to them respectfully, "This is the Tremere Primogen, Mister Strauss. And this is the Ventrue Primogen, Mister Constantine. The Nosferatu Primogen has been unable to attend our meetings, under superfluous reasons."

"Charmed. I am Mister Chamberlain." The seated man stood up and shook Strauss's and Constantine's hands. "It is a pleasure to meet you both." He said as all three of them sat down.

"Very well. Now that pleasantries have been exchanged, I trust you have a…a résumé, of sorts?" The Prince asked.

Mister Chamberlain handed out a folded packet, for either LaCroix or the Sheriff to take.

LaCroix reached over and took the packet, the Sheriff didn't even look over. His eyes skimmed over the pages before he put it down and looked back up at Mr. Chamberlain with those expectant eyes, "Your prior engagement to the Camarilla is appreciated, and I must say, you have much more experience than the former Toreador Primogen. So, if you were apprehensive of your 'lack' of experience, please understand that in this category, you are most certainly, not lacking. What has intrigued me the most is your research in Asia. If you don't mind me asking, what was it that you were researching there?"

"The culture." He crossed his legs, "Their way of life. The people. I'm rather fond of it all. But perhaps, the answer that interests you the most…is that I've been studying the Kuei-Jin."

The look on his face was entirely indecipherable, even for the other two Primogen, "Oh?" He sat back, "I was under the impression they were…less tolerant of our kind."

"They are." Mister Chamberlain smiled, "In such a case, one must do their studying from the shadows." He said. LaCroix wasn't alone in his surprise. What the new Toreador Primogen applicant had said certainly caught the attention of Strauss and Constantine as well.

LaCroix leaned in, his elbows on the desk, his hands folded under his chin. He couldn't hide the smirk on his face from the suspense Mister Chamberlain had built up, "…from the shadows? So…am I right in assuming any research conducted was conducted in secrecy? You remained undetected?"

"There are those who master offensive strikes. Those who master the defense. And those who master stealth. I am the latter of the sort."

"I see…" It seemed the interview had taken a turn the Prince was not expecting, but he decided to go with it for the sake of time, "So, I'm certain you've noticed the…lack of representatives here tonight. This is due to surrounding forces who have declared extremely violent means of Camarilla exile. Since this city was formerly an, 'Anarch Free State'," And he said this with a tone of doubtfulness, "The Anarchs are undoubtedly displeased with our presence, and have taken extreme measures remove 'their' city of our influence. So, in the case that you find yourself in…ill-fated conditions, what is it you would do?"

Mister Chamberlain folded his hands, "I have a sharp eye, and I'm naturally quick. My Disciplines only help me in the matter. Because of this I have developed many techniques that render my Kindred foes to ash before they are able to look down their sights or un-holster their blades. Even with a handicap, I am doubtful that any Anarch in this city could overcome my stratagems."

LaCroix seemed more than pleased with that response, "This is certainly reassuring. Well, in these last minutes, I will allow you to…impress me, if you will. Any information that, is not on this résumé, should be brought to my attention now. Additionally, any questions my other Primogen have may be asked. Until then, I will review your résumé, and email you with additional concerns. Your room in Venture Tower will remain open for your use, as you see fit."

"Ah, yes, I see." Mister Chamberlain said, looking at the other two Primogen, "Do you have any questions?"

"You're a Toreador?" Strauss asked.

He nodded, "Indeed. Is there something the matter?"

"Toreador are not…typically located…in Asia…forgive my…curiosity…"

"Oh no. Well, I wasn't Embraced _in_ Asia. I spent most my life there."

"These Kuei-Jin." Mister Constantine asked, "Could you tell us a bit more about them? Like how they combat with others? What their weaknesses are? How we could drive them out?"

"Well…I discovered more…cultural aspects…of their kind…rather than the mechanics to their abilities. I have learned about their dharma's…however. These are powers that the Kuei-Jin hold, which are similar to Disciplines. Some involve fire, some involve shape-shifting, and some involve powerful mind control, like Dominate." Mister Chamberlain said, "They interact with the spirit realm to activate these powers, and it costs a certain amount of fuel to use them, like when we spend blood to use our powers."

"Very fascinating. Well, I will not hold the conference any longer. I thank you all for gathering this evening, and, Mister Chamberlain, I will get back to you as soon as I finish reading your paperwork." LaCroix said as he tapped the papers on his desk.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sure he regrets Julius a lot right now…Thanks for reading!


	67. Chapter 67

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-seven! I think it's high time to address the love…cloud we've somehow managed to concoct…Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"You're a fucking idiot. Fucking. Idiot. Can you hear me? Are you deaf?"

"Shut up, Damsel."

"You can't go throwing around our name like some sort of fucking gang. We aren't a gang, we're not gonna support you for roughing up some poor kid for no goddamn reason. He screws with you again, I say good for him."

Killian lifted his head up so Damsel could better wipe off the blood from his forehead, she swabbed at it mercilessly, "He's friends with the jackass who killed Lark."

"Yeah, and we're friends with Jack. Your point?"

"What, are you just, over Lark?" He snarled, then grunted as she dug her fingers in the hole in his abdomen to fish out the remaining bullets.

"No. I don't want her brother to die, too. You need to start thinking, alright?" She dropped another bullet into a pile on the floor, then grabbed a flashlight and got on her knees to look closer at the wound and see if there were any more bullets inside him.

Killian gave a sly grin, "Hey, never expected you to get on your knees for me like that. Always thought you swung the other way."

Damsel gave him a glare that could shatter glass, "I wonder if I just cut your dick off right now, how much sanity it would save us all."

"Hey." He barked, "Stay away from there."

"That's what I thought." She stood up and grabbed a roll of bandages, wrapping them around his torso, "What happened if I wasn't here, Killian? Huh? You're useless without us."

"You mind not chewing my fucking ear out?"

"It's just…" She held her forehead after she tied the knot around the bandages, "You're just so stupid! Kent is smarter than you, why the hell would you just go in there like that by yourself? Do you see how bad that makes us look? What if you died?"

"You saying I'd be missed?"

"Missed, no. No, we'd lose numbers. No, no one around here likes you for your personality. Maybe Anastasia."

He grit his teeth, "You think you're any better, bitch?"

She stomped on his foot, he winced and got up from the bench, "Get your sorry ass upstairs."

"That's what I thought." He grunted as he went upstairs with the others.

"I didn't hear a thank you!" Damsel called.

Killian ignored him as he took his post where Nines usually stood against the wall, "Jesus, she's a bitch and a half, huh?"

Jack looked up from his cigar, "What got you roughed up, kid?"

"Jackass accomplice of the douche who killed Lark."

"Did you kick his ass?" Jack smiled.

He crossed his arms, "Eh. Gave him something to think about."

Skelter chuckled, "Did you make him think about how goddamn lucky he is, since he doesn't have to deal with you every night like we do?"

"What'd you do this weekend, Skelter, huh?" Killian shot back.

Skelter leaned back against the railing, "Got a new house."

"What did you do for _us_ , Skelter." His eyes narrowed.

"Some Sabbat were hanging around the parking garage, they're not there anymore."

"Pfft. Anyone can kill Sabbat thugs. I'll ask again, what did you do to help us?"

Skelter shook his head, "I'm not obligated to answer a damn question you ask, kid, you ain't entitled to jack shit."

"Cause you don't do anything! I'm telling you, you and Damsel are just pointless! You're just wasting space around here!"

"Don't bring her into this." His brow furrowed, "What the hell's wrong with you? Charging in blindly isn't gonna get us anywhere. It's gonna get you killed."

"Yeah, cause I'm the only one doing work."

Skelter crossed his legs, "Lemme try this, why did you find this poor kid?"

"…cause he's friends with the guy who killed Lark."

"Is that why? Huh? Yeah, don't bullshit me, nice try. It's cause his sire was your little fuck-buddy."

Killian growled, "And why am I the only one that cares?" He asked, "VV is an Anarch, she's with us! If he's treating her like shit, it's all of our responsibility to back her up!"

Jack blew a cloud of smoke in the air, "VV's hot, sure, but she's hardly an Anarch. She just does what Isaac does, kid. Her problems aren't ours."

Killian seethed, "You're just jealous I did shit." He glared at Skelter, "You stay here all day and stare at 'Stasia's tits, I actually do work for us. What the hell are you gonna tell Nines when he gets back, or say at his funeral, huh? 'Sorry, I couldn't help, I was mind-fucking Anastasia'!"

Now Skelter looked mad, "Oh, so you think Nines is gonna die, huh? I'll make sure to tell 'im."

"Guys, stop." Anastasia frowned, "This isn't going to help us with anything. We can't divide ourselves."

That might have calmed Skelter down, but Killian was still flaming, "You know what? I got an idea."

"Christ, it's the turn-of-a-century. Killian thought of something." Skelter said dryly.

"You and me, outside." Killian's tone was lacking any sort of patience, "Battle to the death."

"What?" Skelter raised a brow, "No, we ain't Sabbat, kid. You just need to grow a pair and get over it."

"Well, you think I'm useless, I think you're useless…let's see who's right."

"I'm in." Jack said.

"Since when was anyone asking you, Jack?" Skelter asked.

"What's the matter, Skeltey, scared?" Killian mocked.

"I just don't want Nines to whoop my ass when he figures out I killed the other Fitzroy…but…guess I don't got a choice."

"What? No." Anastasia said, "Cadmus and I fought to the death, and it didn't solve anything. That's _last thing_ we should try again."

"Exactly. It's just gonna be a waste of time." Skelter said.

Killian snickered, "So I win then. You admit defeat."

Skelter laughed, "No, you do not win. There's no contest."

"Uh huh, uh huh, sure."

Skelter's eyes narrowed, then he pulled out his gun and fired at Killian's head. Killian didn't see it coming at all, he grunted as the bullet landed in the side of his head, "Jesus, I meant outside, you dick!"

"What the hell are you fucks doing up there?" Damsel's voice hollered.

"You wanna go outside? Fine. Let's go outside." Skelter said, "Won't take more than five minutes."

Killian rubbed his head, "Trying to impress your girlfriend or something?"

"Outside. Now." His eyes narrowed. Killian snickered as he left with Skelter.

Jack stood up, "I wanna watch this. You comin'?" He looked at Anastasia, "They're fighting over you, ya know."

Anastasia looked away. There was no doubt Jack's words left some sort of an impact on her. She paused for a few moments, then she eventually followed Jack outside with the others.

"What the hell is going on?" Damsel demanded answers as Killian and Skelter stood a distance apart in the space behind the building, where some stock trucks usually parked.

"Killian and Skelter both wanna bone 'Stasia." Jack said, "Kinda funny, if you ask me."

" _What?_ " Damsel looked to Anastasia for confirmation, for the _real_ story. She didn't respond, which made Damsel look back over at them again, " _Skelter?_ "

"Might as well make this somewhat fair." Skelter threw his guns aside, "No firearms. No knives, no shit. Only disciplines."

"Fair enough." Killian didn't have anything to throw aside.

Skelter also tossed a knife aside, "What, you don't have anything? What happens when you run outta blood?"

"Shut up, are you ready or not?"

Skelter snickered, "Yeah, sure. Yo, Jack. You got a watch?"

"Why the hell would I have a watch?" Jack raised a brow.

Killian took off his own, an expensive golden thing, "Five minutes, right? Sure." He looked at the face one las time, "Jack, heads up." He threw the watch at him, and he caught it, too.

Damsel sat against the wall, "What the hell, this is ridiculous. Skelter's gonna kill him."

Anastasia looked from one fighter to the other, "Don't do this." She pleaded.

Skelter looked over at her, taking a step back like he was going to stop and talk Killian out of it, but Killian activated both Celerity and Potence when he wasn't looking, running forward to kick him in the shin. Since he didn't see it coming at all, Skelter was knocked aside and sent quite far, crashing into a crate of booze that was left out.

Jack winced, "Shit!" He laughed, "This is good!"

Damsel buried her fingers in her hair, her beret hitting the ground, "What the fuck is happening…?"

Killian's laugh was the loudest, "Gonna beat me in five minutes now, asshole?" He jeered, "Bet you can't even hobble over to me with that broken leg!"

Skelter spit a splinter of wood out of his mouth from the crate, "My mistake, I thought you were at least honest enough to, I dunno, listen? You spend so much time together, I figured you'd at least recognize her voice."

"Who?"

Skelter growled and stood to his feet, sure enough, his left leg was bent in the wrong direction. He didn't miss a beat and activated Protean, the injury looking like a little papercut now. He bumbled forward and reared back to swat Killian aside like a blade of grass.

Killian caught his fist with Potence, they seemed to be at a standstill, until Skelter jumped back and held out a claw. A pair of white wolves fabricated themselves before Killian, then tackled him to the ground. As he was down, Skelter bounded over and tore his claws into Killian's chest.

"Fuck, I _just_ patched that up…" Damsel moaned.

Killian seemed to have enough of his dead organs being torn into. He grabbed one of Skelter's claws and tried to stop the reckless beating, but he seemed to forget Skelter had teeth.

Skelter chuckled, which was terrifying in this form. He growled as he bit down on his collarbone, snapping the bones like chopsticks.

Damsel covered her face, "Oh my god, he's going to die…oh my god, oh my god…"

Jack eyed the watch, "Bet Nines is gonna love hearing about this." He took another puff on his cigar.

Killian screamed as Skelter started breaking ribs, "Fine, fine!" He screamed as blood pooled from his mouth, "You win…" He coughed up another mouthful, "You…fucking win…"

Skelter stood up and spit out a mouthful of Killian's blood. He turned back into his human form, looking a little unstable. He looked over to Jack, "Time?"

"Two minutes, thirty two seconds." Jack said as he threw the watch back at Killian, it broke as it landed in the pavement. Killian was either sobbing with embarrassment, or perhaps agonizing pain. Most likely both.

Anastasia shivered and hugged herself. She was completely speechless. She didn't know what to see, she looked as if she were inches away from a panic attack.

There was another noise that was conflicting with Killian's crying. It was laughter. But it didn't sound like Skelter giving a victory laugh at all. The pitch was much higher. Cadmus revealed himself from behind one of the dumpsters, "Look at you fucks!" He laughed like a jackal, "You're fucking killing each other! Here I thought you were all going to throw your kindergarten clubhouse bullshit at me, but instead you're just taking each other out for me."

"He's not dead." Skelter said, "I'm not an idiot. His ego's dead, good riddance." He hobbled over to the wall so he could lean against something, "What the hell do you want, kid?"

"What difference does that make? I could still finish you both off easily since you guys can barely move. And no one would care, either. You're both useless punks."

Damsel stood up and gently tried to hug Anastasia, "Then go ahead." She grumbled, "Just finish him off." She glared at Skelter. Anastasia sniffed and hugged Damsel back.

"What the hell!" Skelter threw a hand in the air, Jack laughed.

Killian tried to get up, but he could hardly move, he just hit the ground with a _thud_ , "Leave…'Stasia…alone…"

"Aw, fuck you." Cadmus spit on him, "You've done the most damage to her." He scowled at them all, "That fight proved my damn point. More than anything."

"The hell are you talking about?" Skelter asked, "That fight had nothing to do with you."

"No it didn't. That was a 'winner gets to fuck Anastasia' fight and you know it."

His brow furrowed, "That was a, 'winner gets to live' fight. Killian's been a dick to everyone, Anastasia included. But this wasn't about her. I didn't fight Killian for her, I fought him so he'd stop acting like Prince 'a the Anarchs!"

Cadmus rolled his eyes and looked at Anastasia, "I think your little Anarch stint is over. Worst part is, I think you know it too."

Anastasia sniffed, "C-C-Cadmus…"

"Bet it felt empowering having two men fighting over you like that." He said as he walked a bit closer, his shadow looming over Anastasia and Damsel, "Real nice. This is how it always ends at every damn hippie circle you end up in. You bite off more than you can chew." He paused, in case Anastasia wanted to speak, but when she didn't, he continued, "But…I forgive you…for all that. Look, Anastasia. You deserve better than these two losers."

Damsel held Anastasia closer, "Cadmus, you don't get it. She's happy here. She's happy when you aren't here. When you don't put pressure on her, when you don't make those two fuckers fight over her so she can be happy again! Seriously Skelter?"

Skelter threw a hand in the air again, "I told you, I didn't do it for her!"

Damsel looked up at Cadmus, "I'm just as pissed as you are about them, so this doesn't mean you can just take her. She's with us, bud."

"Yeah, I bet she was _real_ happy being fought over like a trophy. I bet she's _real_ happy coming in and wondering which of these horny losers is going to prey on her. Do things mean the opposite to you Anarchs? I really want to know." Cadmus said.

"Stop!" Anastasia broke from Damsel's embrace to face her brother, "Let me speak for myself."

"Oh? So you're going to tell me that you _enjoyed_ it when neither of them listened to you when you told them to stop? You _enjoyed_ it when you found out that the main reason they were fighting was because they couldn't control their dead testosterone for your body?"

Anastasia broke down again, "No…" She sniffed.

He held a hand out, "Look. Just come with me. We can leave the state, forget all of this. You won't have to see these assholes again. Our hands will be clean of it all."

"Real ironic of you." Skelter chuckled, "You talk about us not listening to her, what about you?" He turned to Cadmus, "What about what I told you last time you showed up?" He asked, "You can't escape this shit. Take from a Gangrel, alright? It's everywhere. Every state, every country, every nook and cranny. Unless you want to live in a fucking cave. You take her away, you'll lose whatever friends you have, and tear her away from hers. You expect _that_ to be a quality life?"

"You're not her friends. You treat her like dirt." Cadmus glared at Skelter, "And no, pal. Your little lie isn't going to work this time. There are tons of states where the Jyhad isn't as bad as it is here. So you'll have to go bone someone else, player."

His eyes narrowed, "What the hell did you just call me?"

"Enough." Damsel pounded a fist in Skelter's chest, then turned back to Cadmus, looking far fiercer than she actually could convey, "She is our friend. She's our _family_. You know how it is, don't you? Family fights, family argues, you can't use that to your advantage! You can't take her from us!"

Skelter grabbed her shoulder and held her back from probably trying to attack Cadmus and getting Dominated, "Damsel, enough." He looked at Cadmus, then Anastasia, "Let her decide, alright? It's her life. She wants to go with him, it's fine. There's nothing we can do about it. Let her do what she wants to."

"Damn…" Jack puffed a cloud of smoke in the air, "The hell are we gonna do without 'Stasia the Mediator?"

Anastasia walked off, sobbing something about needing time to think. Cadmus narrowed his eyes, before he turned away and started walking off, "I'll be back in a week when she changes her mind."

Skelter sighed, about to go hobble after her when Damsel stopped him, "Let me fix your leg, you idiot. Stay away from her."

As Anastasia made it to a silent space, her phone suddenly started buzzing. Tempted to ignore it, she checked the number just to see who it was, not expecting to see Jeanette. She did her best to rub her tears away and have a clear voice as she answered the phone, "Jeanette?" She asked.

"Hey candy-heart." Her voice was as sugary as always, "You busy?"

"Uh…uh…a little…"

"Oh, alright…okay, that's fine, just call back when you're free, m'kay?"

"Y-Yeah…I will…"

"Okay…I'm always here to talk!" And with that, the line cut off.

* * *

Andrei chuckled, now the trio of Sabbat lords who fought in King's Way had made their safe retreat back to the inner basements of Hallowbrook, "I am pleased to see that you have lived up to your name and survived the assault, Ferrum."

Ferrum chuckled as dusted some dried blood from his shoulder, "I think my favorite part was them thinkin' you got killed."

"Indeed, I would have to agree." Caesar snickered as he entered the room, "You should have seen them, prattling about as if they had murdered the high lord to our Sabbat. What marvelous idiocy."

Andrei held back his laughter, "If they wish to believe me dead, they are more than entitled to do so. May those Camarilla worms surround themselves with their piteous hope and it lead them towards their doom."

"That is, _if_ they even survived the warrens." Caesar mused, "Which I doubt."

"I'm tempted to take a walk down there myself just to look at all those piles of ash." Ferrum sat against a rotting wall.

"Your LaSombra brethren." Andrei looked at Caesar, "When is their arrival?"

"Soon. They shall come soon." Caesar smiled, "Then the foolish Camarilla won't have a chance at defeating us."

"Excellent. We will receive more Sabbat soldiers from my progeny's branch." Andrei said, "With these two additions to our group, we have already won."

"You…have a childe…sir?" Caesar asked.

He nodded, "He will send esteemed members of his own Sabbat. He hails from central Europe. They will cross over the sea just as I suspect your LaSombra brethren will, and our ranks will be more than fortified."

Something about this talk gave Ferrum the feeling of ice-water being poured into his dead stomach. Of course, he expressed this with a mask of anger, "You ain't gonna replace me, right?"

Andrei and Caesar both looked over at him, "Of course not, my son." The former said, "I've had my iron-clad enforcer by my side for many years now. You are vital for our plans of war."

That seemed to calm him, he looked towards the shadow of a flame dancing down the hall, "I swear, as soon as I can get my teeth on one of those ancient fuckers, I'll be more powerful than ever."

Andrei chuckled, "The pyres have been lit. War will soon erupt. It has been brewing and brewing for one fortnight after another. But now, things have finally reached a breaking point. We will emerge victorious in these Final Nights."

* * *

 **A/N:** *while listening to Lacuna Coil's Swamped* Just in case you were worried, we have a lot planned for after the end of the game…hint-hint. Hope you liked it!


	68. Chapter 68

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-eight! Less violence, sure, but the drama's still kicking. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Cadmus entered his room, closing the door behind him, "I feel like having me as a master pretty much sucks." He said as he sat at the table across from Angelique.

"What makes you say that?" She flicked a page of the newspaper over.

"I don't know. Every time I usually get back here, I'm mad about something…and I have trouble hiding it. And it usually scares you because you think you did something wrong, even though you never do anything wrong."

"Never is a strong word. I do stuff that you could kill me for every day, I'm just lucky it doesn't blow up in my face and you don't find out about it."

He cocked an eyebrow, "What would I kill you for?"

"Nothing. It's under control."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, "You sure you don't want my help?"

"Oh definitely not."

He sighed, looking more concerned if anything, "So I visited the stupid Anarchs again…"

"Uh oh." She turned another page.

He sighed again, his head hit the table, "I think I'm getting there. I think I'm weaseling her out of there. Jeez, you should see what goes on there. It's gross. They treat her like shit."

"I know, they're animals. I've done jobs for Anarchs before. It usually ends with me kicking them in the nuts and telling them to find a new assassin."

He looked up, "What if she never wants to come with me?" He asked, "What, is she worried I'd throw her at LaCroix or something?"

"Somehow, people like it there. People like that grungy vibe, the feeling of not bathing in years. Oh, and the feeling of getting harassed by everyone around you." She said, "Well, from my experience, getting insulted directly from Brujah feels a little better than the condescending words of Ventrue….but…it's still nothing fun."

"Whatever…I guess I'll worry about it later…I need to kill Caesar first…that is, if I can actually _do_ anything to hurt him." He shook his head, "You should've seen it, Angelique. These two losers were fighting over her like animals. They don't do anything helpful, those Anarchs. They're just, testosterone, and jealousy…although that could be every Brujah in a nutshell…"

"Passion, testosterone and jealousy. Yeah. They'll beat their chests over anything if you give them enough reason for it." She turned a page, "In other news, part of your sister must like it if she's still over there."

"You're right. God damn it, why?" He asked, "Does she really want to be the center of attention that much?"

"There are female Anarchs, you know. She's gotta have friends over there." She looked up at him, "I don't mean to play devil's advocate, but I mean…you have friends over here, despite how much you hate the Jyhad. Miranda's a friend, right?"

When Miranda's name was brought up, nothing but guilt surrounded him. _"That bimbo?"_ He recalled himself saying, "Yeah. You're right…" He sighed. "I'm not even nice to her…that's the worst part…it's like ever since Elspeth died, I'm only capable of being an asshole to people…"

"You're not an asshole to me."

"…do you remember how we first met?"

"That was different."

"How so?"

"Because it was."

He was beginning to look more and more confused every time he spoke with her, "So…uh…how about that…hengeyôkai…thing…there…?"

She paused at the change in subject, "What about it?"

"I don't know. It was pretty tough. That thing tore through me like I was made of jelly. I'm…honestly terrified of what would have happened if I fought the damn thing one-on-one."

"It's a good thing we were all there. I guess it explains why Yukie wanted help."

"Yeah, you were pretty awesome. You're a good shot."

Her cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink, "Thanks. It's just second nature."

"Seriously, I'd bring you out for more missions…but…if something happened to you, I honestly think I would go insane…"

Angelique closed her paper and crossed her arms, leaning them on the table, "But you love Elspeth."

"Uh…" He was visibly taken aback, "Yeah…I…I do…"

She stood up and folded the paper up, "I'm gonna go to the store."

"Wait." He looked over at her, "What did that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. I was just…confirming something."

"Confirming something?"

"Yeah."

"Confirming what?"

There was a short pause, "I'm just your ghoul. I'm just your pet. You care about me. I'm flattered."

"…okay, so none of that made sense."

"Then I'll give you some time to think about it."

"Think about what?" He stood up, "Look, Angelique, we talked about this. If you feel neglected with me, then you need to tell me that you want to leave."

"I don't want to leave." She balled her little hands into fists, "I just…" She turned around and looked at him again, "It isn't important, okay? I like you. I like being your ghoul, I like doing work for you. You don't treat me like the others have. You give me more attention, you give me more…" She sighed, "Just more. And I like that. I guess I'm a bit fat attention hog, I don't know, you've just given me more than anyone else I've ever known. And I don't know what to make of it. That's it. It's nothing important."

"See…but you still sound angry though…so I'm confused…"

"I'm always angry. Sound familiar?"

"…huh…I guess we really are two peas in a pod. Either that or it's my blood in your veins."

"I've…always been like this…" She said, then she sighed again, "I'll just go shopping."

"Wait." He said, "What can I do to make you happy?"

"…well…that's the thing." She turned around, "You are making me happy. There's nothing you can do to make me happier."

"So you're happy and angry?"

"Yeah."

He sighed, "Sometimes I just wish you let me in a little bit more…"

"If I let you in and you don't like it, then you leave me. That's why. And when you leave me, I'll just be left here bleeding out."

"You're worried I'll just abandon you?"

"Yeah."

"Come on. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Yes you would."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I like you." She gave up and threw her hands in the air, "And dammit, I'm pissed about it."

He shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets, "I like you too. What's the big deal?"

"Ask Elspeth."

He frowned, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She faced him and crossed her arms, her cheeks flushed with frustration, embarrassment and anger.

He swallowed hard, "Uh…" He backed away, so clumsily that he knocked a chair down, "Uh…jeez…I was afraid something like this was gonna happen…"

"Afraid?" The color in her face swam away.

"The blood bond?" He asked, "You mentioned this before. You started thinking about me a lot, and had strange feelings. I guess they got worse."

She paused, her arms crossed, "Then let's try something. Let's drop the blood bond. Break it. And…if I still like you…then we can't blame the blood bond."

He looked nervous, "I…I don't know about this…"

"I'll just…go shopping…" She turned slowly. He gave a defeated sigh as he watched her leave, tears leaking out of his eyes.

* * *

 _Vesuvius._ It sounded familiar, something about it sounded like it belonged in Hollywood. Yes, she must have seen it when she removed the Gargoyle with Victor, when they went to Hollywood.

Her footsteps even sounded unwanted on the sidewalks, the pavement smothered with stains of cigarettes, old newspapers, gum, and who knew what else. She kept her head tall, after all, Hollywood was still in L.A. Abrams could call Barony over the place all he wanted, but if his agents tried to kill her, she could very well say she was in LaCroix's turf.

As for announcing herself to his presence? She didn't bother. She'd only be here a few moments, she was sure.

Sure enough, there was a building up ahead called Vesuvius. The bright neon lights were nothing inviting. In fact, they were only more off-putting. She let a sigh fill her lungs as she walked inside, the tacky smell of smoke and alcohol, and too much perfume filled the air.

But no, the thing that bothered her the most as she was walking around, was someone reaching out and grabbing her by the arm, "Hey, toots. You wanna grab me a drink a' somethin' good? I'll pay ya real nice."

Her brow furrowed, "I do not work here."

He eyed over her outfit, "Oh. Heh, just looks like you're the sorta girl who'd do real good on a pole, you know?"

She turned her eyes away, looking for someone who seemed to have some sort of hold on the place. But all she saw were strippers, and customers. She finally lost her patience and approached a girl who was counting a handful of money she received from a lap dance, "Your boss." She asked, "Where are they?"

"Velvet's usually by the VIP room. She's been kinda busy recently, is there something I can pass on to her?" The girl asked nicely.

"No. Where's the VIP room?"

The girl looked nervous as she pointed, maybe it was because she saw the knife in her back pocket as she strode over towards the VIP room.

"I don't think I recognize you. And you certainly don't have the face of someone I would forget." She turned her attention to VV, who was standing by the door, her hands on her hips.

"You must be Miss Velour." She crossed her arms.

"Yes, that's right." Her head tilted to the side a bit, to brush aside a lock of hair, "Perhaps we should get to know each other better upstairs."

"I'm not interested in… _that_ …"

Velvet chuckled softly, "Then let us just go to…be ourselves."

She sighed, "Yes, yes, if you insist." As they went upstairs, she said, "I just wanted a word about a certain employee you've recently hired."

"Oh?" VV asked as she closed the door, "I'm assuming you mean Halcyon."

"Yes. She's my sister."

"Ah." Velvet sat on the couch, "Incredibly sweet girl. Something about her was rather…"

Iphigenia spoke as she trailed off, "She's a Malkavian ghoul…on top of…other previous conditions. So yes, she's a little _different_. I've been having financial difficulties, which forced me into asking her to obtain some sort of job." VV listened on with true concern, "But…and I don't mean to disrespect this…this profession…I don't like the idea of her being a stripper."

"Dancer." Velvet corrected, "She makes a wonderful dancer. She learns very quickly, and she loves the attention."

"I know she does." Iphigenia said, "That's exactly what I can't have. She feeds off of it, she lives off of attention like this. She'll sleep with anyone who calls her pretty, this type of environment…it's dangerous for her."

Velvet gave a slight smile, "You're so protective over her…it's moving, really…" She sat up, "I will keep your sister safe. The dancers here, I ensure that they are all treated with respect. I understand the stigma of this job, but these girls, they're daughters to me. And I would never have them treated in such a fashion. There are many policies here for the clients to ensure the dancers are treated with the respect they deserve."

Iphigenia's shoulders fell, "I…I appreciate it, Miss Velour."

"Please, VV." She said with a smile.

"VV." Iphigenia's dark lips smiled back, "I also…would like to apologize beforehand, if she does anything…crass. She really doesn't intend to hurt anyone, ever…or to—"

"I understand." VV held up a hand to calm her nerves, "I can tell the difference between someone with dark intentions and someone who means no harm." Her eyes fogged momentarily, like a blink of resentment, before she looked back up at Iphigenia, "She passed the interview with flying colors, and if she makes a mistake, I'll understand it's just a mistake. It takes a lot for the clients to stop coming, really." She smiled.

Iphigenia nodded, "Thank you, VV. It…it isn't often she ever finds herself in safe hands…"

"If you don't mind me asking, who is her regnant?" VV asked out of curiosity.

"Miss Voerman. Jeanette." She specified, "I don't even know where the two met…" She admitted, "All I know is my sister came home as a ghoul one night, three years after my Embrace. Keeping her safe has been more of a chore than…any sort of Kindred politics. She was a loose cannon even before she was ghouled, let alone with Jeanette's blood in her veins." She didn't know why she started rambling, but there was something about VV, she just couldn't stop.

And it wasn't as if Velvet wasn't interested in the tale either, "If she was enticed into Jeanette's lap, she must have been."

Iphigenia looked away before she spilled anything else, "Well, I'll leave you to…continue on your way."

Velvet chuckled, "Oh you poor thing, you seem so stressed…you ought to come back on a night when I'm not so busy, perhaps I'll give you a private dance."

Iphigenia was thankful she couldn't blush, "Yes, very well…good evening, VV."

* * *

February first hit like a truck. Harper's refrigerator seemed to open by itself as she grabbed a pack of blood and got out her cellphone, hitting the first number that was under her speed-dial. As she closed the fridge with a hip, she heard the message go to voicemail, "Hey, it's me…it's the first of the month, I just…" She took a sigh as she tore the blood pack open just enough, "Called to remind you. Take care." She said before she hung up and tucked her phone back in her pocket.

Her eyes turned back to the bag of blood in her hand. What happened if she just severed the blood bond? Would anything really change? She debated not even drinking it at all.

There was a knock on the door, a light rapping. She brought the bag to her lips and drank the entire thing in one sitting, as quickly as she could.

It wasn't like it tasted bad. No, human blood and Kindred blood were two different things entirely. Human blood was irony, coppery, salty, thin. Kindred blood had a consistency of honey, almost, a little thinner, perhaps. And a similar taste, too. It was much sweeter, much richer, it usually gave the same sensation as taking the first bite from an excellent steak, only prolonged. But the sensation couldn't be prolonged when she downed it like a shot.

The person knocked again, she recognized her boss's voice, "Harper?"

She almost spit out all the blood right there. She quickly threw the bag in the trash and rushed over to the door, opening it, "What…what did you need so urgently?" She licked her lips, wincing as she tasted more blood on her lips.

"It isn't a matter of urgency, rather convenience." He wandered into her room, "The Sheriff is upstairs, and I don't have any more meetings for the night." He turned back to her, "I understand you finished your report many nights ago, you'll have to forgive me for not addressing it earlier. I had a range of other meetings to attend to."

"Of course, sir…" She tried to rub a wrinkle out of her dress, "Would you like for me to get the report?"

"I believe that's the reason I gave for entering."

She nodded and fluttered over to her study, flipping through folders until she found the right one. Finding the bag of evidence, well, that was another matter.

She scrambled back into the living room in hopes that it would be there. He looked like a ghost standing there, an apparition. His suit was dark as night, his tie somehow darker, and his shirt was the same color as the smoggy clouds of L.A. His hands were tucked in his pockets, but his face, the practically ghost-like color, his phantasmal eyes, it was terrifying, really. Those eyes were pinned on the floor, flickering around occasionally at her furniture, thinking about something. It made her wonder how she ever thought he was even near human. He was closer to the Beast than any Kindred she had ever met, closer to hell than anyone in the entire corporation. And somehow, that put him in charge.

He put her room into a different perspective, made the space look small and childish, made it look like it was pathetic and cluttered. She approached him as soon as she gathered the bag with the knife in it, "Here you are, sir."

He eyed the knife over, then took the folder, flipping through her report, "You don't have to make these so lengthy, you know." He said, "I can trust you enough to know you did a thorough analysis of the place."

"Apologies, sir."

He put the folder down on the empty coffee table, then turned back to the bag with the knife in it, slowly taking it from her hand to take a closer look. His touch was colder than stone, her hand slowly fell to her side, then in her pocket in hopes to warm itself. "So this was the murder weapon."

"Not exactly, sir. That was the weapon that was left next to his remains. Supposedly he took his life with it." It was easier to talk with his eyes focused on the small switchblade in a bag in his palm, rather than her eyes, "But, a knife that would be used for slicing the jugulars would have only a strip of blood along the blade. The stain of the blood there clearly indicates a stab wound. Unless he….perhaps, stabbed himself in the heart…" She paused, "But that wouldn't kill a Kindred."

"So the weapon was planted?" His eyes grew with concern as they met her own, "That could mean an entire range of possibilities…what else did you find?"

"Well…if there was a killer, they covered their tracks very well. I couldn't find anything else. The note could have been forged? The pen was there with the others, the ink matched…he didn't seem to have any sort of notebooks lying around, so it very well could have been, but other reporters had taken it by the time I arrived."

"I see…" He mused, "Well, if the new Brujah Primogen is as promising as the Toreador gentleman I met the other night, I'm sure there's no reason for concern."

"Better than Lorcan?"

"By far." He said, "I wouldn't say his experience is remarkable, but it's the best for what I could get."

She nodded, "Well, I'm sure the Anarchs will be thrilled to see new Primogen."

He chuckled softly, "You have quite the sense of humor, when it comes to it. As for any impending tasks, I have none. None for you, at least. I have Miss Frost and a few of her allies dealing with the Sarcophagus."

"Very well, sir." She said, waiting for him to leave, really.

He nodded and turned around, "Good evening, Miss Rivers." He headed for the door before he stopped and looked at a photograph she had framed on the wall, "Who is this?" He asked quietly, something off about his voice. It no longer demanded power, no, it almost seemed submissive in just those three words.

She walked over to see which one he was looking at, "Oh…that…that was my fiancé…that was the night of our graduation…" She reached forward and touched the frame, "I could take it down if it's…inappropriate…"

"Oh, no, you have all rights to…do as you please to the room." He said, his voice still light and strange sounding, "He just…bears a striking resemblance to someone I had known once…"

"When you were alive?" She looked up at him, though not by much.

"Yes." He said, "My…brother."

"Brother?" She repeated, a smirk on her lips as she pictured a mini-LaCroix, "I didn't know you had a brother."

"Step-brother." He corrected, "What was his name?"

"Your…brother…?" She asked, "Oh, oh, you mean Dalton. Dalton Greenfield…was his name…he was going to take my last name…he never liked Greenfield…"

"Well I'll be damned…" He said softly, "I…I really must be going."

"What, were they related?" She asked, "That…can't be possible…how old are you?" She asked, then backtracked, "Not…to be rude…"

"Including my years as kine?" He asked, before answering, "Two-hundred ten."

"…" She swallowed hard. How did a corpse manage to live two-hundred ten years and not look even look like it was slightly decaying? Then again, she supposed his skin once must have looked a little less sickly, his eyes maybe not as intense.

He spoke again before she could say anything, "One-hundred eighty-nine of those being Kindred. So…that would likely make Dalton…" She didn't like the way he said his name, "Three generations after my step-father's."

"So…he was related to you?" She asked.

"No. Not by blood. He was my step-father. I had no relation to the man, besides living in his property for a handful of years."

Something about him spilling bits of his past made her feel excited, likely because he would never be caught dead spilling such private information. If he wasn't staring straight into the photograph, he likely wouldn't have been speaking at all. It reminded Harper of how easily she prattled on about everything when she was drunk. When there was something to take the edge off of reality, "And your brother…looked like Dalton?"

"Yes. Though…Buchanan's hair was…a bit more managed…" He mused, "He was a lawyer."

"They…had those back then?" She squeaked out. When he glared down at her, she smirked, "It was a joke."

"Yes, I see that." He looked back at the photo, his arms crossed, "I assume Dalton was…pleasant."

She nodded, "Why…was Buchanan….unpleasant?"

"No." He said sharply, like he even regretted asking, "He…he was a Ventrue in life, if you will. He needed no Embrace to carry the ways of our kind about himself."

"Ah…" _So he was a heartless bastard._ "He was never Embraced then?"

"Not that I'm aware. If he was, he's surely perished…Last I heard of him, I was what, sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Where were you born again?"

"Calais."

Her mind jogged, "France, right? Isn't it close to Belgium?"

"It's closer to London than anything else."

"So…that's why you have an English accent." She said.

"If you insist." He turned away towards the door. Something about his tone sounded spotty. The answer was 'no', it was clear as day, but he certainly didn't look like he wanted to talk about it.

"And you were Embraced…when? Was it part of a ritual of sorts?" One day her curiosity would kill her. "There is a Ventrue ritual, I've heard of… _Agoge_?"

"I don't see how it's any business of yours."

She swallowed hard. Another big N-O. So if he had parenting issues, didn't really grow up in France, and wasn't sired legally, who was he and why was he allowed to be Prince? Clearly his sanity had already been packed up and shipped away, likely before he was even Embraced. Why was he in power? Did they _want_ the place to come crumbling down? "Sorry, sir. I just…I didn't know it was so hard back then." And, to add kindling to the fire, that really wasn't the right thing to say at all.

He raised a brow, "Yes, well, in any case, I'm willing to forgive that…overbearing sense of curiosity." _To an extent_ , she added in her head.

She nodded, "Good evening, sir."

"Yes, you too, Harper." He said as he left, closing the door slowly behind himself.

She approached her couch like the zombie she was and sat down, her dark brown curls bouncing around her neck, tickling the skin there. She brought her collar up to ease the scratch. If her hair tickled her so much, she figured she should just let it grow out. Then again, it would just get in the way. She liked it to cover her neck, it made her feel safe, but anything that she had to tie up became a nuisance.

Did she pity him?

Yes. Yes she did. She pitied the blonde idiot Prince who somehow stumbled into power, what with his overbearing sense of control. She supposed it explained most of his behaviors. His thirst for power, must have been competing with older brothers his entire life. His complete lack of tolerance for illegal siring, must have been how he was sired. She was sure she could nearly link every behavior the beast had to some sort of condition he faced as a child, but she drifted off on her couch before any more connections were made.

* * *

 **A/N:** RIP Cadmus's temporary peacefulness…Thanks for reading!


	69. Chapter 69

**A/N:** Here's chapter sixty-nine! ;) The key theme in this chapter seems to be love…hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. And yes, it's round two of Jeanette and Anastasia, if it's not your cup of tea, then skip over it.

* * *

"Hey kitty." Jeanette stood up from her vanity, her make-up looked freshly applied and everything. "What had you all sewn up in a bundle?"

Anastasia swallowed hard, "You heard that?"

"C'mere, sugar-puff." She held her arms out, "I'm all ears."

She approached her bed slowly and then hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder, "How's Therese?"

"Therese? She's involved? She didn't tell me anything…" Jeanette's arms were almost warm around her back.

"No…no, she didn't do anything…I just…wanted to make sure you two were okay…"

"It's all peaches and cream, honeydew." She gently held Anastasia's face, "I wanna know about you."

She teared up, "Damn it…"

"It's okay to cry here. I'm listening." She hugged her tighter, "Just let it out."

"Skelter and Killian…" She sobbed loudly.

"Are they getting the best of you? Oh, they can be all bitter down there, can't they, in that salty little bar. I can't stay there long, their words rub my skin like sandpaper." She held one of Anastasia's hands with both of hers, "But they're all gummy bears underneath those sour coats."

"No…no…" She sniffed, "They…they fought over me…"

"Fought…over you? What, like they did in the eighteen-hundreds?"

She didn't know what to say, she just kept crying.

"Hey, hey, it's alright." She rubbed her back and kept her close, "No one's dead, right?"

She shook her head, "Then Cadmus came and made everything _worse_."

Jeanette gently combed her fingers through Anastasia's hair, "What did he say?"

"He…he said that none of them treated me right. The Anarchs. He said that they're losers and I should just go home with him." She sniffed, "Who am I kidding? He's right. I can't face them again…I can't cause them to fight each other like that. Cause them to get hurt or killed, I'd just hurt the Anarch forces…"

"You're not hurting the Anarch forces, cutie. The Anarchs have been fighting over who gets the warmest bowl of porridge since the very beginning." She said with a smile, "I don't mean to…insult you or anything…but they're all rather passionate people, aren't they? It's not like you're the only thing they've ever fought over. There just hasn't been a lot of fighting since Nines got here. And then set Damsel in charge of all the bar-fights in the Last Round. They kinda…organized things. But things have been especially hectic without Rodriguez, huh?" She brushed some of Anastasia's tears away, "You're not hurting the Anarchs, m'kay? These sorts of tussles happen all the time."

"…I'm not so sure about that…if I just go with Cadmus, this won't happen again…"

Jeanette took both her hands, "Do you want to leave all of us…?"

"No…of course not. But…but if I stay…Cadmus will keep coming back…"

"Don't let that be the only reason you leave, okay? If you're going to do it, do it happy. Because then you'll be even more miserable than you are now." She said, taking her hands and squeezing her tighter, "I had to move once. Away from my friends, away from my home, my state…" Her eyes drifted away to the floor, "When they put Therese in the asylum. And took me away. I had to move. And then…when Therese was sired, when she got out of that crazy place and found me…she took my hand and she said… 'Jeanette…you can come with me and live…or stay in the past and die'." Her eyes landed back on Anastasia's, "Sorry, I'm rambling. You just need to do what you need to do, okay? You're an earth-child, aren't you?" She poked Anastasia's belly, "Do what that tells you. Do what you need to do."

She gave a slight nod, sniffing, "I just…don't want to be judged anymore…I…I want to be safe…I just want to be left alone…"

She held Anastasia closer, "That's what all of us want…that's what we all need…and yet it never comes true, does it…?" She said softly, then held her face, "Anastasia…we all love you, okay? The Anarchs, I mean. I'm sure…I swear on my unbeating heart that they all care about you. Because you're perfect." Her eyes flickered between both of Anastasia's.

"To tell you the truth, I feel the safest here. With you."

"Do you?" She smiled, it was genuine, "I'm glad. I'll do anything for you, sweet pea. But I think you know that."

"I…I just feel safe with you. And when I sleep…I usually can't stop thinking about you…"

Jeanette's smile grew, "Oh yeah…?" She rubbed her thumb in Anastasia's palm, "What kind of thoughts spring into your sleepy mind hmm? Just you and me…and nothing else? No clothes to keep us any longer…?"

"Some thoughts are innocent. Some aren't."

Jeanette giggled and started untying her top, very slowly, "You know, I think you're the first girl in… _years_ who's just…been able to put me in the palm of their hand like putty…very sticky…putty…"

"Sticky, huh?" She smiled, "I have to say, having the ability to control someone ten times my age is…empowering…if not a turn-on…"

"You could get me on my hands and knees, barking like a dog, if you wanted…" She slung the shirt aside.

Her smiled grew, and she closed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Strip."

"Fuck…" Jeanette stood up and didn't hesitate, dropping her skirt and thong before she quickly took her boots off, "At least do me the justice of watching…"

She peeked an eye open, "You look hot."

"Oh good, I was worried…" She crawled back on the bed with a smirk, " _As_ … _if_ …" She rubbed the sheets with her palms, "Give me a little something…c'mere…I'll make you feel better like no one else…"

"You first." She walked over and scooped Jeanette up, Jeanette at first not having the slightest idea what Anastasia had in mind. Nor did she anticipate that Anastasia would lift her up so easily, but she supposed this was the Gangrel upper-arm strength in action.

She mounted Jeanette on the wall. Both Anastasia's hands were on her rear, serving as a seat of sorts, as Jeanette's legs were draped over Anastasia's shoulders. Anastasia leaned in and kissed her sex, eventually welcoming her tongue out to play with it. She wasn't able to intake anything due to her vampiric body, but her tongue was slender and long, easily able to coolly slide around and explore her inner caverns as she pleased.

It didn't take Jeanette very long to start screaming, no, it only took a matter of seconds. Her head slammed against the wall as her legs locked around Anastasia's neck, her back arched away from the wall, her hips driving towards Anastasia's mouth with unrelenting energy. Her hands fisted in Anastasia's hair, pulling her in close, pulling her away, pulling her here or there, guiding her mouth just where she wanted it. "Dear god Anastasia…." She gasped out when she could, other times she'd just sigh her name, or grunt some sort of profanity. Clearly she had reached a myriad of orgasms, but it didn't really seem like she was anywhere near finishing.

"Relax…" She said quietly, kissing her waistline, then giving it a lick, before going back for seconds (or thirds at the very least), "Let it all flow…"

She let out a low groan as she rattled against the wall, biting her lip and riding out Anastasia's tongue for a good while longer until she slowly removed her fingers from her hair, "Oh you poor thing…" She gasped out, "I…don't want you to…lose the feeling in your tongue…"

"You sure?" She smiled, "I'm tough, I can take it. Unless you'd rather…" She kissed her womanhood, as far in as comfort would allow her.

She gasped and leaned in towards her face, her nails scraping against the wall, chipping the paint and leaving marks. She gave another piercing cry as she threw her head up towards the ceiling, rattling in her arms before she seemed to go limp, "Oh god…" She held her face with both hands, "Oh…you… _angel_ …"

Her smile grew, she wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand, dropping Jeanette down gently and setting her in the bed, trying to stretch the soreness out of her arms from holding her up that long. "I love you." She knelt at Jeanette's bedside, kissing her lips.

Jeanette kissed her back, "Oh…don't use those three words so carelessly, you. You might get yourself in trouble." She said with a smirk as she sat up a bit.

"Trouble? I'm just using the words as they're intended."

"You really love me…?" Her eyes grew, then she giggled, "Oh you poor thing…" She sat up so she could put a hand on the back of Anastasia's head and kiss her deeply.

"You're the only one I feel safe around." He kissed her back, rubbing a hand over her breasts, before she eventually clenched onto one.

Her eyes closed slowly as she moaned into Anastasia's lips, then she gave a disappointed whine, "Join me on the bed…"

She nodded and took the flower out of her hair, as well as her dress, once again gracing Jeanette with her snake tattoo. She then took her heels off, wincing, "Damn it…why didn't I take these off when I was fucking you…that was a lot of standing…"

"C'mere, baby." Once Anastasia got onto the bed, Jeanette crawled down to her legs and rubbed her ankles, "I used to wear heels all the time, then I tried high heeled boots…ugh, so much better. And they still make my ass look great."

"I concur." Anastasia closed her eyes as she squeezed a nearby pillow.

She giggled as she tended to the other ankle, then she sat up, her head cocked to the side, "You know…what you did to me against that wall was kinky…I should get you back…unless you'd rather just…take it easy for the rest of the night."

She yawned and stretched, "Whatever it is…just be gentle…"

Jeanette stuck her tongue out and leaned over to the side, towards the edge of the mattress. She reached underneath the mattress, digging around for something, it seemed. And then she came up with a pair of handcuffs, and a key. "Gentle enough?"

"You want to cuff me?"

"I'll cuff you to the headboard. I'll do all sorts of things to this delicious body of yours, and you just have to let it all happen…I have a satin blindfold too, under there somewhere…"

"Alright." She smiled, "Do whatever you want to me."

"Ooh, goody." She reached under the mattress for another moment, her butt in the air, "Just…a minute…I'll find it under here somewhere…" She said as her tongue stuck out, then she sat up with a little dark red strip of fabric, before she stuck it between her teeth.

Jeanette crawled up to her and gently took one of Anastasia's hands, locking it in the handcuff, "Promise I'll put the key right there." She put the key on the nightstand, "You say shower curtain and the cuffs come off, alright?" She put the cuffs through a beam of the headboard, then locked her other hand, so both Anastasia's hands were up over her head and she was facing up. Jeanette took the blindfold out of her mouth, "God, just seeing you like that makes me so wet…" She sighed before she leaned in. The last thing Anastasia saw was Jeanette's dark nails around the satin, her breasts jiggling in her face before the red fabric covered all her vision. "There you are, duckling…" She felt Jeanette's fingers slowly trace the tattoo of the snake, "This is gonna be a good one for you…"

"O-Okay…" She shivered, with a combination of anxiety and excitement.

She felt nothing for a moment, she wasn't even sure if Jeanette was on the bed, then suddenly she felt chilled fingers clasp around her breasts through her bra. The mattress gave a bit between Anastasia's legs, so she figured that's where Jeanette was kneeling. The bed creaked as Jeanette leaned towards her right breast and started licking the area, leaving gentle kisses, "I know how sensitive it is, don't worry, I didn't forget…" She could feel Jeanette's breath against her skin.

She moaned, her anxious shivering only was prolonged as she felt Jeanette squeeze her breasts, "Take it off…"

Jeanette smirked as she took Anastasia's bra off and threw it aside, "Good day to go strapless, honeydew." Her hands rubbed Anastasia's waist before she stuck her mouth over her breast, gently suckling it and giving extra attention to the peak.

She screamed, "I thought…seeing my cleavage as long as possible…would make you that much thirstier…"

"Oh yeah…you've succeeded, duckling…" She giggled as she tickled Anastasia's waist briefly, before she let out another sigh, "Let me hear that scream again…your voice is so hot…" She leaned in to her other breast and gave it the same treatment, her hands trailed down and rubbed her hips. Anastasia gave a long sigh, trembling a bit more as she tried to reached out to hug Jeanette.

Jeanette giggled, "Oh, you poor thing…" She crawled down a bit, "Here, I'll give you…a little release…" She reached down and spread Anastasia's legs, taking her panties off. Her fingers slowly rubbing her inner thighs as she leaned in and licked her sex pronouncedly, before she delved in a bit deeper around the wet folds. She kept this up for handful of seconds before she sat up and traced the snake tattoo around one of her thighs. "Do you want more…?" She asked quietly. Anastasia nodded quickly, letting out little sighs here and there.

"Only if you scream for me." Anastasia felt two fingers slowly loop around her entrance before they slid in, hitting a sensitive spot deep inside that made her see stars. Only a second later, she felt Jeanette's lips latch around one of her breasts, she knew she must have been leaving lipstick marks all over her skin. She groaned a few times, before eventually giving Jeanette what she wanted and making a ton of noise, rattling around the bed.

Jeanette's voice accompanied hers when she wasn't kissing her breast, she figured she must have been pleasuring herself as well. It was perfectly timed, as well, when Anastasia ran out of steam, Jeanette slowly pulled her fingers away, pulled her lips away and slowly tugged the blindfold off. Anastasia saw Jeanette again, her eyes looked weary, her lipstick was smudged but she was grinning. "I bet you want to get those hands all over me, huh?"

"…choke me with your rack…"

Jeanette's smile became wicked, then she straddle her waist, her womanhood against Anastasia's stomach felt damp. She heard Jeanette's nails slide against the satin sheets as she put an arm on either side of her, leaned in and smothered Anastasia's face with her cleavage.

Anastasia bit down on Jeanette's breast. She didn't have to breathe, so she gulped down as much as she could, until Jeanette heard muffled choking sounds. She seemed to be more than enjoyed it, however, as she humped the air, with increasing fury the more she swallowed Jeanette's chest.

Jeanette's voice grew hoarse from the screaming as she grinded against Anastasia's stomach, holding Anastasia's head so she could take in as much of her chest as possible. Her other hand grabbed onto one of Anastasia's breasts, her thumb teasing her nipple.

After Anastasia 'swallowed' enough of Jeanette, she collapsed and let her go, "Okay…I…I'm pooped…"

Jeanette flopped down next to her, "Yeah…I think I love you too…can we get married now…?" She brushed some of her hair out of her face, "I'd…love to do my bills with you…"

"Except Therese would kill me in an unbridled rage…" Anastasia started dressing herself.

"Oh, I'm…sure she'd love you…" Jeanette's eyes grew saddened, "You're leaving so soon…where are you going…?"

"Home…" She rubbed her weary eyes, "To sleep…"

"Okay…" She said, "You take care out there…and…don't forget…I'm always here for you, strawberry…"

* * *

As her keys tumbled onto her dresser, she flopped back onto her bed, and yes, onto the pile of clothes that she never got around to folding. In all honesty, she'd probably end up taking them to the laundromat again, even though she never wore them. She rubbed her eyes, aware that she just smudged all her mascara. She kicked her feet up onto the end of the headboard, closing her eyes and just breathing.

Silence was nice once and a while. After all the babies she had to deal with every night, a little silence went a long way.

She got up after a minute of bliss and went into the tiny bathroom, taking everything off and stepping inside the shower, cranking the water as hot as it'd go. It seemed as soon as she stepped foot inside, her phone started ringing.

As soon as the string of curses came out, she turned the water off and went into the other room with a towel clutched to her chest. It really didn't cover much, but then again, her windows were covered with boards, and her door was locked. She picked up the phone, "The fuck is it, Kent?"

"Just wanted to see how you guys are doin' down there." His voice sounded tinny.

"Fine."

"Jack there?"

"In my room? I'd sure hope not."

"Oh, you're at home, huh? What's going on there?"

"Kent. Why did you call?"

"I just wanted to say hey!" She only had to wait another beat, "So…uh….you're at home. Anyone there with you?"

"I don't know why you shits try and get away with doing things behind my back. Who did you fuck over, Kent?"

"No one, no one!" He said hastily, "Killian there?"

"Kent!"

"Alright, look, I just…need some money. Some…stuff popped up, I'm low on cash."

"Did you get arrested?"

"What? No…"

"Kent."

"Look, it's nothing. I'm just…handcuffed…a few hundred bail, that's it. It's no biggie."

"Oh my god…" She stood up against the wall so she could hit her head against something, "We have enough shit going on down here."

"Uh…look, they're giving me a signal…so…time to go. But look, you tell Jack er 'Stasia or Skelter or someone to come down here, pick me up. I'll make it up, prom—"

And the line went dead. Damsel sighed as she closed her phone and put it back on her dresser, shaking her head as she went back to the shower and turned on the hot water again.

 _That idiot is going to get himself killed…_ She brooded as she peeked an eye open and looked at her hands, red dye mingled with puffy handfuls of shampoo suds all over them. "Shit." She spat to herself. Maybe she should stop wasting her cash on bad dye-jobs. Maybe she should just, embrace being brunette.

Anastasia could pull it off. Then again, Anastasia could likely pull off a garbage bag. And then it came rushing back.

 _She grunted as she felt her hips squeezed up against the sheets of metal, her shoulders crushed in, her arms tucked in front of her chest. The metallic slam of the locker shutting sounded like a gunshot._

" _I knew she'd fit in a locker! Jesus, Courtenay, can you get any smaller?" A voice jeered, a foot kicked the locker. "Grow a pair a' tits, eh? A nice ass wouldn't hurt either. Some nice long legs. Yeah, then maybe someone will ask you to the prom."_

 _The slats in the door provided light, just enough from the artificial lights in the hallways. "Let me out!" She screamed as she punched the door, "Let me out, let me out!"_

 _The laughter suddenly stopped. Why did it stop? There was a silence, and then the bell rang._

" _Fuck…you fuckers better get back here and get me out of here! I'm gonna be late! Hey, dickheads! Get over here! Get me out of here!" She punched the door over and over, her knuckles bloodied at this point._

 _The next thing she remembered was sitting in the principal's office, bandages around her knuckles. He droned on and on to her dad, before he tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk, towards her, "Miss Courtenay. I'm speaking to you, dear. How does transferring schools again sound, hmm? You might find friends there."_

 _"I don't need friends." She argued, "I don't want to move to another school."_

" _We have a sister district just in the next town. Commute wouldn't be any different."_

 _"No, I don't want to go to a different school! I just want these pricks to leave me alone, you too, pal!"_

Damsel's eyes snapped open, then she rinsed the water through her hair one last time before getting out and putting on an old band tee-shirt, as well as a pair of boxers. She walked over to the bed and sat there, picking up the phone from her dresser and dialing the number she'd been tempted to every night now, "Nines?"

"Damsel. It's late." That served as his greeting. Why did hearing his voice give her such a rush?

She looked at the clock. "Shit. Yeah, sorry. I just…wanted to talk."

"Yeah, I see that."

"How are you doing up there?" She gave a little smile.

"It's not as cold at night, what month is it?" He asked teasingly.

"You jerk. It's February, right? I dunno. I don't pay attention."

"How's everyone?"

"It's a fucking free for all down there, in all honesty." She said, crossing her legs, "Anastasia's brother keeps coming. And I mean, like….keeps coming. He's dead-set on taking her away from us, Nines."

"What does she want to do?"

"Well…that's what Skelter said." She said, "Skelter…Skelter asked her what she wanted to do. And she ran away from all of us and started crying."

"Shit…I wish I was down there to help."

"I mean, it wouldn't be as bad if Skelter and Killian weren't fighting over her like fucking teenagers."

"…what?"

"Yeah. Skelter and Killian got in a fight. Apparently they're both in love with Anastasia."

"I mean…Killian's kinda…like that…but Skelter?"

"I mean, Anastasia's…she's pretty. Like, drop dead gorgeous. And she's a Gangrel…I guess that's enough of a reason?"

"Christ…" He sighed, it sounded funny over the phone, "Everyone's alive?"

"Skelter almost killed Killian."

"I expected as much. But he's alive?"

"Yeah, they're both fine." She sighed, "Why the hell am I left cleaning this all up? Anastasia is a wreck."

"Where's Jack?"

"I don't know, doing…Jack-things. Kudos to him, he's not getting involved in this. He could be working for the Sabbat and I wouldn't care, he's staying out of my hair."

He chuckled, "Well, what about the Cam?"

"I heard LaCroix's trying to get new Primogen. A couple big-shots wandered into Venture Tower recently. Security guards, everything."

"Well, shit."

"Yeah, that's…that's about what I said." She brushed her fingers though her wet hair, shoving the mess of clothes to the side of the bed, out of her way. "I think he's just pissed you haven't been killed yet. He's trying to shove it in your face."

"Yeah, I bet…" He grumbled, "Thanks for calling." He said somewhat suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…it…it was nothing. I just worry about you. I don't want to check in too much…be annoying…but like…once a month isn't too bad, right?"

"I don't give a damn. Service ain't great up here, but…I appreciate it."

She smiled, it was nice without her lipstick tugging at her lips, "Yeah. I think I'm safe in saying we all miss seeing you lean up against that wall, Nines. Sitting at that table. Killian's…been trying to take your spot."

"Killian, huh? Kid's got ambition."

"The kid needs another ass-kicking." She insisted, "He's always been a little…" She sighed, "A little much. But…it's like, since Lark died, he's…he's a dog without a leash."

"Yeah? What do you want me to do about it? Tell you what, Damsel, when this blows over, _if_ , I'm not going to have the time to deal with him. That's not my job. That's the Den Mother's job."

"You can't just…shit that onto me, Nines!"

He laughed, "I'm not trying to give you something I know you can't deal with. Because I trust you, Damsel. I don't trust anyone more with this kind of thing."

She rolled her eyes, "You're just flattering me, asshole."

"It's true. You take care of everyone. And you're damn good at it."

"Am I?"

"Why else would I trust you with this?"

"I don't know…they make fun of me…" She muttered under her breath as she rolled over.

"Jack, you mean?"

"Yeah. And Killian. Probably Skelter…he just has the courtesy to…not do it to my face…"

"What about Anastasia?"

"Anastasia doesn't. Why would she? She loves everything. She's…god…she's so damn peaceful. I think I'd be fucked if there wasn't Anastasia. Straight-up fucked over. Done. Might as well throw me out for sunrise. I can't deal with these shitheads without her. She's like the fucking…chocolate ice cream after a plate of Brussels sprouts."

"Didn't know you were part of the love triangle." Nines didn't miss a beat.

"Fuck you, Nines. C'mon…" He laughed, "I'll do what I can, okay? For the idiots."

"And make sure Anastasia's alright. Okay? Make sure she's happy."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno. You seem like the type who'd…just eat buckets of Brussels sprouts until there are no more."

"Yeah, I got it under control."

"Alright." A pause, the static of the lines just hung in the air, "You're a good kid. Stay safe."

"You too, Nines. Thanks. Goodnight."

The line died.

"Fuck." Damsel closed the phone, "You mean the goddamn world to me, jackass." She threw the phone onto the dresser, "Tell me how you did it." She kicked her feet against the mattress in anger, "Fucking bastard pulled me in, hook, line and sinker. Goddamn bastard."

* * *

 **A/N:** I can't see Therese being too thrilled to find her sister married to an Anarch, let alone Anastasia…thanks for reading!


	70. Chapter 70

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy! {whistles, piñatas, etc} A nice mix of sarcophagus-getting and drama, hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Alright, here's Zhao's warehouse." Slade said, "Jeez…took me damn near an hour to find this place…it's so out of the way…"

Tess shuddered, "Something about these…huge warehouses give me the creeps…ooh…but think of all the little hiding places. This would be a nice place for hide-and-seek."

"Jesus Christ." Cressida grumbled to Edgar, "Gary owes us big time for this."

"It's to save Barabus." Edgar resolved, "I'll go through anything to get one of the boys back."

After surveying the area of crates and boxes, they four of them went up a stairwell, seeing a man in a business suit facing away from them. With a thick accent, he said, "Wong Ho called. You're looking for someone…hmm…"

"You Zhao?" Slade asked.

"I don't know where your friend is. But I know the Tong are involved. The leader of the Tong, Johnny. He'll know where they are."

"Johnny…alright…" Tess said slowly, "Do you know where Johnny is?"

"Johnny's at Glaze." Zhao said, "It's his club. You'll need a password to enter. The password is seven, two, five. There will be Tong everywhere. Johnny's office is upstairs."

"Thanks." Slade said, "We appreciate you sticking your neck out for us."

"I am a man of my word and I owed a debt to Wong Ho. By paying that debt, I have made an enemy of the Tong. Who I once belonged to."

The gates at the entrance began to open up, with some thugs screaming profanities.

"Zhao! We know it was you!" One of them shouted.

"Once a Tong, always a Tong!" Another said.

"You should leave now." Zhao said.

"You know what happens to traitors!" One of the gangsters yelled.

"Don't be a coward, Zhao! Come out and die like a man!" Another said.

Tess got her handgun out, "Let's kill them."

"What? No, let's just book it." Cressida said.

Slade dashed around the room, killing a thug or two in a matter of seconds. While Zhao whipped out a Colt Anaconda, joining the firefight. Mostly all the Tong thugs that entered were carrying Uzis, laying down a continuous stream of firepower at their foes.

Tess grunted as her back was littered with bullets, she turned around and fired her gun for their head a few times, "Cressida, we really can't afford to lose someone who could help us…"

"Fine…" She grumbled as she joined Edgar in using Potence, slicing and punching the Tong, occasionally draining them.

The gang of Tong members all lay dead as the four of them regrouped, but a new legion of Tong entered, shooting at them all from behind.

Tess winced as the bullets came down like rain, "How many more are there?"

Her question was left unanswered as Cressida gave her a shove, "Sink those pearly whites into their necks already, you degenerate!"

Tess grimaced before she turned and ran towards the crowds of people, shooting at them, cornering a few of them and draining them.

Edgar took out a few more with Potence and Slade took out some with Celerity, but it wasn't long before more Tong gangsters soldiered in, blasting at all of them.

Tess gave a shaky sigh, before she called out to Slade and asked for his other gun. Slade sped around and killed any thugs nearby her. Edgar and Slade drained one of them to refill their blood pool. Once the battle was over, there was a silence in the air.

Zhao reloaded his gun, "If you want to find your friend, I suggest you hurry."

"Yeah…" Tess panted, looking over to Slade and the others, "Let's go. We just have to find Glaze."

The Nosferatu let the way out, while Slade looked back towards Tess, "You okay?"

She seemed surprised he was even speaking to her, "Mmm hmm. Just a little lead. I've gotten used to it."

"Alright, I guess we'll head to Glaze next. That's gonna be rough. He said it was gonna be full of Tong."

"So…you wouldn't mind letting me borrow your pistol, right? I just think…if I could dual wield guns the way you do with your katanas…it'd be more efficient."

"You really want my gun?" He asked, handing her the black pistol, "Alright, I'll buy another one later."

"No, I'll buy one, I didn't know I would want two. Just for tonight."

"Alright, hold onto it as long as you want. Unless something strenuous happens, I probably won't need it anyway."

* * *

Skelter knocked on the door a third time, getting more and more worried with each failed knock. He eventually just let himself in, seeing Anastasia sitting cross-legged in the middle of her living room, barefoot. Honestly, her living room looked more like a gym at this point. She was juggling two weights at once, cursing herself out in another language, either Spanish or Italian, it sounded like, to get stronger and toughen up. In addition to that there were a few rods between a couple of the doorways to do pull-ups and some other equipment lying around for her to train with.

"Hey…uh…" He slid his hands in his pockets, "I didn't mean to bother you…if you wanted to train, you could have asked…I could help." He paused, "Well…then again, I guess you're pissed with me."

She put the weights down, defeated, "I didn't want to bother you…" She sniffed.

"Bother me?" He asked, "What the hell do you think I've been doing? I was looking for you. Figured you'd be back here or…out in the woods somewhere."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" He asked as he walked closer and sat on the coffee table, gently brushing aside a stack of odds-and-ends so he could sit. "I came here to apologize…Look, I didn't want to fight him. Sure, I hate him, I think he's a self-entitled ass. But I never wanted to kill him, or set you off like that. I just knew he wasn't going to lay off until I slapped some sense into him…but…that wasn't right either."

"Cadmus was right…" She grit her teeth as she started crying, "Everyone…just…wants to fight over me…or use me for something…but…god…I don't want to go with him…I don't want to leave you…"

"Anastasia, I don't want to use you. Damsel doesn't want to use you, Nines doesn't want to use you. No one in their right mind does. 'Scept for Killian, but since Lark died, he's been off his rocker." He leaned in on his knees, "We like you for you, alright? We don't use you like…some kinda crack whore. That's what all the Cams think this is like, that's what he thinks it's like. We would never do that."

"He's going to come back…" She sniffed, "What do I tell him? I don't want to kill him anymore…but…what do I do?" She cried into her hands.

Skelter sighed and eyed around her room. It was cluttered but homely. And he couldn't help but notice quite a few things were tie-dyed. He turned his attention back to her, "We just keep sending him off. What do you think he's doing right now? Prolly sitting at home, crying his eyes out. He won't last much longer if we hold up. Hey, and you got something that he doesn't, right? You have friends. He's an outlier over there, if he wants to leave the Jyhad so bad, clearly he ain't got any sort of similarities with those other Ventrue. He'll snap eventually."

She paused, "Killing him sounds better than…than that…"

"Well, look." He paused, thinking over what he said, "He just has to realize how happy you are here…you are happy here, right?" She nodded. "Alright, good. Then…that's something he can't take away from you. And he never will. I think he's gonna break away from the Camarilla, after all this shit's done going through the fan. And then he'll have all the freedom in the world to see you. It's not like he's gonna go insane…he's just gonna realize how crazy he's making himself."

"Maybe…you're right." She said, "That makes sense…but…how are we gonna beat the Camarilla?"

"Well…that's what we've been trying to do since they got here…" He muttered, "First we gotta get LaCroix and put him in an urn. And…I think from there, they're gonna be real careful when it comes to screwing with us. That's when they're gonna be the weakest, that's when we gotta strike."

"After LaCroix dies?"

"Yeah, without a leader, they'll fall to shit. That's when we gotta get in there, kill as many as we can. When that night comes…I think we'll get every Anarch in the state to get over here to L.A. and knock their lights out."

"Victor's in the Camarilla…" She shuddered, "We'll have to kill him to truly get rid of them all…"

"Yeah…" He sat back, "We're gonna have to kill a whole lotta Tremere, I bet…hopefully they'll be smart enough to just pack their bags and get out, but…man, who knows."

She gave a shaky sigh, then she started sobbing again, "Then I visited Jeanette and I'm pretty sure she made everything _worse_ …"

"Yeah I…figured that's what that smell was…" He muttered, "What'd she say? Something about Cadmus?"

"No…we uh…we uh…" She froze, shaking at how nervous she was of his response. He was furious the last she told him, "We…fooled around…but…she…handcuffed me, and blindfolded me…and…we said really weird things to each other…she…she's too much for me…I can't handle it anymore…"

"Then don't." He shrugged, "Jeanette sleeps around with anyone, you're not gonna break her heart or anything. I don't even think she _has_ a heart."

She brushed her tears away, but she couldn't stop her sobbing, "I…I feel like I'm tied to like…five different horses, and they're racing me all in different directions…"

"Guess I'm really not helping in that case…" He muttered, "Look, there doesn't have to be anything…between us or nothing…I'm not gonna get pissed, if that's what you're worried about. I'm done getting mad. At you, at least."

"I know what you two were fighting about." Her voice sharpened, "And it scares the hell outta me. What am I supposed to think about that? What am I supposed to feel?"

Skelter felt like he got stabbed by a dagger, "Look, look, it wasn't like that. I don't like the way he treats you, but that doesn't mean…it doesn't mean anything!" He held his hands up, "I care about you, alright? Friends or whatever, I don't care what the hell we are, but I care about you. And I'm not gonna sit around on my ass and watch him look at you like you're a…a goddamn piece of meat! I just don't like it. I don't like the way he treats women, especially you."

She took a shaky sigh, "You're right…I'm sorry…for losing my temper…"

"It's alright. I've had my fair share of temper tantrums." He said, "That's why I came here…I just wanted you to know that."

"To know what?"

"To know I'd never…fight over you like a dirty animal." She stood up and hugged him, trying her best not to cry over his shoulder. "Hey, it's alright." He hugged her back, "It'll be alright, 'Stasia, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, right?" He asked, then he muttered, "Damn, that sounds cheesy…can't believe I jus' said that…"

"I'll hold you to it, James." She smiled and stroked a finger up his chest.

She felt him stiffen in her arms like a board, "Jesus…" He hissed under his breath.

"Yes?"

"Nothing…" He muttered, his amber eyes darting around her room, "Just…almost forgot I told you that…"

"What? Your name?"

"Yeah…" He said as the hug slowly broke, "So…I got a new place…it's got a nice yard, got a lot of space for training. You should throw your stuff in the back of my truck one of these nights, we could train together."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Good." He said, "It was…depressing as hell seeing you in here by yourself."

"I didn't mean to depress you."

He snickered, "It's alright. I'll find it somewhere in my heart to forgive you."

"You'd better." She crossed her arms, "I need someone I can trust. Like _really_ trust."

"I got you covered." He smiled, then crossed his arms, "I mean, I trust you with my name, that's…pretty much all I have…and I definitely don't go throwing that around."

"You don't, do you?" She smiled.

"No, I don't. I think you and Nines are the only people on the planet who know it."

"Ooh." She giggled, "I feel so special now."

He chuckled, then he suddenly raised a brow and reached in his back pocket, pulling out his cellphone. He flipped it open and saw a text, blinking a few times, "God dammit. Screw that." He closed the phone and tucked it back in his pocket, "Kent's as good as dead."

"Kent? What happened to him?"

"He got arrested. That doesn't last long for Kindred. A lot of cells have windows, among other shit."

"Arrested? For what?"

"He didn't tell me. I don't want to know where he got a phone to text me in the first place. I don't even know where the hell he is."

"We should help him. Does…does he need bail or something?"

"Yeah, five-hundred. Look, we just gotta let him get his own way out. That's one thing that Nines did that pissed me off, he spoils the fledglings. Killian got arrested what, three times? Bailed him out before he could even see a jail cell. If we let Kent sit in that cell and shit himself, he'll never find his way in another one again."

"But what if he dies?"

"Well….Kent's not that much of a moron…he'll find a way. Unless he _wants_ to die."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll…check in with him, I guess…since for some reason, the kid comes to _me_ with all his problems…"

"Okay…we…we can't afford to lose our numbers though…not now…"

"We'll do everything we can." He muttered, before he stood up, "Damn, that table is uncomfortable…"

"Because you're not supposed to sit on it."

"Well, your couch looked occupied…" He muttered as he looked over to the couch that was pushed out of the way, it had a few laundry baskets in it, as well as a few weights.

"You could just move some of the stuff." She cleared the couch off, then sat down, smiling and patting the spot next to her, "See?"

"Well, I didn't want to get my hands all over your stuff, that wouldn't be very polite, now would it?" He sat next to her, "Thank my mother for that…you'd put your feet up on the table for five seconds and she'd come running in with a broom ready to whoop your ass red."

"I had no idea you were secretly so fancy." She giggled.

"Fancy?" He asked, "Nah…more of… 'you do anything disrespectful in a house of God, you get beat'…sure as hell was no type of fancy Camarilla-like bullshit."

"Did you really get hit a lot?"

"It wasn't anything bad, really…" He shook his head, "I just kinda had to make it sound a lot worse so Tristan wouldn't get any funny ideas. Most of the time something happened, I blamed him anyway…being the younger sibling, I'm sure you know how that went…"

"Yeah…" She said slowly, "Did…did your parents ever split up?"

"Nah, they kinda stuck to each other like a pair 'a kids in a haunted house. I can't say I remember when, but my mother had a heart attack at one point. I just remember the funeral. After that, we went to 'nam, everything's a blur."

"It's good that they stayed together."

"Yeah, I know you had issues with that…" He muttered as he leaned back on the couch, putting his arms over the back edge of the sofa, "So what were they like?"

"My parents?"

"I mean, I get they were assholes, but there's different _kinds_ of assholes."

She played with a lock of her hair, "My mom was okay. We're talking about my _real_ parents, right? My mom was nice. She was nice to Cadmus and me."

"So it was your dad then?"

"Yeah…" She nodded, "He hated both of us. We sucked at school and skipped it a lot…so…"

He shook his head, "Why the hell would you have kids if you treat 'em like that?"

She shrugged, "Maybe he didn't want us. He was just…really strict with us…that's all…"

He started tapping his foot, "Now I'm all pissed." He leaned his head back and sighed, "You hear from Nines at all recently?"

"No." She said, "I thought Damsel was keeping tabs on that."

"Yeah, yeah, I wasn't sure if she told you anything. She doesn't tell me shit, other than 'shut up' and 'get the hell outta my way'."

She shrugged, "She acts pretty nice to me."

He chuckled and faced her again, "Yeah, cause she tries to act all high and mighty to her elders. She likes you cause you make her look young, and cause you're just…easily the nicest person that's ever stepped foot in the Last Round."

"Oh really?" She smiled.

"Course." He said with a smile, it made her wonder how many times she had even seen him smile, "I'll never forget when Nines turned to me after you started showing up regularly…he elbowed me and said, 'Either she's gonna turn into a bitch, or she's gonna be the best thing that happened to us'."

"A bitch huh?" Her smile grew, "Hmm, I guess I owe Nines a punch in the face when he comes back."

"Well, I mean, that kinda atmosphere kinda…hardens people. All the rock music, gunpowder, bastards walking in like they own the place. Just look what it did to Damsel."

"Damsel can be sweet."

"I'm gonna need some evidence for that." He snickered. "Maybe video footage."

"Why? My word isn't enough?"

"Nope. Not for this."

"Alright James. Your choice."

He twitched when she said his name, pulling his arms forward and crossing his chest, "I'm glad you ended things with Jeanette…she just…" He shook his head, "Reminds me of someone I used to know."

"I didn't really _end_ anything. I just…" She said, "I shouldn't just abandon her…she'll…she'll get really mad at me. She might kill me…"

"I don't think she'll kill you. Jeanette doesn't make bonds with people, no pun intended, she just does and does and does. She's old too, she's been around for ages, she has no reason to care."

"I hope not." She lifted her legs onto the couch and hugged them, "She could just do it, too. Just…blow me away like a gnat, lots of people can…"

"She has no reason to." He muttered, "She's just like the chick I met in Bangkok, making a living off a' being a tease. If you don't fall for it, she doesn't care, she's not gonna kill you for ignoring her."

"…okay…"

"Talk to her if you want, be my guest." He shook his head, "I made that mistake once. Poked the bear a good too many times."

"So you're saying I just…shouldn't talk to her at all?"

"You do what you want. Jeanette might be different. I don't know how the hell she works, maybe she'd be more predictable if she wasn't a Malk."

"I guess…" She stopped hugging her knees.

He patted her shoulder, "I know you'll do the right thing. Bet you want me to get out of here by now, huh?"

"If you have someplace to be."

"What, you suggesting a sleepover?" He snickered as he stood up, "I'll get out of your hair. I got boxes to unpack. All four of 'em. You take care, alright?"

"Later, James."

She saw the chills crawl down his spine as he left, closing her door and leaning against the other side of it. He held his face with a hand, took a deep sigh, and then left before the sun rose.

* * *

 **A/N:** I don't think Anastasia realizes how she can make him do anything as long as she calls him James…Thanks for reading!


	71. Chapter 71

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-one! A nice blend of everything here…except for violence, really. Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm here to see Wong Ho again." Slade said.

"Right, I'll get the elevator." The receptionist said, Slade quickly took the elevator up to the second floor.

He honestly didn't know why he was doing this. When he told Tess and the two Nosferatu agents that he had 'business' to attend to, it sounded a bit more important than this. Now he was just holding his comrades up. But for some reason he felt he needed to do this. The others may have forgotten, but from the beginning, Chinatown and its people have made a lasting impression on Slade.

"Welcome!" Wong Ho stood up from his desk, "Were you able to talk to Zhao?"

Slade nodded, "Yeah, he told me everything. Then we were attacked by the Tong."

He didn't look surprised at all, "I see. The Tong must have known that Zhao was the only one who could've told me about Kiki. It seems that his past has finally come back to claim him. The past is always something that we carry with us. And sometimes it is a heavy load."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It…it is not my place to say."

"Did something happen to Zhao?"

"It is something that very few people know. Many years ago, Zhao was the leader of the Tong here in Chinatown. He had a reputation as a very brutal gang leader, and he was very feared and respected. In time, Zhao came to understand that fear and respect were very different things, and one gained because of another was something devoid of honor. He left the Tong, vowing never to return to his former life."

"Hmm…I wonder how he knew about Kiki…"

He shrugged, "If a man lives long enough in the forest, he makes friends with many wolves. Wolves know much about what happens in the forest."

Slade nodded, about to leave, but as soon as he turned to leave, he whirled back around, "How's that Temple of Golden Virtue going…still empty and cleansed for the gods?"

Wong Ho paused, as if he really shouldn't be giving Slade this sort of information, "There was someone…a silver-haired man…a few nights ago. He looked very distinctive. I saw him leaving the temple…"

"Really?" He asked, "Do you know who he is?"

"No. Why are you asking?"

"No reason." Slade swallowed hard, "Well, I'll be getting out of your hair now. Sorry to be a bother." He said, taking his leave.

* * *

"Therese. You're going to get sick if you stand in the cold all night."

Therese looked at the handfuls of snow that tumbled between her fingers, red and raw fingers, slightly tinged purple. She looked up at the trees, they sparkled and waved slowly in the slight breeze. She closed her eyes, flakes landed on her lashes and stuck there, they landed in her hair and on her dark coat.

She turned her head and saw her father standing in the doorway. The warm light glowing behind him, and the cold moonlight outside, it cast a shadow over his form, so all that could be seen was his tall, lean figure. Motionless, still, like a statue. When he called her name again, he still didn't move.

She wanted to turn around, to go run to his side, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't obey. Instead, she turned away. The snow continued to fall in her hair, on her head, in her raw, numb hands. Her father called again, more sternly. And again.

Yet she didn't turn. She couldn't turn her head anymore. She was freezing, in the snow. Freezing solid. Paralyzed, like ice. And he yelled for her, still. _Therese, Therese, Therese._

A gunshot. And then…

Silence. Just the wind, blowing through her hair. Her big gray eyes, bloodshot, swollen, with dark bags underneath them, looked up to the moon. They didn't blink when the snowflakes landed near them, or in them. Instead they leaked watery tears.

A bashing on her door jolted her from her sleep. She had dozed off right in front of her computer screen, at her desk. She rubbed her forehead, adjusting her glasses as the banging started up again, "Yes, yes, just a moment." She said, her voice a little groggier than she would have liked.

Her room was meticulous. She didn't even allow the cleaning staff to come in. There wasn't a single speck of dust out of place. The walls were painted black, the carpets were a dark beige. The windows were boarded up, but covered with nice satin curtains. The dresser, the desk, the table and chair to the side of the room, they were all out of the way, to the side, pressed up against a wall. The room was, well, roomy. Strange, looking, really, the center of the room was just completely empty. She grabbed the doorknob and opened it, "Killian. What do you need, I didn't ask for any portraits."

Killian was wrapped in bandages, at least, she could see some peeking out from where his shirt was unbuttoned. "Yeah…Uh…" He scratched the back of his head, "I just needed some cash."

"Cash?" She repeated, "Do I look like a banker to you? No, you aren't getting cash."

"Look, I mean, I go out of my way to set your shit up in the gallery, and I take your custom orders, and I get no sort of tip or anything? I just need a few hundred, I'm not asking for a miracle here."

"What, did you walk into another animal trap? They leave the raw meat out for the cougars, not for you."

He grimaced, "One more person calls me a fucking animal…"

"Look, you're not getting free money from me. Go, run along, find another way to get your next…fix. Whatever it is you're after."

"You need a new ghoul." He said bluntly.

She raised a brow, "Did you kill my ghoul, Killian?"

"No. He's shit at his job. Refused to give me blood."

"Good. He's a good ghoul."

"Fuck you."

"I'll ask you nicely to leave one more time."

"You know what? No. I'm gonna fuck your sister. Fuck her so good, she'll pay me for it. How does that sound?"

Therese seriously contemplated using Visions of Death, "So, you don't want to work for me anymore, I take it? I'm fine with that, really. I'm sure I could easily find another pent up Toreador with the ability to…splatter some ink onto a canvas."

Killian crossed his arms, wincing as they leaned up against his chest, "You fucking lunatic. You'll be screwed without me, cause I was the last person who gave a damn about you. Your sister's just gonna stab you in the back again, then who else will be here, huh? Santa Monica's a fucking wasteland! Good luck, you bitch!" He slammed the door shut.

Therese scowled, "Good, run along, then. I'll get much more done without your presence in my domain!" She spat, before she ran her fingers in her hair, taking it out of the bun and quickly refastening it.

Clean. She needed to clean. Until she couldn't even smell his scent in her room anymore.

* * *

He almost looked like an impatient child, an arm on his desk so he could see his watch, the other propping his head up while leaning on the surface. "Brujah Primogen are considerably…rare to find." The Prince muttered to his two Primogen, "Especially in this area. I highly doubt this will be the only interview we'll have to sit through within this week, even. I've selected the most promising subject, thought it perplexes me so how one can appear behind typed letters as compared to face to face."

"Hmm…we mustn't get our hopes too far up." Mister Constantine muttered. While Strauss as usual was content with saying nothing.

"I'll never forget an occurrence once in New York." He chuckled quietly, "Back when Gangrel were still in the Camarilla, that was. The woman who showed up for her Primogen interview was affiliated with the Sabbat, she was hoping to attain some sort of inside information she could have gathered from the meeting. Well, that…didn't last very long for her, that's for sure." He chuckled softly to himself before he continued, "And seeing as the Brujah population in California is much higher, as well as the Anarch influence, I find it rather intriguing how there hasn't been a similar case yet." He paused, then knocked on his desk.

"A Brujah spy masquerading as a Primogen?" Constantine asked, "Mmm, that is rather insightful. We'll have to be very thorough with these upcoming interviews. If the Anarch scum infiltrate our ranks, we'll be a laughing stock."

"Mmm, more than that. We'd likely lose a considerable amount of secure information as well." He mused, then he sat up as there was a knock on the door, "Not a minute late. Promising so far." He cleared his throat, "Come in."

The door opened, and a man entered, with black hair, and a pair of silver earrings that had crosses hanging from them. He wore a thin black shirt, showing that he definitely had the Brujah physic alright. He wore brown gloves, green pants, and green boots, "I gotta say, I love the new world." He said in a casual, laid back voice, "Ocean's a bit too cold on this coast though, can't really do anything."

LaCroix graced him with a smile, for the hair of time that he took to respond to the man's casualness, "Greetings, Mister Kingston, I take it you're not quite adjusted with the seasonal changes in California."

Mister Kingston sat down in the seat provided for him, his frigid blue eyes rivaling LaCroix's own. "What can I say? I've heard tales about the new world since I was first Embraced. I find all of it fascinating, to say the least."

"That is relieving to hear." He said, "This is my Tremere Primogen, Mister Strauss." He motioned to the according Primogen, "And this is the Ventrue Primogen, Mister Constantine."

"Nice to meet you both." Mister Kingston stood up and shook Strauss and Constantine's hands.

"Very well." LaCroix nodded, "So, Mister Kingston, do you have a résumé on your person?"

"Of course." He stood up and handed LaCroix a document, "Fresh from the London presses."

LaCroix chuckled softly as he flipped through the pages, then he did a double take, "…quite a bit of experience, hmm?"

"Well, _quite_ , could be a strong word." He said, "I'm just a humble Brujah neonate, part of me still believes I only have this position in the first place because of how few of us there are in the Camarilla."

"Yes, of course." He said slowly, before he sat back and looked back up at the Brujah, "Your experience far supersedes the last Primogen in your position, as well as your…base of operations, if you will. If you had any concerns about this, about your background in the Camarilla, I can only say I am impressed. That should not be your area of concern." He said, "However, as you have mentioned, your clan is rather uncommon. I'm sure you've heard of incidences within your clan. In no way am I insinuating disloyalty, I would simply like to hear your personal reasons for serving in the Camarilla." He paused, "For, you see, California is the…Anarch Capitol, if you will. An uphill battle for us, which could have potentially resulted in the peril of our last Brujah Primogen. The Anarchs feel as though the clan Brujah is _theirs_ , and if there are members of their clan in the Camarilla, that they are outliers, and must be…" His eyes landed on his desk before he looked up, "Removed. Apologies for straying onto an unrelated tangent, your intentions?"

"So you're worried that I'm a secret Anarch?"

He chuckled quietly and shook his head, "No, no, you misunderstand. I'm interested in…what you would have to say if an Anarch were to ask why you've chosen our side. I would like to hear your logic."

"Oh, my logic?" He chuckled back, "What can I say?" He shrugged, "I've been in the Camarilla all my life. I find that most anarchy is founded on that old-fashioned Brujah versus Ventrue ideology. Frankly, it's no interest of mine. Unlike most Kindred, I'm loyal to my sect first, rather than my clan. That is not to say I do not favor my clan. I have many Brujah friends. But they're all in the Camarilla. I much prefer the Camarilla law and order to the ravenous 'freedom' the Anarchs provide. A scuffle between thousand year-old Brujah and Ventrue in the Dark Ages shouldn't have a say in what I think, what I believe. I'm aware not many Brujah feel that way, but they should, if they know what's good for them."

"Of course." He nodded, "I don't think you could have phrased it any better." He said as he flipped through a few more pages of his résumé, "Very well. I will review this privately at a later time." He set it aside, "As for yourself. Any questions you may have, any last comments, questions for the other Primogen, do as you will now."

"Ah, I'm glad you provided me an opportunity to ask." Mister Kingston said, "What happened to my predecessor?" He asked, "How has the investigation been going?"

"It…it was a suicide." LaCroix said, "An investigation is still underway in case it was an outside source."

"He…committed suicide?"

"That was what was reported to my desk, yes. That was what multiple of my investigators have discovered, though the process is still underway." He leaned back, "Even if it was not suicide, Mister Rush had brought to my attention the pressures he's faced from other Brujah in the city. I am relieved to hear you have experience with these stressors and have an understanding of how to cope with them."

"So I'm going to be hazed next, then? It's a possibility."

"It…" He cleared his throat, "Is a possibility."

"I see." He said, "The Prince of London also mentioned that you're on your third Toreador Primogen now. Is the…the…Jyhad climate…shall we call it…that bad here?"

The Prince drummed his fingers on the surface of the desk, "I have not had a stroke of luck fortunate enough to grant me Primogen with as much involvement or…even years as you or my other Primogen. There is also a significant Toreador presence in Hollywood, an Anarch Toreador presence. Most feel themselves drawn towards the area as a…sense of renewal. The former Toreador Primogen found themselves in a variety of predicaments that apply to these reasons, as well as other motives I've never had the chance of discovering."

"Say no more" He held a hand up, "You're swamped in Anarch territory, I understand. I know all about Nines Rodriguez and his pack of ruffians." He said, "Don't worry. I won't disappear on you as easily as Rush did."

LaCroix smirked, "That is, assuming you attain the position."

"Of course. A hasty assumption. My mistake." He smiled back.

LaCroix chuckled, biting his tongue before he mentioned how well Kingston would work here, "Very well. Unless you have further questions, I wish you a very good evening."

* * *

The falling rain was quiet and light, enough to stain the dusty streets dark gray, but not enough for an umbrella or a jacket. Tess had left to find Ash or Jeff or Jessica, whoever, Slade stopped caring. He was just going to go home and…probably find Dragomir and Genevieve making out in the bathroom. The rain really wasn't helping anything.

All of a sudden, a woman rushed up to him, taking his arm, "Velvet's childe?" She asked, her green eyes wide.

Slade raised a brow, "Yeah? Who are you?"

"My significance is trivial." She said, still holding onto his arm, "Your fabric, she is my boss. And her mind, it has been lost under your presence."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She looked at him like _he_ was the crazy one for not understanding, her dark brows knit together, "Your velvet, she has lost her own name under your presence."

"Usually when people ask what the hell a person is talking about, they don't say the same exact thing they said before."

She chuckled softly, the way she laughed seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember for the life of him where he'd heard it, "Yes, yes, of course, velvet child. Your mind is scrambled like hers, is it not?" She asked, "She seeks your forgiveness, or your love, or your anger. She seeks your response to her madness."

"Scrambled. _You're_ the scrambled one here." He said, then his face suddenly softened, "You must be a Malkavian, then."

She let go of his arm and crossed her arms over her chest, a generous chest. Well, at least it looked at that way, considering the fact that she was still in her green dancing garb, "I am human. While I drink Malkav's blood, I am only half-parasite. Your velvet is my money-giver, her mind is no place for me to meddle, but it has become detrimental to her own health. A simple warning flag is all I wished to pass."

"So in English, you're a ghoul?"

She raised a brow, her eyes darted around before they landed on him. She combed her fingers through her hair, "Uh….ah…yes…? I believe that is what Miss Jeanette has called me…?"

"You don't know what a ghoul is?"

She didn't answer with a yes or no, she just took a step back as her eyes landed on the sidewalk.

He looked around, making sure he was quiet and no one was around, "It's when a vampire gives a human some of their blood. You become stronger than a normal human. And I'm assuming this Jeanette person has a mastery over you of sorts."

"Jeanette is my life-source." She spoke quickly, "She is the reason I am here. The reason I am how I am."

"I'm sure you two have something special." He smiled, "You cold in just that?"

She looked up at him, her green lips dropped open for a moment, she seemed surprised he didn't insult her or spit some sort of short-tempered response, "…yes."

"Damn, too bad I don't have a jacket or anything for you." He said, "Want me to call a cab for you?"

"A cab…?" She asked quietly, "I'm not sure how much green expenditure I could offer…"

"It's fine." He shrugged, "I got it."

She blinked at him the way an owl would when they're confused, "Did you…want to share a bed?"

"Uh…" He looked flustered, "No…I just…wanted to help…"

"Yes…right then…I will not question a gift." She stood behind him, "Thank you, childe of velvet."

Slade nodded, he hailed a cab, taking the girl to her apartment, "I don't even know your name." He said, as he knocked on the door.

"Halcyon." She said, "I can't say I know your birth-name either."

"I'm Slade." He smiled, "Nice to meet you."

She smiled, "Likewise, parasite-man."

The door swung open, Iphigenia stood with a hand on her hip, a studded brow raised, then she looked even more confused as she saw Slade, "You brought a friend, I see."

"Sister, this is Slade. He bought me a travel here." Halcyon said as she hugged Iphigenia.

"Mmm hmm, I see that. Dinner is on the table." Iphigenia said as she gently pushed Halcyon aside, she disappeared into a different room in the apartment. Iphigenia looked back to Slade, "Appears you've met my sister."

Slade looked puzzled at their interaction, "Uh…y-yeah…I had no idea you two were sisters."

"Yes…well…we look nothing alike, I can't blame you." She said, then she paused, "I'd like for you to stay fairly quiet about this, if it's possible. I don't want any…any head Camarilla figures to learn that I live with two kine."

"They're family. I understand." He said, "I'd be doing something similar…if my mom was still around."

She looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry if she…" She closed her eyes, "Said anything. Did anything. She's a little…she's a little nuts." She looked back up at him. "Unpredictable…I…I can assure you if she said anything, she doesn't mean anything harmful. She would never hurt a fly."

"It's alright. I have a soft spot for Malkavians."

The shoulder that wasn't pressed up against the doorframe sank a bit, "Oh, I wish I could say the same thing. Her regnant is Jeanette. Voerman."

"I've never met her."

"Oh, you are a lucky soul…" She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Just don't go to Santa Monica. I want to throttle the little Barbie doll every time I see her…" She rubbed a hand over her head, "Did you want to come in for dinner? I have blood." She added quieter, "I owe you something for the taxi ride."

"If it's no trouble, I'll step in. You don't need to make anything up to me though. Your sister just looked cold out in the rain. I was just helping."

She closed the door as he walked in, "It isn't every day she runs into people with any sort of respect like you have." She said as she led him into the kitchen.

Halcyon had a mouthful of food, she looked up at Slade and Iphigenia before she dug back in. Harmonia, meanwhile, looked up from her teacup, looking rather nervous about the visitor. "This is Slade." Iphigenia motioned to him for Harmonia, "Coworker of mine."

Halcyon looked back and forth from Slade to Iphigenia, "Parasite friends?"

Iphigenia silenced her with a glare before she pulled another chair over for Slade between herself and Harmonia. "Do you live in Hollywood?" She asked, "I believe I've seen you around."

"Yeah, that's right." Slade nodded as he sat down, "Lived there with a few roommates of mine for a while."

She nodded before Harmonia sat up, "It's nice to meet you, sir." Her voice was as hushed as ever, "I'm…H-Harmonia."

"Nice to meet you too." Slade shook her hand, before facing forward again. Two or three times he was going to start a conversation, about either LaCroix, or curiosity about Iphigenia's life about a Tremere. Then he remembered the fact that Iphigenia's sisters knew nothing about their hidden life, courtesy of the Masquerade, so he was kept silent.

Halcyon took a sip of her water, dabbing her mouth with a napkin, "These roommates."

"Hmm? Uh…well…we went to school and everything…then we uh…" He was about to say 'got Embraced' but instead he said, "Went to different colleges. I'm at an art school…they went to different schools."

"College…" Halcyon grumbled under her breath before Harmonia sat up with a smile.

"Art school? Are you an artist?" She asked, Slade wondered how Harmonia was even slightly related to either sister. Her eyes were big and blue, her face was sweet and innocent, her skin was pale and her voice was somewhere in the same range as April's. It made him wonder just how devastating the World of Darkness really was, looking at how worn out Iphigenia looked, how nuts Halcyon was, and how untouched Harmonia seemed.

"Yeah." Slade said, "An amateur one, at least."

"I've always wanted to meet an artist…" She said, "What kind of art do you make?"

"I usually do landscapes." He said, "Sometimes I try to reenact battles, but that stuff's usually harder."

"Oh, wow. I'd love to see some of your art."

He smiled, "I'll see if I have time to work on something. I'm pretty swamped as it is now."

"Uh huh, I understand." She looked at Iphigenia, "Maybe with all this money, we'll be able to buy something."

"Let's…not be ambitious…" Iphigenia chuckled softly.

Halcyon was looking closely at her knife, "We just got enough money to turn the lights back on, art and entertainment come later." Iphigenia put her forehead in her hand, beyond embarrassed that Halcyon threw that into the conversation.

"I'm pretty tight on money too, to be honest." Slade said, "These are tough times, we're living in."

"They are." Halcyon said, "I love your velvet, she lets me take any dollar I earn."

"Uh…right…" Slade said, careful about how much information he should reveal, "I can see that."

Iphigenia glanced at the clock, "You should probably be going." She looked up to Slade, "For time's sake."

"You're right." He nodded, assuming she meant the creeping sunrise, "Goodnight Iphigenia. Goodnight Halcyon. Goodnight Harmonia." He said as he stood up.

As the door closed, Iphigenia let the stuffy air of their apartment fill her lungs, "You two should get to bed."

Harmonia nodded and stood up, "I'm going to take a quick shower first." She said, wandering upstairs after no one offered a response.

Halcyon looked up at Iphigenia, "The world, it's a big loop, isn't it?"

"Mmm hmm." Iphigenia picked up the silverware from the table before Halcyon hurt herself, "Just…a big loop…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, at least Slade is making more friends…maybe. Thanks for reading!


	72. Chapter 72

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-two! Almost had all the roommates in this chapter, if Tess wasn't busy getting into Ash's pants somewhere in Hollywood…oh well. Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Years and years I've lived in Hollywood and never once have I been to Chinatown." Dragomir mused as he looked around, "I've never seen the next door neighbors."

Genevieve squeezed Dragomir's hand, "Be careful of the life-eaters."

"Life-eaters?" He asked, "What…what are those?"

"Deadly." She paused in the street and hugged him, "Just stay close to me. I'll protect you."

He chuckled as she held onto him, then he kissed her forehead, "Yes, ma'am." He turned his gaze up, "Well…I don't exactly have any trading lettuce, but I still think a little shopping might be fun." He looked down at her, "Unless you'd rather not."

"We can buy things and then make people laugh."

"That was my plan exactly." He snickered as he laced her fingers in his and tugged her towards a noodle store, then stopped, "Oh. I can't eat. I forgot."

"You can eat me later." She whispered.

He held in a loud laugh, putting a hand over his mouth, "Yes, yes, I will, don't your worry." He pet her hair before he turned, eyeing around. "…the White Cloud…hmm…the closest I'm likely to get to the sky. Let's go."

Genevieve looked quite amused at all the mystical artifacts that seemed to line the walls and shelves, "Such notorious knick-knacks."

"I concur." His eyes darted around to every little object in the store, before they landed on the man behind the counter, "Good evening, good sir."

The elderly man looked just as mysterious as the objects he was selling. The two spooky, heterochromatic eyes certainly weren't helping. He took a puff from an old pipe, "There is something in this store…for everybody…"

Dragomir let a deep laugh rumble from his chest, "Yes…yes there is…this is a wonderful store you've got."

"Everyone gets what they deserve." The old man said.

Genevieve gulped, "Even my insight can't track that meaning."

The old man laughed for a few moments, dishearteningly longer than a normal person should, then when he was finally done, he said, "I'm reminded of a story…a thief named Lin was asked to steal an emerald for the head of his gang. The gem belonged to man in a Hong Kong triad. Most would refuse the danger, but Lin was anxious to do it. And indeed he did."

Dragomir leaned in to the counter, "Ooh, what a dedicated soul." His grin grew, "Ambitious."

"When Lin returned, he did not want to part with the emerald he stole. He felt that the trouble he went through to take it made his ownership legitimate. The man who hired him did not feel the same way, nor did the man he stole it from." He paused, "Do you know what happened to Lin?"

"I don't think Lin lasted very long." Dragomir said, "Going against many sides does not bode well."

"Lin was caught. One man has his gem back, but Lin's employer has nothing. I heard this tale from him when he visited my store. Sadly, I had nothing to sell him."

"Harvest?" Genevieve asked slowly, tilting her head to the side, which, honestly, this remark did nothing but confuse Dragomir.

The old man gave a small smile, "Lin's eyes wanted more than his hands could keep. Ambitious eyes are, sadly, not for sale here at the moment, though I do have a buyer interested. Do you know when the next eye harvest is, by chance?"

Dragomir looked at his imaginary watch, then pointed to the air, "It's tonight, isn't it?"

"Lin's body is being kept in a freezer in the back of a local noodle shop, I hear. There are people who want him…intact. But I think his eyes would fill my shelf nicely…if they were to wander in. Eye Gouge Hell, a fitting punishment for Lin."

Dragomir laughed again, "A punishment fit for a king. That's how I would want to go." He stood up straight, "His eyes, we will get them."

"I knew you would." The old man smiled, taking a puff of his pipe, "What other reason to waste words on the ill-fated?"

"Tell us of your strange story." Genevieve said.

"How rude of me not to introduce myself." He said, "You may call me, Mister Ox. This is my shop…do you find it interesting? There are no two like it on the road to hell…"

"Do you sell boomsticks?"

"I sell things many would find cruel…" He gestured to his wares, what was on sale seemed to be four strange items that seemed both ancient and powerful. And Dragomir had a feeling Victor would be able to rattle off what each of them did in a heartbeat. But they were expensive. At the lowest the prices were a little over five-hundred dollars, "But weapons? No."

Dragomir sighed, "We don't have currency. Not a drop of it between either of us. And a man like you doesn't deserve the sick laughter."

Genevieve swallowed hard, she knew full well that Hysteria wouldn't even _begin_ to affect this man, "Let us rape the eyes from their sockets." She tugged at Dragomir's hand.

Dragomir looked from Genevieve to Mister Ox, then followed after Genevieve, "You know more about him than I do. I recognize that pretty little glimmer in those eyes."

"He…" She made sure they were outside of the store and on the streets again, "He eats the life-eaters, I believe…"

"Ooh. Good for him. Should we bring him some life-eaters? I've brought people to the people-eater, I like her. She's a good little weed. Now I know a Venus-flytrap."

"Hail the coming of the demon emperor."

"Demon emperor?" He looked around, "Where?"

She shook her head, eventually peeking around the corner of a building, "Behind the shop of noodles?"

"Yes, I believe so." He said as his hand slowly slipped from hers as he grabbed the doorknob and snuck inside, "I wish I brought a gun with me." He muttered, adjusting his jacket as he snooped his head around.

Genevieve screamed as gunshots whizzed by their heads. Two gangsters guarded the freezer, armed with pistols. Genevieve held a hand out, and a purple mist surrounded one of them and killed him immediately.

Dragomir scowled as he looked at the bullet that landed in his shoulder, then he lumbered towards the guard, grabbed onto his shoulders and bit into his neck. After the body dropped, he dusted himself off, "What a hassle. Anymore?"

She shook her head, taking their guns for her own, "Ooh…more boomsticks…"

He chuckled, "I'm impressed you're able to carry them all around with you so easily."

She smiled, "A lot of people will die of lead intake, should they face this one."

"Indeed they shall…" He said before he turned to the freezer and opened it up, "Hmm…I smell lovely smells inside." He reached inside and pulled out a body, "One eye each, do you think? Or would you rather take them both?"

Genevieve blinked few times, reaching in and ripping both eyes out of the man's head, then she just stared at them. Dragomir looked at them too, before he put the body back in the freezer and picked up the other gun off the floor, "Would you like me to carry them?"

"Mmm-mmm…" She held them close.

He snickered, "Very well, you hold onto them then. Don't let them slip from your little fingers." He said as he slid the barrel of the pistol in the hem of his pants and opened the door for her.

Mister Ox blew smoke to the side as they entered, "You are always welcome here…"

"Why thank you." Dragomir approached the counter, "The harvest tonight has been successful. Perhaps in part to the harvest moon."

"Hmm…yes…" He said slowly when Genevieve handed him the eyes, "They state ambitiously. Hello, Lin, do you like it there?" He asked the eyes as he put them on a shelf, "These are an excellent addition to my shop. Here, please accept this as fair trade." He handed them each a few large bills.

"Ooh, trading lettuce." Dragomir handed half to Genevieve, "We'll make good use of it." He looked back up at Mister Ox, "We will be back, I feel."

"I eagerly await your return."

* * *

Looking over her shoulder one last time, Velvet turned back to the mini-fridge in her room and took out the bottle of 'wine' inside. The door was closed, and it was just her. The sound of the music in the speakers was the closest she would get to silence for the night, and it served her well as she drank directly from the bottle.

It used to be her favorite month, February. She'd have men lined up at the club, usually single men who could never find a date. She wasn't an attention hog, but it was certainly flattering to see the amount of rose petals she'd find in her room, the anonymous love notes she would find here and there, the boxes of chocolates she would give away to the girls. The month of love.

And there were only four more days until the _day_ of love. The day she had never once find herself alone for, not a single year. Ash chastised her, yes, Ash, for still following the 'human holidays'. He called her desperate and washed out. He told her it was an excuse for attention. Really, he had no room to talk, not when he was getting into car accidents and surviving just about every other week. But, she loved him, she knew he was just as upset with himself as everyone was. She knew there was really nothing he could do to stop her, there was no way he could convince her of anything.

Her mind travelled back to a year ago, who she spent her Valentine's Day night with. She could hardly remember, really, most of them were a blur. It wasn't like she threw herself at the nearest soul she could find, it was just that every year, she seemed to find herself in someone else's arms. Some years it would be the same person, some years it was different, as a few people sprung into her mind.

It wasn't about the sex, either. Honestly, she hardly wanted to have sex with anyone anymore, her mind felt like it had been split up and stomped on by several different people, so she was in no mindset for a night beneath covers. She wanted someone to listen, she wanted someone to care, to hold her, maybe, tell her everything would be okay.

She wanted Slade.

It wasn't his innocence that drew her towards him, or his skill, or his wit. The things girls usually drooled over, they didn't interest her. No, she wanted someone that genuinely cared about her. Constantly, she envisioned a future with him, she could practically feel his hand in hers, hear the care in his voice, see the way his eyes always found hers and the way he listened. She could see their lives merged together, her priorities became his, and his became hers. And yet, she could spend a night in Vesuvius, by herself, and they would be fine. He could spend a night out with his friends, and they would be fine. They wouldn't cheat on each other ever, not when they had everything they needed within one another. He'd treat her with respect, even if she wasn't wearing anything, even if she had just performed the most erotic dance, he'd give a sweet smile and see her as an angel, and treat her that way. And at night, he'd take her in his arms and be so gentle, so romantic.

Maybe she did want sex. But only with him. No one else would treat her the way he would.

It wasn't as if she planned to treat him bad. She would treat him with every sort of kindness she could, helping him with his problems, trying with every bit of herself she could to make his life easier, to make him happier.

It wasn't coddling. She didn't coddle him, not once. She loved him, and he wanted nothing to do with it. She wasn't getting overprotective, she was taking steps too quickly for him, walking down a path with his hand in hers, only he wanted to take a different path.

So she tried to find solace in Archie's blood. Because that did her so much justice when she was alive.

She thought maybe he would distract her. Make her forget about Slade. But Killian's jealousy was overbearing. She could see it in his eyes when she was with him, he knew she was thinking about Slade. And instead of talking about it, instead of caring for her, trying to make her feel better about it, trying to help her move on, he tried to fuck it out of her. Distracting, sure, but distractions are only temporary. Nothing he could do to her would make her forget Slade forever. She needed someone to understand, someone to listen, and Killian's mind was too full of his own life to even try to open up to hers.

And what sort of payback was that? He came crying into her arms, begging for her to listen, so she did. And when she breaks down, (which she was still very ashamed of), he turns away and leaves her. Of course she couldn't forgive him. Because it was something his father would do.

Velvet had loved before. Of course she did, she loved many people. But never once had she loved someone who didn't feel the same, even for a day. Never once had someone had no sort of desire for her, not even in the slightest. And she was certain Slade wasn't gay, either. Not with the way he acted when she gave him a photo of herself.

The longer he left her, the more she wanted him. The more he turned away from her, the more she craved to see him again. And it was her fault, wasn't it? Why his life had come crumbling to dust, why he couldn't enjoy her company. Because she turned him into the same monster she was. She wasn't upset at him for leaving, how could she be? But she was upset at him for getting into her mind. For getting into her head and taking her heart, then running with it. She had men hurt her before, it was how she was sired, even. How she found her life in someone's possession. But Slade? Slade was different. He hurt her in a way she didn't even know was possible.

Her grip around the neck of the bottle tightened as she took another drink from it. She lightly tossed the empty bottle across the floor, then the door opened, and her eyes widened.

"VV!" Slade shouted as the door swung open.

She jolted up from the couch, standing up, "Slade, what's wrong?"

"How come the entire population of Hollywood is telling me that you're nuts now?"

"What?" She asked, her shoulders drooping a bit as she realized they were in no immediate danger, "That I'm nuts?" She repeated, "I…I have no idea, who have you spoken to?"

"One of your dancers. And before that it was Killian."

"…Killian…?" She asked, before she turned away and brushed a lock of her hair away, "I lost my temper with him." Her voice grew softer, "I didn't know he would…take it out on you."

He gave a dry, sour laugh, "Take it out on me?" He shut the door behind him, in preparation for the fact that he may raise his voice or bounce off the walls, "He told me I was ruining your life. That he wanted his girlfriend back and that I needed to come talk to you. I told him I was busy. What, with LaCroix giving me useless bullshit to do, you would think he knows that I can't just do things at a drop of a hat, now can I? But no. This…this just flies right over his head. Once he figured out he couldn't bully me into doing what he wanted, he started vandalizing my apartment. I bet right now he's looking around for Dragomir to kill him, just to ruffle my feathers too. So…yeah…you could say he 'took it out on me'."

She crossed her arms, closing her eyes. There was a pause, Slade was just about to open his mouth to ask if she was even listening when she said, "I've just…caused everything to fall apart, haven't I?" She asked, "All I can do for now is apologize." She faced him again, her eyes welled with tears, he was sure they would drip down her cheeks at any time, "Until I face the sunrise tomorrow. That's what I deserve for all of this. Then you'll finally be alone…Killian can dance on my ashes with his father's ghost, Ash, Isaac…" She sniffed, "You can just tell them that I took your advice." Anger in her voice was, frankly, terrifying. "I'll do what you want, Slade. I'll just get out of your life, get out of everyone's life. Would that make you happy?"

"No. Look. I…" He sighed, "I guess this stuff about my clan I just didn't pick up. No, that's not what I meant. Do you really think when I walked up the stairs to visit you I thought 'oh, gee, I think I'll get VV to kill herself. Sounds like a real barrel of laughs.' Why is that the first gut reaction for you Toreadors here in Hollywood? The second things get rough, you just, want to give up. Ash is like that. I should know. I helped him escape from hunters through the Hollywood sewers. Is this your defense mechanism when people get mad at you? Suicide?"

"I don't give a damn if you're mad at me. I don't care if the entire world is mad at me, they deserve to feel how they would like to. I'm giving up because I made a vow to myself that no one would ever get inside my head." She turned away again, "That no one could ever take control of me, no one could ever use me for anything. It might not have been your intention, but you've found your way into my head. And I can't get you out." She gave a strangled sob before she composed herself again, "If I can't even have my own life in death, then how am I supposed to have any sort of respect for myself? You've taken everything from me, I have nothing left. Absolutely nothing." She faced him again, "And you don't even care."

He took a seat, "And I'm living the good life over here? In my honest opinion, you should have left that demon there to eat me whole."

"I think about it every moment, how much happier you'd be without me in your life. If I didn't turn you into this. I know what guilt is, Slade, in case you felt as though you needed to remind me."

"This is about your…" He paused, "Infatuation…for me…isn't it? That's why Killian threw such a fit the last time he saw me. He was probably jealous. Is that why you're acting like this?"

Her arms fell down by her side, "Yes." She wanted to say more, to add something, to back herself up, but nothing else came out.

"So I basically did ruin your life."

"I think we both put in a fair amount of teamwork in to ruining each other's lives."

"So then what do we do now?" He asked, "Look, VV, I'll say it again. I don't like you that way. I…I'm fine with being friends with you. You are my sire after all. But if I lied and tried to start dating you, you'd be happy for…about a day or two, but then you'd realize my heart wasn't in it, and it'd piss you off even more than we both already are now. Besides, I can't love anyone. Not anymore." He paused bitterly, "I wouldn't even have time for them. What would I do, sandwich a date in between LaCroix suicide missions? Ask LaCroix for a little time off so I can spend it with my hypothetical girlfriend? The Jyhad isn't a period of romance. Well, it could be, but not with the cards I've been dealt." He took a great sigh, "I hate to say all of that so bluntly, but, like I've said before, some of the Toreador genes missed me I guess."

She sniffed, "I've never met anyone like you, Slade." He was expecting another speech about how great he was, how he was the best man VV had ever met, but was rather surprised when he heard her say, "I've never met anyone who…who I've confessed my love to…and who turned me away. Never once…and…it just makes me feel completely heartbroken…of all sixty-two years I've been playing this game, I've never once thought about somebody as much as I have with you. Don't you understand…haven't you ever loved somebody before? Truly loved somebody?" She dabbed a tear away, "Can you understand why I just can't let you go?"

He briefly thought about April, making his shoulders quiver, "Yeah. I know what you're talking about."

She sat down next to him and wiped more tears away, "I don't know why you make me feel like…like a little girl…I've tried my hardest to move on, but nothing works…I can't stop thinking about you…"

"Yeah. Sometimes moving on can be impossible…once you think you've found the right one…"

There was a slight pause before she shook her head, "And you're right. If we tried anything…I would make myself miserable, because I know you don't think of me the same way…"

"Are you and Killian still…?"

"No. The night he…came and vandalized your property…I broke things off with him. He was…an attempt to escape…I thought he'd get my mind off of you but it only made things worse…he never listened to me, not once…"

"We both can't exist at the same time. One day one of us will kill the other."

She sniffed and nodded, "He'll…likely join his sister soon…as much as it pains me to admit it…the two of them were inseparable, he can't function the same without her."

"I…I should go…" He stood up, "I need to get back to Chinatown…gotta help Tess and a couple Nosferatu find their friend."

She looked up at him, her silvery eyes tugged at his heartstrings as they kept watering, "I'll…do everything I can to leave you alone…"

He walked over and hugged her. In her stunned silence, he said, "Next time something like this happens. Next time you feel alone or scared. You need to get me. _You_ do. I mean…well, your dancer was nice to me. What was her name? Halcyon? You can have her be a messenger again, I guess. Just…I don't know…that whole Killian thing was a disaster…"

She held onto him tightly and whimpered, "I always feel scared and alone…I don't feel right away from you…"

"Then I'll come more often…whenever LaCroix isn't bossing me around."

She gently let him go and wiped at one of her eyes, "Please…don't make me another task…I want you to come when you want to…I'll…" She swallowed hard, "I'll be fine."

"You don't look fine. I can manage. It's okay VV."

She gave a short nod and looked away, "I won't hold you any longer…be safe…"

"Take care, VV. You need me, just have Halcyon come get me. We're on a pretty friendly basis."

"Alright…goodbye, Slade…"

* * *

 **A/N:** One of the authors might have forgot to ship VV with someone...oopsies. Arrangements will be made. Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!


	73. Chapter 73

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-three! Return of the Voerman sisters… (rubs hands evilly) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, there's some ruckus in the first scene, if you want to skim over it, you can.

* * *

"Looking for a little doll, hmm? Or maybe it's me you're looking for…oh, I really hope it is…" Killian turned around and saw Jeanette leaning up against the wall, smothering a cigarette into the chipped paint, "Hey there, tiger. What brings you to the club, hmm?"

"You."

" _Me?_ " She put a hand on her chest, "Oh, my dreams have come true…" She stepped forward slowly, her movements were exact and icy, it almost looked like half her pretty face was taken up by shadows, "When I was little…Therese told me not to pick up broken glass…to just leave it on the floor, let it be, brush it aside…it could hurt me…" She left very little space between them, "But I always played with the glass…because I just…love…broken little things…and my fingertips would bleed…and bleed…"

"Broken glass, huh?" He asked as he took one of her wrists that was trailing up his collar, "Why was there so much broken glass around?" His grip was a bit too tight, she couldn't move her fingers anymore.

"Because Therese never liked mirrors. She'd break them all. All of the mirrors." Her eyes narrowed, "You mind letting go…?"

"Let's go upstairs."

"Okay…" She moved her hand away swiftly as he released his grip and sauntered over to the elevator. Once they got inside, Killian's eyes stayed on the floor. She twirled one of her pigtails, "I'm not the answer, you know…"

"What?" He didn't look away from the floor, "What the hell are you going on about."

"I can give you funny feelings all night, sweetheart, but at the end of the day, what can you say that did? What does that accomplish?"

He looked over at her, "Just stop running your mouth." The doors slid open and he pushed past her and entered her room.

She pouted, "That isn't very nice. I can talk all I want, you know."

"Whatever, I didn't come here to talk." He said as he walked over to her and grabbed her hips, slamming her up against the wall and kissing her demandingly. She complied, with just a touch of hesitance, wrapping her legs around his waist and gripping onto his shoulders.

She put a hand on his face, "Oh, can we just talk a bit longer, hmm? Or at least give me _some_ sort of foreplay, wolfy…"

"Yeah, I'll give you foreplay…" He grunted as he let go of her, she hardly landed on her feet. He threw his belt across the room and pulled his pants and underwear down around his knees, grabbing her shoulders and whirling her around so she was facing the wall. He squashed her up against the stained wall, hiking her skirt up around her waist and pulling her thong down. He activated blood buff and slid his length between her cheeks.

She winced and held the wall, turning her face to the side so her nose wouldn't get smashed. She bit her lip and looked over at him as he squeezed her hips with a bit too much force, "If you're gonna fuck me like Daddy, at least wear his necktie…"

Killian froze like a statue. And then he let go of her, he let her land on her feet, let her skirt fall back into its place. His throat bobbed, then he quickly pulled his pants and underwear up, turning away from her, walking towards the door.

She dusted off her shoulders, a smirk on her lips, "That's it, huh?" She walked over to the bed where his belt landed, "At least I should thank you for the souvenir." She picked it up and ran her fingers along the stitching in the leather.

He bit his lip, trying to use the pain to send the tears in his eyes away, "I'm sorry…" He choked out.

"Oh, don't apologize to me." She sat on the edge of the bed, "Just do me a favor. Don't treat other girls like that. You might just end up in handcuffs. And no, not the kind I have under my bed."

He grabbed the doorknob, but couldn't make it turn, "I…I didn't mean to take it out on you like that…make you think about your dad…" He said, trying his best to keep his voice from cracking.

She slid the belt through her fingers nimbly as she tried to cross her legs with no avail. She looked down and saw her little red thong tied up around her boots, so she quickly pulled it off and threw it across the room, crossing her legs and looking up at him, "I loved Daddy. I'm not upset with you."

"Fuck…" He held his forehead, "But you should be…" His forehead hit the door, "I need help."

"With what?" She tried to wrap the belt in a small coil, playing with it in a way a distracted child would.

"With everything!" He exclaimed, "I lost my sister and…and I just dumped all my friends!" He exclaimed, "I ditched Anastasia, I treated VV like shit, I severed any sort of bond with that little Toreador kid, for god's sake I tried to kill the bastard!" He said, "I tried to kill Skelter, I was a dick to Damsel…I made Anastasia cry…" He wiped a few tears away, "Your sister wants me dead, I haven't seen Isaac in months…god, I just want to…to get thrown into one of those can-fires…that's what everyone would want, isn't it?"

She looked up, "Am I your last hope?"

"No…" He sniffed, "Cause…" He trailed off, "Cause I don't give a damn about you. I don't give a damn about anyone…" He sniffed again, "I cut myself off from everyone except from her…and now that she's gone…fuck, I'm just useless! What the hell's the point of a big brother without a little sibling? What do I do now?"

"…I…I dunno." She looked up at him again, "Pet rock?"

He wiped a hand over his face and turned away, "I trusted her with everything…and she kicks me out…I'm fucking banned, Jeanette, I can't get back into Vesuvius."

"Hmm?" She tilted her head to the side, "I'm not following. Not like I was…" She sighed, "I just…don't think I'm a very good therapist."

"Who else am I going to talk to?" He boomed, "I have no one!"

She crossed her arms, "There's no need to yell at me. You have friends, right? You know, there's a little girl with black hair, a little white highlight in it. Oh, and a little flower in her hair too. I think she'd listen."

He shook his head, "She'll…she'll never forgive me…"

"Anastasia? She'll forgive you."

He looked back over towards Jeanette, then sniffed, "And how do I talk to her without her running away?"

She offered a shrug, "Maybe pin her to the wall, pull her skirt up, fuck her in the ass. That seems to be a good way to get a girl's attention."

His shoulders drooped, he held a hand out, "Can I have my belt?"

She stood up and put his belt around his neck, walking around him so she was behind him, she would have been choking him with it, "I like you, Killian. I do. I've always liked broken glass. But you know, they say beach glass is even prettier."

He grabbed the belt, "Uh huh…yeah…"

"You take care out there. And if you come back all smoothed out and pretty…well…I'll be just as happy to see you."

"Yeah…" He tore away from her, "Night Jeanette…" He opened the door and left.

Jeanette took a step back and sighed, then approached the vanity and grabbed her phone, flipping it open and calling Anastasia, "Honeysuckle? You busy?"

* * *

"I need you to take a deep breath, and hold it."

The air that filled her lungs felt cold, the cord that squeezed her waist tight felt even colder. "Okay, good, you can let go now."

Harper let her air out, hardly. Why a corset was selected for her, she didn't know. And she didn't necessarily approve of it either. She could really only take in about half as much air as she could before. But, the tailor behind her seemed pleased, "Yes, that looks lovely. What do you think?"

Surely enough, the beautiful gown reached the floor, made up of satin and lace, the dress was probably the most expensive thing she wore. Either that, or the diamond necklace around her neck. She reached up and gently touched her hair, her curls gone, cut off. She didn't remember getting a pixie-cut, but she supposed it didn't look terrible. But had her neck always been so exposed?

The tailor handed her a pair of opera gloves, "See if these fit."

She gently slid them on, the hue of blue perfectly matched her dress. She was silent, giving a nod.

"Excellent. Well…the chauffer is waiting."

Harper nodded and turned away from the full length mirror. Her neck felt cold, her upper arms, her legs. She missed her usual outfit, her old haircut. She felt so exposed.

As she stepped into the limousine, she sat down and looked into the window, seeing the streets of New York lit up nicely with street lights. Sometimes the city managed to pull itself together in funny ways.

The leather seats squeaked, she turned next to her to see the Prince, the suit he was in looked a few hundred dollars more expensive, maybe a nicer tie? She couldn't really tell, but everything was black. His shoes looked like they were freshly taken out of the box. God, she hated parties.

"You look ravishing." He said, reaching over and taking her gloved hand, planting a kiss on the back of it. Something about that seemed natural. She wanted to be unsettled, but her mind decided that she would take the compliment, "I knew I shouldn't have been wary of having you at my side for this evening's event."

She remained silent. She wanted to say something, but her mouth didn't open. Instead she nodded and squeezed his hand in hers.

"I must say, I like what they've done with your hair." He scooted a bit closer to her, close enough to where she should have caught his scent, but picked up absolutely nothing. "Hold still so I can have a good look at it."

She remained still, even when he leaned in and bit into her neck. She didn't feel anything, but she knew he was there. And when he pulled away and sat back in his seat, it was silent between both of them. Like nothing had happened.

The car door opened, and she stepped out onto a red carpet. A red carpet? Her heels made a soft sound as they landed there, then she suddenly felt someone hook her arm around theirs, and looked up to see the Prince to her left. He smiled at her before the pair walked down the carpet.

The venue was massive, a castle, practically. Where were they? She couldn't remember. The hedges to the left and right were tall enough to block any onlookers, not that there were any. It was completely silent. Not the sound of traffic, or birds, or even bugs in the air. Just silence. They entered the castle, greeted with an extensive dining hall. She looked around, her blue eyes wide as she observed the hundreds of people inside, the string ensemble to the side, the tables set with reservations and glasses of blood-wine. No food for ghouls like her. Likely because she was the only one there.

LaCroix's arm slipped from hers, "Appears we're a bit later than I've anticipated." He turned to her, his eyes a bit warmer than usual, his skin less dead-looking. Why did she expect him to look so stressed? They were in New York, celebrating how much success he was having, of course he was going to be full of life. She wondered why the image of him glaring her down, scowling at her, pacing around and snapping at her like a terrier of sorts even crossed her mind at all.

They had planned to get engaged, after all.

She turned to find LaCroix, only to see he had disappeared. She stood alone in a crowd of vampires, occasionally they turned to her, their predatory eyes narrowed in on her like she was a mouse to a cat.

She felt someone tap her shoulder from behind and turned around to see the Tremere Primogen. He was dressed in all shades of blue, even his glasses. He raised a gloved hand to his mouth as he looked down at her, like he was considering what to say, before he moved it away and spoke. Her eyes met his, but something about those fangs poking from his lips, it unsettled her. It looked so natural on the Prince, but why not on him? "I find it…amusing, that we're gathered here tonight. That he's brought you, as well."

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He offered a small chuckle, "Such parties never last." He walked off, towards the entrance, most likely to leave.

Her mind rattled with questions. Why wouldn't it last? The party seemed grand, everyone seemed calm. Why was he so intent on leaving? Surely no one was going to crash the party, there had to be guards, officials posted everywhere to keep the Prince safe.

"Harper? Are you alright?" She turned around and saw LaCroix standing there, looking rather concerned, "I wish you wouldn't look so hopeless, you're casting quite the impression to my associates of our relationship."

She swallowed hard, instantly feeling guilty. She couldn't make him look bad. How selfish of her. Her blue eyes met his again as he waved a hand in the air, "Anyhow, I'd like to introduce you to Miss Frost."

Harper looked up to see the woman LaCroix had brought over, those clairvoyant eyes, the long, dark, silk-like hair, the kimono that fit just right. "Pleasure to meet you." She reached out and shook Harper's hand. Harper was speechless as she shook the girl's hand, wondering how this woman even got into the Camarilla looking the way she did.

Miss Frost giggled a bit, then leaned in and spoke quietly to LaCroix. Not quiet enough for Harper to mishear, "She's a timid one, isn't she, Sebastian?"

LaCroix chuckled as he brought a glass of blood to his lips and took a sip, before giving it to her to drink, which she did, "Of course she is. She just a…a…what did you call it, blood doll?"

Miss Frost's smile grew, "That's why I'm here for you. I'll take care of every other need you have…" She brushed her shoulder up against his.

He smiled as he took the glass of blood and set it down on a nearby table. Were they completely unaware that Harper was there? "Of course you will." He leaned in and whispered something in Miss Frost's ear, something that made her close her eyes, then lean in to kiss him.

Harper's voice finally broke free, "No! He's mine!" She gasped out as she shot up in her bed.

There was silence. No chattering from Kindred parties all over, no string ensemble, no heels clacking on the marble floors. Just the clock in the corner, silently ticking away each second of her unending life.

It was a dream. One that, likely caused her to shout herself awake. She laid down again and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. A blood dream, she called it. When her blood bond would randomly seem to flare up in her sleep. It made her feel like some sort of animal.

She held her stomach as she thought back on what happened in the dream. It disgusted her, she was just a thing for him, property, a doll. For him to get blood. Was that really what she was? Was that what they were going to be? Was that dream supposed to take place in the past, or the future?

Either way, it made her sick to her stomach. The thought of him at her neck, the thought of him kissing her hand, hooking their arms together, attending parties together. It was too much. She reached over and grabbed the wastebasket next to the bed, throwing up into it.

She gave a soft whimper as she pushed herself back into her bed, pulling the sheets up over her head as she closed her eyes. Just as she started drifting off, she felt a muscular arm around her waist. She wanted to peek an eye open, but she just couldn't, "…Dalton…?" She whimpered.

She felt him lean in and kiss her cheek, smelled his cologne, "Get some sleep, babe. I'll get up and make you pancakes tomorrow morning, sound good?"

"Okay…" She relaxed as she felt him squeeze her up next to him tighter, "Goodnight…"

"Night, babe." He kissed the back of her neck.

She reached down to hold the hands that were wrapped around her waist, but there was nothing there.

* * *

"Isn't he going to overheat?" April put her teacup down as the front door opened.

"That's why I take him out at night, dear." Her sister took her purse off and slung it over the back of the chair April was sitting in. "Angel, come here."

The pure white Afghan hound turned its head, its pointed snout looked up to its master as it walked towards her and sat before her feet, wagging its curled tail. She bent over and unclipped its lead, "I taught him to come." She said, then she hummed as she smiled, "If only it was that easy for us, hmm?"

April swirled her tea around and took another sip, "It's only been three years."

"Oh, don't be that way." May said as Angel trotted off towards the window and flopped, panting his heart out, "He's just a little stubborn. Enough chicken and he'll do anything." She sat across from her sister, sweeping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. But May's most notable feature was her eyes. They were narrow, a deep blue color, they made her look like she was scheming, plotting, up to some sort of mischief, "How have you been, dear?" Her smirk certainly didn't help.

"Fine." April pushed her half empty teacup aside, the brew had gone cold, "You make me nervous when you go out at night."

"As long as Angel's with me, it's not a problem." May sat back, "Did you get the mail?"

"Angel isn't a guard dog."

"Have you seen how Angel acts around Marcel?" May raised a brow, "I can't even let him in the house."

"A dog isn't going to do you any good." April said, "They can shoot it just as easily as they can shoot you. Killing a dog won't put them in jail either."

May's smile faded, "What's on your mind, April, honey? Hmm? Why are you upset?"

She looked out the sliding door the dog was laying up against, "I hate it here."

"You want to move again?" May asked, "Do I look like I'm made of money?" A short pause, then she sat back, "Yes, you can say yes. I was dumb enough to ask."

"I know we don't have the money…" April said, "I just wish we could…live in our car, for all I care…I can't take it here…"

"I think Tuscan is nice. Have you been to the nightclub? It's where I met Marcel, the guys there are adorable, dear."

April stood up, "I'm going to make dinner."

"Dinner?" May looked up, then eyed the clock on the wall, "At twelve thirty? You'll kill me."

"Aren't you hungry? You just got home from work, I figured…" She trailed off.

May stood up, "No, no, I had a wrap today, that totaled me in. Maybe some celery, do we have any in there?" She peered over April's shoulder into the fridge, being a bit thinner and taller than her, with a flawless hourglass figure that wasn't at all hidden by the white cocktail dress she was in.

"Celery?" April rubbed at her eye with the knuckle of her index finger, "That isn't going to fill you up."

"Exactly." She reached in over her sister's shoulder and grabbed the bag, bringing it over to the sink and pulling the stalks apart, "So you want to move again. Typical."

"May, it isn't like that—"

"I don't know what else you want me to do, dear. More antidepressants? Then you'll just sleep day and night. I don't think I'd like to watch my sister turn into a feline." She faced April, "You're not leaving me with many options."

"Your phone is ringing." April said softly as she closed the fridge.

"Hmm? Is it?" May approached her purse and reached inside, taking out her cellphone and flipping it open, "Mister Wells." She strode over to a chair with porcelain-like legs and sat down, "I can."

Angel sat up and gave a sharp bark. April walked over and slid the door open, keeping an eye on him as he went out in the yard to do his business. She listened to her sister's conversation, meanwhile, "Let's see, I had a wrap, romaine, tomato, turkey. I had some celery just a few moments ago, and I ran another mile after I left." A pause while May looked at her white painted nails, "Less running? Of course, sir." She laughed softly, "Yes, yes, we wouldn't want that. So, tomorrow night? When?" May stood up and grabbed a pen from the counter, scribbling down something on a sticky note. "I'll be there. Good night, sir." She hung up her phone, "Did you get the mail, April?"

"I already said I didn't." She said as Angel trotted back inside and went into the living room. She shut the sliding door, "What does he want?"

"Who, Damian?" She asked, "Well, he's worried about my age. Says I need to eat less, cut carbohydrates out, which…I suppose should be alright. And I need to run less, or I'll lose the goods." She put her phone down on the counter, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Your age?" April asked, "You're…you're in your twenties…aren't you?"

"The thirties are a terrible place. Go on and tell me of one model in her thirties." When April didn't say anything, May crossed her legs, "I lose my modelling career, I lose my money. And we lose the house."

April crossed her arms. Losing the house didn't sound all that bad, "I don't want you to get sick like last time."

"Oh please, that wasn't a sickness. Just a phase."

April sighed, "Fine, whatever." She stood up, "I'll…go to bed."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Night May." April walked into her bedroom, seeing Angel on the bed. He growled low in his throat as April approached the bed. She sighed, "I need to sleep, Angel."

Angel lifted his head up and bared his teeth at her, growling louder.

"You're just like May…"

He put his head down and kept growling.

She moved the covers aside, leaving half the bed to Angel and half to herself. He stopped growling and just let out an irritated sigh. Then he got up and trotted off into May's room. April flopped down on the bed, kicking her slippers off as she closed her eyes and listened to the wind blow through the trees outside their house. Then she heard May start talking, she must have been on the phone.

"Marcel, dear, it's late, don't you think?" She said, her voice took on a different inflection when she spoke to him, something deeper sounding, yet with a tinge of femininity. She chuckled, "Ooh, alright, then talk. I can listen to you talk all night long. Yes, yes, she's asleep." She said, then she laughed, "Oh, you should come over…please…I could use some attention…" A pause, "Oh, please? It isn't that late…just for an hour or so. Marcel… _please_ …Yes, yes, I'll come over." She heard May pick up her keys, "I'll be right over, dear, alright? See you." She heard the front door close, then the engine of May's car revving up before she pulled out of the driveway and left. Angel barked four times and then fell asleep, wherever he was.

April closed her eyes again. In seven more years, would she be where her sister was in life? Would she spending her nights with a man who gave her attention, just because her biological clock was ticking away? She knew May didn't really love Marcel. She cared about him, sure, about as much as she cared about anyone else. Maybe a bit more. And she knew Marcel didn't care for her either. Was this the only real type of love out there? Was love even real?

She rolled over in her bed. Perhaps it was all just a ruse conjured up for children, for them to have an easier time growing up. For girls to hear about being princes, being damsels in distress, being rescued by The One. Maybe May wasn't dumb for settling. Maybe she was a genius. Maybe she knew how this whole system worked better than anyone else.

May wasn't taking any medications, and her life was terrible. She never slept or ate, didn't drink, or do drugs, or go sleep with every man on the planet. She never cried. She just went on, went along, let things happen and laughed. Why couldn't April be the same?'

It wasn't like this in high school. Not with Tess, Dragomir and Slade. And it certainly wasn't like this when she danced in Slade's arms. And then her father died, and May told April they were moving back to Arizona. Why did she go with May? Why didn't she live with them?

And the worst part was, she knew they were there. In Hollywood, when May took her there as company so she could sign another modeling contract of some sort. She ran into Slade in the streets, she knew it was him, and yet, he pretended he wasn't.

They never liked her, did they? She knew she was an obligation. Or else, why would she be here, alone?

April sniffed and squeezed the blankets tightly. The One was never going to come. She should just follow her sister's footsteps and settle. Follow her mother's footsteps, too. It was all black and white, she was the one making the waters so muddy. She needed to grow up.

* * *

"Dammit." Damsel's little voice hissed with irritation. She was sitting on one of the tables, Anastasia leaning against the doorway where Damsel normally stood. Damsel had a screwdriver in hand, one of her feet in the other, and was picking out the crusted mud caked into her shoes. It seemed she was having a bit of trouble with some of it. "This is why I don't do jobs in Santa Monica. It's always fucking raining. Every damn time."

Anastasia was distanced from the conversation as her cell phone rang. She picked it up and heard Jeanette's voice, "Honeysuckle? You busy?"

"Jeanette?" Anastasia asked, "What's up?"

"I'd love for this to be a booty-call as much as the next girl, but it's not. Unless you want it to be."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Killian. He came in and…" Her voice stopped, then got muffled, "Therese, I'm on the phone."

Anastasia heard her sister over the other line, "Killian didn't come here, did he?" She heard the door shut.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh god, what did you two do? I don't even want to think about it, get out of this room!"

"We didn't do anything!" Jeanette spat, "Would you listen? Just relax. It's fine." There was a pause, "I'm on the phone, I'll talk to you when I'm done, kay?"

"You better not fool around, my time is limited."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Jeanette's muffled voice came back, "Sorry, cupcake. So Killian came in, kinda went a little koo-koo, tried to fuck me in the ass, cried like a little baby and left. I sent him to you."

"Wait…to me…why?" She gasped.

"Uh…I dunno." She said, sounding rather clueless, "He mentioned you a few times. I think he likes you. And you make me really happy, so…I mean…why not? I just…thought I'd call so if he comes up to you and tries to pull your dress off, maybe just shoot him in the skull a few times. You can ask Therese, that worked on Daddy."

"Give me the phone!" She heard, muffled over the line.

"No, wait, I'm not done!"

"Yes you are!"

"Therese, get off of me!"

"Give it to me!"

"No, it's mine! Just wait outside, you crazy bitch, before you break something! Go."

She heard Therese give an irritated sigh, "You have three minutes." The door slammed.

Jeanette's voice cleared up again, "Sorry cupcake. You say something?"

"No…" She sighed, "I think I'm just going to hang up."

"Oh…alright…uh…well, you can call back if you get lonely…or need anyone to talk to. I'm here all night, kay?"

"Uh-huh…sure, bye." She hung up.

* * *

 **A/N:** Everyone's patience can wear away thin…that's the theory Cadmus has been using, at least. Thanks for reading!


	74. Chapter 74

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-four! Caesar's plot begins to unfold a bit more! Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Cadmus looked up at the chancy weather, seeing black and gray storm clouds above his head and he surveyed the top of the hill with his ghoul, "I don't like this…"

"I don't either." She said, "I never liked lightning, it's too loud and flashy."

"Damn it…we're nowhere near the city…getting back to Venture Tower won't be easy…not without a cab. Shit, I wasted both our times, thinking Sabbat would be out here…let's see if we hustle back to the roads."

"This is driving me crazy, you know."

"Hmm?"

"Are we just going to pretend that conversation didn't happen?"

He paused, "You mean…back in my room…?"

"No, I mean in our hot air balloon." She said, "Yes, I mean in your room."

He put his hands in his pockets, "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Something. Anything! I don't care." She laughed, "I just want to hear something."

"I…I don't know what to say…" He said, "I…I don't know…what happened to Elspeth…still hurts…"

"Right…so you still love Elspeth. That's okay. I'm not upset."

"That wasn't the case the other night."

"Well…the other night was different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know, it just was." She said, "I'm not mad at you for something like that, something you have no control over. I get it."

"Angelique…I…I'm sorry…" He said quietly, then he started going ahead into the night so they could get home. His progress was impeded however when a dark shadow twitched around the ground and eventually turned into a person.

"Cadmus." Caesar said as formed, "I don't think I should waste my precious time fighting a little runt like yourself, I have much more important business to be attending. Nevertheless, this won't take long, I'm sure I'll be able to kill you both and return to my duties as if nothing has happened."

Cadmus pulled his axe out, "Stay behind me." He looked at Angelique, then back at Caesar, "Don't act like you're so surprised to see me, I bet you're stalking me or something."

The sound of strained children screaming was heard, as Caesar's shadowy armor coated his body, "Is that not the pot calling the kettle black? I know you've been tracking me down for what I've done to your wife."

Cadmus heard the heavy sound of a gun reloading behind him, seeing Angelique aiming a sniper at Caesar's chest out of his peripherals.

Next Caesar's arms lit up with lightning. Cadmus immediately recognized the discipline as Potence. "Though I do must emphasize that I'll only torture you _quickly_ , as I'm a very busy man, the Camarilla is ripe for the taking, and Sabbat readily moves to snatch its prey." He said as he lunged at Cadmus.

"Over my dead body." Cadmus growled as a green glow went around him, "Die!" He roared, slamming his axe into Caesar's body. Instead of blood or flesh being splayed about, only shadow was slashed. Cadmus's righteous expression turned to one of fear, as the same unfortunate fate that had befallen him before was to happen yet again. Caesar, meanwhile, was perfectly content with letting his tentacles beat Cadmus around.

Angelique kept her distance, then fired her sniper right for Caesar's face. Shadow particles flung around everywhere, and Caesar gave a light hiss, "Who is this?"

Cadmus's eyes widened in fear, he ran at Caesar again to protect Angelique, but Caesar drew a thin sword, with the power of Potence behind him, he slashed through Cadmus. Cadmus grunted and clashed back with him, but only one of them was taking damage. Angelique got behind Caesar and fired at his back, reloading quickly and firing again. Caesar looked back, "Enough of this…" He scampered over to Angelique.

"Angelique, no!" Cadmus held a hand out.

Caesar reared back and slashed through her with his sword. Angelique held her sniper out like a shield, but it hardly provided any sort of protection. She rolled in the dirt and held the large gash in her chest, but looked up at him with intense green eyes, clearly she was still kicking. She took out a pair of knives from her boots and scrambled forward to slash at the backs of his knees.

Caesar paused, only to listen and smell his surroundings, "Is this a _mortal_ you have fighting me, Cadmus?" He raised up a hand, a blue glow coming from it.

"No, that's Dominate!" Cadmus ran over and tackled him into the dirt, tearing up as each of them tried to wrestle for control, "Stay away from her!"

"You don't get it, do you boy?" Caesar snapped, as shadowy tentacles rose from the ground and wrapped Cadmus, suspending him in one place, "I don't have time for these games." He said as he tore through more of Cadmus's flesh with his Potence-infused blade, Cadmus growled in pain. His Fortitude was impressive, no doubt, which made it that much more concerning that Caesar was able to cut through him like butter, "I'll kill you both and then just be on my way. You're not powerful enough to kill me. No one is." He said, "Every time you fight me, you just embarrass yourself, have you forgotten that?"

"Angelique…" Cadmus choked through tears, "Run away…"

Angelique stumbled to her feet, adrenaline mixed with Cadmus's blood pumping through her veins, she could only hear the roaring of her beating heart in her ears. She kicked aside half of the sniper that he had sliced in half and looked at Cadmus, taking a few steps back and opening up her cell phone. She quickly dialed a number, "Miranda. I need you up here, Elysian Park. Sabbat issues, bring backup if you can." She hung up before Miranda could ask any questions.

Once Cadmus was beaten to a pulp, Caesar freed him from the tentacles, "And now it's your turn, little girl…" He snickered as he faced Angelique.

She stumbled backwards, then turned around and ran as fast as she could, which was slightly easier without her sniper weighing her down.

She heard a struggle behind her. Whatever was happening, Cadmus must've woken up and he was clashing with Caesar again. She then heard the combat abruptly stop, only for her to be scooped up by Cadmus. He was covered in blood and injuries, dead static still flinging out of him on occasion, "His clan better not have Celerity, or we're screwed…"

She swallowed hard and peeked over his shoulder, serving as his rear-view mirror, essentially, "No, I think we're good…just…" She closed her eyes, "Keep running."

"This isn't over, you little rodent!" Caesar snapped, "More of my clan will arrive here in the city! And soon they'll be more Sabbat than you and your foolish Camarilla will know what to deal with! We will win this war! Mark my words!"

"Shit…there's _more_ of him…?" Cadmus panted. He kept running with Angelique in his arms. One of his eyes eventually shut, and he tripped more than a few times. He only stopped running when he was both sure Caesar had stopped chasing him, and when they were in the alleyways of downtown. Cadmus gently set Angelique down, taking one of his knives out and slitting his wrist, "Drink…" He held his shaking arm out.

"W-What?" She asked, "No, no, I'm fine." She put her hand over his wrist and squeezed so it'd stop bleeding. She pulled her hair out of the way from her neck, " _You_ need to drink from _me_."

He shook his head, "You're injured…just…just do it…that…that scar…where he got you…looks painful…"

"You look like you're going to _die_. I've had worse. Just do it."

"I'll just…grab someone…from the alley…" He coughed, "I'm not feeding from you when you're already bleeding…"

She sighed and moved her hand away, then gently drank from his wrist. She stopped as her torso started to heal, then she looked up at him, "Now drink from me, I'm all healed."

He shook his head, "I can't…I can't drink from you…I'll…I'll be right back…" He left for a few seconds, presumably he was feeding on someone, then he came back, "Alright…I'm…I'm better…" He said, then his eyes widened and he started to throw up to the side. Blood went everywhere as he fell to his knees and leaned most of his weight on a dirty trash can. "Damn it…" He teared up when he finished, "Damn Ventrue picky taste…why…why am I a Ventrue? Why am I a vampire?" He shook, "Caesar should've just killed me when he had the chance…I'll never be able to defeat him…" He said, throwing up a bit more.

Angelique wrapped her tiny arms around his waist and tried to pull him up, "Get up. Let's go back to your room. I'll get you some blood."

"I…I'm sorry…" He said as he stood up and leaned on her, looking even more pathetic since he threw up the last of his blood pool.

"It's okay." She brushed some of his dark hair out of his face and held onto him tightly as she helped him to Venture Tower, "Just hang in there for me."

Chunk looked up from the whopper he was eating, "Whoa there…Cadmus…you okay…did some criminal rough you up out there? Tell Uncle Chunk which way he went! I'll put the perp behind bars for ya!"

"It's fine…I got mugged…" Cadmus lied quietly, "We handled it…"

"Could you just buzz us up?" Angelique asked, "We have a first-aid upstairs."

"Uh, sure." Chunk said, "I'll open her up for ya."

"Thanks." She said as she continued to tug Cadmus along, into the elevator.

Cadmus stared at her in the elevator, with his one good eye, not sure what to say. Occasionally he would look away, out of embarrassment, but his eye would always return to her.

"You're an idiot." She muttered to him before she took her phone out and called Miranda off.

Angelique was one of a kind for him, at least, to an extent. She was unique in the fact that he couldn't really place whether she was more civil or brutish, and that she liked to do quite a bit of 'independent' work that slightly unnerved him. But there was something about her that really stuck out as familiar, like the way she'd call him an idiot, the way she'd snarl at him or get a bit snippy. And yet at the same time, she'd be warm and inviting, like when he was injured or when he had problems with Anastasia.

She put her phone away, "Miranda might be over soon. Or not, I don't know. I think I made her worry about you a lot."

"How am I an idiot?" Cadmus asked as they stumbled into his room, "Let's hear your thesis on that one." He said as he fell into a nearby chair.

"I don't know, you just are." She said as she shut the door and opened the fridge, taking out a few bags of blood, "That Vandal asshole charges a fortune for this stuff." She laid them out on the table for him, "Drink."

"That leaves a question as to who's the _real_ idiot. The idiot, or the person who likes the idiot."

"What did I say?" She said, crossing her arms and looking from the bags of blood to him.

Cadmus laughed, eventually picking up one of the packs and drinking it. His wounds began to heal up, "I know Vandal charges a fortune for it. That's why I just Dominate them away from him anyway. Knowing him, it's probably karma at work."

"Probably." She grumbled, "And I just love how all the profits go to Voerman. Like she needs a bigger head."

"Eh, I always thought she had enough problems…what, with her crazy sister and everything." He said, "On the other hand, we wouldn't have met if she wasn't a giant bitch to you, so I'll take it."

She sighed and sat across from him, "So next time we go Sabbat hunting…we'll have to be a little more careful…"

"Oh come on, it had nothing to do with us being careful. I didn't know Caesar was hunting _me_. I thought if anything, it was the other way around."

"What clan is he?"

"I wish I freaking knew." He said as he drank another bag, "Apparently it's the _God_ Clan, because no one can do shit to him once he uses the Obtenebration thing or whatever."

"I'll look into it." She said firmly, "That'll be tomorrow's job."

He looked surprised at how dedicated she was to this cause, "Thanks."

"Uh huh."

He drummed his fingers on the table, "So…uh…"

She raised a brow, "What?"

"You…you asked if…if we were ever going to talk about…the other night again…so…so I think…I think that…"

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. I get it, you lost Elspeth, I don't expect you to just get over her. It's fine."

"It's more than that." He frowned, "When we first met. We hated each other. We hated each other a great deal. We wanted to kill each other. Then you became my ghoul and…we still sort of hate each other…but slightly less. We _deal_ with each other, you could say. And then all of a sudden, you tell me you like me. How's that supposed to make me feel? You hated me, and now you like me. Even though you insist it isn't the blood bond, it still makes me feel…weird. Like I cheated or something. I don't want to have something I cheated to get."

"Well, I was trying to break our blood bond to see if it'd do something, but you insisted I drink from you in that dirty alleyway." She crossed her tiny legs, "I'm trying to cut the blood bond off to answer your question. To see if it's just the blood bond."

"…jeez…make it sound like the worst thing in the world. I didn't want you to…you know… _die_ …wounds like that are pretty serious to humans. I…I couldn't lose you…"

"I would have been fine." She grumbled.

"So what? My…my point is…that…that…" He stopped out of embarrassment, if he could blush, he would be as red as a tomato, "Point is, I…I sort of like you back now…we…we've been working together for a while, and…and I think I like you back…" He said, his sentence getting quicker and quicker as he said it, "So…so what do we do now?"

She waited a bit, then sat back, "Like I have any clue?"

"What? That's it?" He looked away, "I can't believe I just said all that…"

"Well, you're the one who was married. I feel like you'd know what to do more than I would."

He took a slow sigh, "I was…but…that was back when I was a human…I…I guess you still are human…that's good…it'd be different if we were both vampires…they wouldn't be much for us to do. Even as a ghoul and a vampire, there isn't much to do…"

She looked out the window, "I'm still going to wait. I'll just wait until you're sure. Because I don't want you to miss Elspeth and give me the cold shoulder or anything."

"She's dead, Angelique." He said, "Or…god, I _hope_ she's dead. I never thought I'd say this, but I hope she's dead. That would be better than her being a monster…I…I need to stop letting her impact what I'm doing in the now."

She crossed her arms, "Then call me Fleance. It's my name, after all. I know it's a boy's name…I mean…if you don't want to, you could call me Angelique…I dunno…"

"Alright. Both your names are pretty, so, I'll just switch between them. Though I doubt you want to blurt Fleance in public or anything like that."

She giggled a bit, "Yeah, that would be…beyond embarrassing." She said, then she stood up and sighed, "So you like me back. Yeah, that's gonna take a lot of getting used to."

"Why?"

"I don't know…I've never had someone _care_ about me. Well, besides Steadman, but then he dropped off the face of the planet."

"Were you two…together?"

She chuckled softly, "That man couldn't fall in love with the prettiest woman on the planet." She shook her head, "He was like my dad. And then he told me all about the Sabbat…how great they were, how they took what they wanted and stuck it to the man…yeah, that turned out great." She brooded, "God, I hate the Sabbat."

"So it's possible that he's out there somewhere, still with the Sabbat."

"Uh…" She chuckled softly, "The Sabbat? Their average life expectancy is a few months."

"I guess that's right…unless you're a Tzimisce…or whatever the hell Caesar is…"

She glanced out the window again, "So…uh…did you…um…" She looked back at him, "Want to…hug or something?"

He stood up and hugged her from behind, "I…I'm sorry…I'm so…weird about this…I just…I don't know…feel things for you. Like in the way you feel things for me. Except mine was like, delayed or something, I guess."

Her cheeks flushed a bit as he hugged her, then she reached down and held his hands around her waist, he felt like a giant with her tiny hands around his. She looked down at his hands, "You're so cold…it's so weird that…you're a corpse but…you're alive…that's…that's gonna be weird. But I like weird."

"I know. I hate being dead. After this mess with Caesar, I'll have to kill my sire too…"

"I'll help."

He smiled, "I'd appreciate it."

* * *

"I have another task, if it piques your…curiosity." Mister Ox said as his two Malkavian customers walked in.

Dragomir grinned, "Ah, yes, I had hoped so! Enlighten me."

"I need you to be a bad luck farmer. Do you know what this is?"

He cocked his head to the side, "Teach."

"A customer has bought from me an unlucky talisman and wishes it delivered to the locker of an enemy of theirs. I need you to place this in the locker of a patron at the Lotus Blossom so that the bad luck can bloom."

"Ah…" He chuckled, "Yes, yes, but one question." He said, "Which locker do we select? The darkest one?"

"My customer has placed a black circle on his enemy's locker. Plant the talisman, bad luck farmer." He said, then he started a low, sadistic laugh, that seemed to go on for minutes.

Genevieve soon joined her with her own, haunting, ghostly laugh, something fit for a Malkavian.

Dragomir eyed the talisman before he snatched it and tucked it in his pocket, "The bad luck will be transposed efficiently."

Genevieve looked around as they walked the streets, "My cracked mind sees not the path this unlucky talisman will take…"

"Is that so?" Dragomir asked, "This will be interesting then…I'm looking forward to this…" He did a little hop to adjust his jacket, "If only this Mister Ox was the Prince of the Camarilla. I'd be the most subservient little jester he could ask for."

She gave a slight nod, leading the way downstairs into the locker room of the Lotus Blossom. Once they found the locker with a mark on it, Dragomir put the talisman in the locker.

"Hey!" A burly man in a tank top and sweats shouted, "What the hell you think you're doing? That's my locker, sucka!"

Genevieve narrowed her eyes, "Don't you dare lay a sausage on him."

"Oh yeah? You know what I do to people who mess with my stuff? Huh, hooka?"

"Eat them."

"Ha! I'm crazy hooka! I'll kill you. I don't care!"

A smile curved onto her black lips, as she gave a deep chuckle, "Ah. Darwinism at its finest."

The fat man narrowed his eyes, when he reared a punch back, Genevieve held a hand out, and purple mist went around the man, he fell over, dead.

"Hmm." Dragomir crossed his arms, "Bad luck _indeed_."

"Shall we return to the life-eater-eater?"

"Yes, yes, I like that." He said as he took her hand in his, kissed it, and then they returned to the White Cloud.

Mister Ox took a big puff from his pipe, after he exhaled, he asked, "Did the seed take root?"

"And budded a beautiful death-bloom." Dragomir said.

He laughed for a good long time, taking another puff, "Ah, that is assuredly bad luck for him. The cost to my customer was quite high. They will be pleased to hear this. As before, accept this with my gratitude." He handed them some more money.

"Thank you for the salad."

"You are model employees." Mister Ox held his hands out to both of them, "I will ask for your assistance again in the future, should that time come. And please, if you know of someone, on the six paths, with a soul to sell…please recommend my shop."

"Of course, this shop will be the first we come to." He turned to Genevieve, "Let us continue on this tale."

* * *

A/N: Now that Genevieve and Dragomir actually have money, maybe they'll stop using Hysteria on everyone…or not. Thanks for reading!


	75. Chapter 75

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-five! I'm told constantly by the other author not to give spoilers in my author's notes, which I struggle with occasionally…but, I think this chapter kicks things off with a nice seed of discontent, so to speak. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

She almost felt like she was intruding without the Sheriff over his shoulder. But, there he sat, alone, at his desk, skimming over a résumé of sorts, another on the desk, as well as a manila folder, "Miss Frost." He said, without looking up at her, "Your punctuality is noted."

She looked around the room, puzzled, "Your Sheriff…he is not here."

"He is not. There's been a recent Sabbat flare-up nearby, I've sent him after it." He mused before he put the résumé down and met her gaze. "Is this a problem? Do you feel your safety is at risk?"

"I was going to ask the same of you." She said, "What if someone were to mount an attack on you? Do you have enough personnel in this tower to hold them back?"

He chuckled softly, "Plenty of security. Even if they somehow managed to gain access to my office, they would not last long."

She looked at the floor, perhaps embarrassed at herself. How could she forget that LaCroix had Dominate powers that surpassed hers? Of course anyone foolish enough to come into his office would be dead in a minute. "If this is about the sarcophagus…" She looked up, "I have…more agents…than I can count, scouring the state clean until we find it. It will be yours…it will only be a matter of time."

He paused for a beat, gathering his thoughts. "It has come to my attention. Mostly in the form of this." He lifted up the manila folder and handed it to her.

"Hmm?" She took the folder, looking through it, until her galaxy eyes widened, "Oh my…" She quivered.

"Yes." His arms crossed, "That was sent to me recently from the Nosferatu Primogen." He leaned in, "As you can imagine, I am simply thrilled to see you have so much free time on your hands. And yet." He motioned to the chairs and tables that had been moved out of his penthouse to make room for the sarcophagus, likely, "It is not here. So, what then, gave you the impression, that my time is yours for the taking? Hmm?"

She swallowed hard, "Sir…I…" Words couldn't arrive to her, she was speechless, "I had no idea those would…would circulate to the _surface_ …"

He rubbed one of his temples, "This is Gary, of course it's going to circulate to the surface! Every Kindred in the state has copies of those!" He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, "Even if you had…somehow managed your time efficiently to pack in this…disastrous hobby of yours into our busy schedule, it is a matter of representation you need to understand. After fifteen years working with me, _fifteen_ , you still have difficulties comprehending how our relationship works? You are my underling. You represent me, as your agents do for you. With…with those," He motioned to the photos, "You're telling every Kindred in the state that my underlings are…" He was muted, searching for appropriate verbiage, "Compelled by nothing more than perverse humanity."

"Yes, sir. I understand." She said, defeated.

"Good." He huffed, sitting back in his seat, "The sarcophagus. I trust you've been making strides towards obtaining it?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded quickly, falling to her knees in fear, "As to…my punishment…?"

He sighed, was that mercy in his eye? "There is none. You have proven to be my most faithful assistant, for that, I can accept a…slip-up. Hopefully any of the…disrespect that comes from these images is cast onto your character and not mine…"

"Yes, sir…" She sniffed, throughout their entire conversation, she tried not to cry, or at the very least tear up, but now this was ruined. "Shall I…t-take my leave…to better retrieve the sarcophagus, sir?"

"Yes. And take the photos with you." He crossed his legs and said quieter, "There is no reason to _cry_. It isn't as if I've _fired_ you. I just…wish you would be more vigilant with your time."

She brushed her tears away, "Yes, sir."

"Very well. I look forward to obtaining the sarcophagus with your assistance." She nodded, getting up and departing quickly.

* * *

Slade faced the entrance of the Glaze nightclub, "Did you guys even want to come in for this?" He looked at the Nosferatu (or where he _assumed_ they were) "Unless you keep Obfuscate up, you'll be spotted pretty quickly."

"What do you think?" Cressida asked Edgar.

"We'll go in undercover…I'll have to suck on some rats after this…" Edgar said.

"Alright. Yeah, you lead the way, toots, we'll be right behind you." Cressida said to Slade.

Slade's brow twitched, he entered the nightclub first, followed by Tess and the Nosferatu. The inside of the club had bustling lights and loud music. Many people, both civilian and Tong, were either strolling around or dancing, and there was a bouncer guarding the stairs, "Should we just…fight our way up?"

"That sounds…" Tess looked around, "Wrong. Should we ask around? Try a peaceful route first?"

"I don't know how we're going to do that. Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't recognized us yet, we've killed so many Tong…"

"Talk to mister fancy-pants pony tail over there." Edgar whispered from his Obfuscate, "He might be our way up."

Slade shrugged, walking over the man in shades and a black ponytail, "Am I supposed to know you?" He crossed his arms.

Tess took a step forward, brushing her hair over her shoulder so he could have a good look at her chest if he wanted to, "That all depends on whether you _want_ to know me or not." She eyed him over, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Damn, girl." He said, "You must be one of Johnny's girls." He grinned, then it vanished once he looked at Slade, "So who's this poser?"

"Uh…I'm…uh…the dealer…" Slade said.

"Here for Johnny's delivery, huh? You play with Johnny, and you're not getting out of here alive."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Slade said.

"Is he here?" Tess asked, "We won't make a mess, promise. Unless he wants me to." She added with a smirk.

"He's in his office upstairs." The gangster said, "Tell the guy by the stairs that Ricky said it was okay for you to go up."

"Of course." She smiled, "Thank you. And…" She looked him over again and gave a convincing smile, "If my thanks isn't enough…well, I'll be around." She said before they turned around and headed for the staircase, "Ugh." She fixed up a button on her blazar, "He was far too invested in that."

She couldn't tell if he was going to respond or not, because the bouncer interrupted them, "Nobody allowed upstairs." He said in broken English.

"Ricky gave us permission." Slade said, the bouncer moved, and they went upstairs.

Tess looked down as she felt someone pull on her skirt, she saw nothing but a shadow, "Don't you think it's a little degrading turning yourself into a little puppet like that?" Cressida's voice asked.

"No." Tess said, "It's something I'm very good at."

"Uh huh." She grunted out, "Sure, whatever, you keep it up then, I guess…"

They entered Johnny's office, seeing a man who just finished snorting up a row of cocaine, he bugged out once he spotted the duo, "Who the hell do you think you are? You know who I am? You know where you are? You wanna die?"

Tess chuckled, clearly she was done with all of this, "Look, Johnny, we won't take away any more of your valuable time." She put her hands on her hips, "We're looking for someone, we know you can help us find him."

"You got something to say to me, bitch? Who let you in Chinatown anyway? You here for your mother? Ha, yeah, we'll give her back after she's done with the last twenty guys!"

"Twenty, hmm?" She asked, "Well, I had to get it from somewhere." She crossed her arms, "We don't want to take any more of your time, dear, just help us out."

"Just tell us where Barabus is." Slade added.

"Who told you that? H-H-H-How would you know about that? Who are you? Answer me!" Johnny stuttered.

"It's best you don't know who we are."

The television behind Johnny flickered on, with a man in orange shades with white hair on it, "Don't tell them a thing, Johnny. Shoot them."

Slade swallowed hard, "The silver-haired man…"

"You told me that guy was a nobody. Just what the hell did you get us involved in?" Johnny demanded.

"Shoot one of them. You'll find out."

"You're dead, asshole!" He shot Slade. But, as predicted, Slade took minimal damage, "What the fuck?!" He backed away in fear, "I just shot you! You're dead!"

"That's exactly it, Johnny…it _is_ dead. It's quite difficult to kill something that's already dead. And I assure you, it's not wearing a vest, the bullet entered cleanly through the lower abdomen." The man on the television said, "Normally, a bullet of that caliber would likely ricochet and tear up the small intestine, but as you can see, it exited cleanly through the back with little external bleeding…the reason being: Its internal organs have atrophied."

Johnny growled, the fear, and perhaps the cocaine gave him some sort of an adrenaline boost, as he started shooting at Slade and Tess indiscriminately. Slade darted forward with incredible speed, killing off Johnny in a laughable amount of time. He then faced the television like everyone else.

"You had to kill him, didn't you?" The man in the orange shades asked, "It's part of your code of survival…covering your tracks, so to speak. And before you attempt to deceive me, you should know I'm monitoring your heat signature…it's room temperature."

Edgar's Obfuscate broke, figuring he already knew they were vampires so they could give up the ghost, "Give us Barabus back!" He roared, "You don't know who you're messing with!"

"I do, actually." He countered, "If at all anyone's here in the dark, so to speak, it is you. You have no idea who I am or how I know what I know. I've been observing you all since you've entered Chinatown."

"Oh, and what have you discovered?" Cressida appeared as well, her arms crossed, "That we're filthy monsters? Yeah, we get it. Give us our agent and maybe we'll think about leaving you alone with whatever hell sort of research you're all about."

Tess held a hand up, "No…no, we have to track him down. Even if we do get Barabus back, it's far too dangerous to have this…this sort of researcher out and about with all this information on us. We have to cover our tracks." She said with a predatory grin.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Slade asked.

"I must also try to protect my true identity." The man in the shades said, "You may refer to me as the Mandarin. You are searching for one of your kind, I understand. I have him here at my facility. Come to the Fu Syndicate building…we will discuss terms of release." He said, and with that, the television powered off, not really giving them much of a choice or a say in the matter.

Slade sighed as he sheathed his swords, "Well…this sounds like a trap, if I ever heard of one…"

"I agree." Tess sighed, looking back at the Nosferatu, "I guess we really don't have many choices, though."

"No, we don't." Cressida said, looking up at Tess with a snarl, "Unless you just want to leave the ugly little cretin. I know what you're thinking, sweetheart, you just don't have the guts to say it."

Tess crossed her arms, "I was not ever considering leaving Barabus."

"Uh huh…" She grumbled, "Must be so you can get the Prince's little seal of approval tattooed on your perfect little face, huh? That'd make you feel special, wouldn't it?"

"I think you need to stop acting like a child." She turned back to Slade, "The Fu Syndicate should be our next task."

"Yeah…can't wait to be experimented on. Sounds great." Slade muttered.

"I know." Tess muttered, "But we aren't lab rats. Between their tempers and our wit, I'm sure we could easily outsmart them if it comes to it." She said lowly, "There's a reason scientists have stopped studying apes, they have trouble getting anything from testing creatures smarter than they are."

Slade nodded, then he looked out the window, "Shit…they…know we killed Johnny…" He said, as the Tong gangsters made a beeline towards them.

Edgar roared, laced with Potence, he ran at the gangsters with his sledgehammer, taking out a thug or two.

Slade drew his swords, "I should probably help him." He said, speeding forward. Tess pulled both handguns from her skirt and started shooting at them, darting around with Celerity to prevent herself from becoming a target. Cressida's eyes darted around, if any of them got too close, she grabbed onto them and drained them dry.

It was a big mess. Innocent partyers and the Tong were scurrying around like insects, making their escape a bit more difficult than it seemed. Ricky joined the fray too, armed with an impressive machine gun. He fired off at anyone he could (Tess and Slade being much too quick to be hit by the bullets), and his lackeys seemed endless.

Cressida winced as her back was plagued by lead bullets, "God damn it…" She activated Potence and started shredding her long claws into anyone who got near.

Slade drained Ricky dry to fill up his blood pool, and that was that, all the Tong were dead. All that was left was innocent club patrons cowering in fear, "Alright, we'll head to the Fu Syndicate next…let's just…take five…for a bit…"

Tess nodded and put the guns back in her skirt, "God…we scared those poor people…" She looked at the people cowering in the corner.

"Yeah, we're leaving." Cressida grunted as she started to leave, "C'mon, Edgar."

"Thanks for the gun." Tess turned back to Slade.

"Yeah, no problem." Slade said, once Tess started walking out of the club, he walked at her side. There was quiet, almost peaceful pause as they walked down the street, "God damn it…I don't want to go into that stupid lab…"

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Just…" She paused, "Think of it as a science lab from high school. Except perhaps a little more violent."

"Yeah, that might be hard to picture when he's shoving a probe up our asses…"

She couldn't help but snicker, "Who knows, maybe I'll enjoy it."

"Oh, so you'll take one for the team?" He joked.

Her smile remained, "Mmm hmm, gladly. I'm sure they'll love looking inside my…dead and decaying large intestine…"

"Ew, god…or maybe you should talk to them like _that_ , and they'll let us go."

"You think that's enough to work?" She asked, "I'll brush up on my…digestive system terminology then. I should have that textbook lying around somewhere…"

The mention of a textbook reminded Slade of his four yearbooks that he threw at a wall. Not a pleasant thing to remember, given his state of mind, "Since when did you study anatomy?"

"I had to take some sort of science course at some point. I figured Dragomir would be able to help me with it if I took it. Which he was."

"Oh yeah…I forget what the hell I took…if it wasn't an art class, I didn't really care much for it…"

"Mmm hmm." She waited a beat, still almost uncomfortable with how relaxed he seemed around her, "How has your art been going?"

"My art?" He gave a dry, almost sadistic chuckle, "I haven't painted a single thing since LaCroix got his grubby hands on me. Christ, I'll be stuck doing his dirty work forever…these…these Chinatown mission are really killing me. Especially since I have to keep going back to Vesuvius _every time_ I get a five minute window…"

"Vesuvius?" She asked, "What does VV need you so badly for?"

He took a deep sigh, "It…it's _really_ complicated…" He said, "But…shit…I should probably just tell you. I…I just need to know if I'm actually going insane or not…"

Her brows dented in towards her eyes, "If you're confiding to _me_ , I'm almost sure you're insane."

"Yeah, well…things change…"

She crossed her arms and eyed around the lights of the streets, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Don't laugh."

"I won't. I can't promise I won't, but I'll try not to."

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, "VV has a crush on me."

"Does she?" She asked, "Hmm. That must have been what Ash was talking to me about then."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from what he's told me, which…isn't much, mind you. He's one of the quiet types, surprisingly. He mentioned how VV is always sending him emails. They have a whole… 'brother-sister' relationship that's adorably disgusting. Anyhow, he mentioned how he hasn't gotten any emails from her anymore. Apparently last time that happened, she suffered some sort of heartache. Either that or…well, we figured if she was dead, we would have heard about it." She looked back to Slade with a smile, "So you know about it then. Are you going to do anything about it?"

"No. She…uh…she's flung herself at me…a…a few times, but I told her that I wasn't interested…"

"Saving yourself for someone else? Slade, I'm flattered." She put a hand on his shoulder, " _Really_."

"Uh…" He paused in the street, shuddered as he backed away from her touch, "Uh…well…it doesn't matter about me. It's about her…cause I mean…there are Toreadors…and then there's _her_."

She raised a brow, he was acting especially intriguing to her, "Oh? You're suggesting she's a different tier of our breed."

"A _worse_ tier. She like…can't function anymore…and it gets pretty annoying…so I have to…give her a check-up…make sure she's not going to go kill herself or whatever…and if I don't go, someone she knows comes and finds me. And of course, she's VV, so that's basically everyone. When one of her dancers come ask me, I don't care…but she has this like…shitty on-again, off-again relationship with an Anarch…and…the Anarchs hate me…so…that's why we had that fight in the apartment that I told you about. It was all about VV."

"Uh huh…" She thought, reaching up and unclipping her hair so the dark locks fell smoothly around her shoulders and down her back. Her fingers massaged her scalp as she said, "Maybe you just need to go in and clean out her gutters, so to speak. And if you're not willing to, maybe I could. Give her some thinking space."

"…I mean…if you really want to…"

"You think she would let me?" She raised a brow, "If she's as much of a Toreador as you make her out to be, I expect her to be a little difficult about letting a little girl come and do her in her own club. She'd probably want…a five course meal over candlelight and roses, right? Neither of us have time for that." She sighed and crossed her arms, "In that case, there isn't much either of us could do. I wouldn't feel guilty about it if I was you. I mean, assuming her personality is like that, I can't blame you for having difficulty being attracted to her. My best piece of advice would be to find someone else for her."

"Yeah right, I'll never find the time for that…" He looked around, making sure the street was quiet before raising his voice, "Everyone keeps telling me how great it is that my sire is still alive…but…but…I…I have to tend to her, like she's an aging parent or grandparent or something! And LaCroix…I'm his slave…I'm going to be his slave forever…I'm going to be stuck, with people I don't know…with people who don't like me…people who hate me…people who want to use me…like a pawn…that's all I am to these Kindred, a fledgling they can _use_ …" He sniffed, "I…I never see Dragomir anymore either. I…I just…I just want to go back…to when I was a stupid college kid and I didn't know any of this…"

Tess felt like her heart went empty and cold watching Slade stand there and start to cry. She held her arms out and gently hugged him, resting her face against his shoulder, "It doesn't help that she's going through about as much stress as you are, but I'm sure she cares about you…it's that sort of bond that you have that other Kindred like me are jealous of. She's like a motherly figure to you…somewhere you can kinda run back to if you need to…with me and…Dragomir…and I'm sure a good portion of fledglings…when shit hits the fan, we have nowhere to turn but the blades." She paused, "The only way you can escape any of this…any of the LaCroix nonsense, any of the Jyhad…you just have to find someone. Find someone to take care of you. It's something I could never do…but I'm sure it would work. I'm sure of it. If you find someone who's willing to do anything for you, then you can pull through anything. You need support."

He tightly hugged her back, "You're right." He sniffed.

She closed her eyes, then jolted as there was a _pop_ between both of them, Slade felt it against his chest. Tess's eyes widened, "Sorry…" She hissed, taking a step back and watching as a button from her blazer fell to the ground. She quickly bent down and picked it up, tucking it into her pocket as she adjusted her top, "That didn't hurt you, did it?"

"No." He blinked, "Was…was that from your jacket?"

"Yeah…" She muttered, "Sorry, I…I guess I washed and dried it one too many times." She crossed her arms over her chest, "So…um…" She cleared her throat, at the very least she thought he'd insult her for that, "Did you want to go right to the Fu Syndicate, or take a break?"

"No, I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean to stare…" He said, a little embarrassed, "You…you should go check on Ash…he…he might need you…cause I'll probably go check on either Dragomir or VV. Then I'll find the Nosferatu and we'll finally be able to finish this Barabus mess."

She nodded, then chuckled softly, "I think I'll go to the cleaner and see how much of a discount I can get off of a new blazer."

"I'd…I'd lend you something…but…but I'm sort of broke right now…"

"No, no, Slade, it's fine, sweetheart." She smiled, then hugged him briefly, "I'll see you…tomorrow night? Midnight?"  
"Sounds good."

* * *

 **A/N:** With new leaves turning every chapter, who will come out on top? It is the World of Darkness, after all. Thanks for reading!


	76. Chapter 76

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-six! Who says Anarchs can't do work? This chapter sure doesn't. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"I think this library has something to do with the Sabbat activity around here." Anastasia said, "You guys remember that, right? We were looking into this before all this crap happened."

"Yeah, then those Sabbat got their panties in a bunch." Damsel muttered, "I remember."

Skelter drummed his fingers on the barrel of the shotgun in his arm, likely he was carrying it for Damsel, "I usually like to knock on wood before I go to these sorts of things…"

Killian kept his arms crossed, keeping a reasonable distance between them without saying anything. Occasionally he'd throw a glance at Anastasia, but other than that, he was like a shadow.

"Should we…should we just go in?" Anastasia asked, "What if they're like, hiding behind some sort of business front?"

"Are they smart enough for that?" Damsel asked dubiously.

"Yeah." Skelter said, "I wouldn't doubt it."

"Uh…before we go in." Killian chimed in, "'Stasia…can…we talk? Like…right over there?" He motioned. Skelter and Damsel looked over like Killian was some sort of bear.

"Hmm?" Anastasia looked over at him, "Yeah, sure." She followed his lead.

He leaned against the side of an adjacent building, wiping his hand over his face as he spotted Skelter and Damsel watching like a pair of kids. "So…uh…" He smiled nervously, shamefully, it was strange, "I need help. Really badly. Like…" He looked around again, "I dunno if you've noticed, I've turned into a massive asshole since Lark died. And I need help." He looked back at her, "You're the last person on the goddamn planet who I have a shot at forgiveness with." He took a shaky sigh afterwards. He put up a good front of strength as he was speaking, but she could see he was shaking a bit, like he was doing everything he could to hold back from sobbing.

"You want me to forgive you?" Anastasia asked.

"You can say no." He said as he held up a hand, "Honest to god, you can say no, I'll understand, I'll be fine, I'll get the hell out of your life. I get it."

"It's okay. I forgive you." She said sweetly.

His eyes teared up, then he leaned in and squeezed her, sniffling, "You're like…the best person on the planet…" He squeezed her even tighter, "I'll never treat you like shit again…and if I do…I swear, you gotta slap me, you gotta help." He held her shoulders, "I can't thank you enough." He smiled through the tears.

"Uh-huh, it's okay." She squeezed him back, "Just relax."

He took a shaky sigh, then pat her back, "Alright…alright…" He sniffed and wiped his tears away, "We have to get a move on. This can wait. I…I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Alright." Anastasia said as she smiled at the others, "Should we get started?"

"Uh huh." Damsel said, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Killian said, "Let's get going before the sunrises, ladies." He said as he led the way.

One of Skelter's eyes twitched as he trailed behind the other three into the library, "Damn idiot, you don't even have a gun on you…" He handed Damsel her shotgun.

"Alright, let's just hope that it isn't that complicated…or crowded with a bunch of people…" Anastasia said.

It wasn't. It was packed with Sabbat vampires. Most of them hissed and roared, and quickly ran at the four of them.

"Mother—" Skelter was cut off by the roars of battle, the bodies lighting up with Potence, the Gangrel howls, the unknown sounds of every clan in between. Oh, and the blaring sounds of guns spitting lead at corpses filled the library like thunderclaps.

Damsel fired her shotgun and kept herself away from them as much as possible, while Skelter and Killian ran in with their fists and claws.

Anastasia swallowed hard as the first room was cleared, the entire place looked dilapidated and out of shape, in other words, perfect for a Sabbat settlement, "Holy shit…I did not see that coming…"

Skelter dusted a scratch off his forearm, the only injury he attained, as he turned back into his human form, "Is it bad if I did?"

Damsel pulled her shotgun up over her shoulder, as she walked forward, peeking her head around the corners of the broken down bookshelves, "Where are you, sons of bitches?"

A stray hiss was heard, as Damsel's question had an answer, in the form of a new pack coming in. This time, Anastasia stepped in to her aid, gaining bestial features and clawing at the first two vampires until they turned to ash.

"Nice one, bud." Damsel said as she fired at another one, but it seemed she wasn't ready for the amount of knockback, and landed back on her bum. Skelter lost it with laughter.

Killian ran in with Anastasia to clobber the other Sabbat that got near. They seemed to actually compliment his fighting style, since they ran at him to slash him with knives or claws, and he was able to turn their heads to mush with his punches.

Anastasia reverted back from her animalistic features to human, "I'm not gonna lie guys…I have no idea what the layout of this place is…"

Killian already looked exhausted, "Neither do I…" He admitted, "I've never been in a library before…"

"Why is that the most believable thing I've heard all day?" Skelter snorted.

Killian scowled, "What the hell's your deal? Kicking my ass isn't enough for you, huh?" He crossed his arms, "You're not even helping us, not even _now_."

"Why don't we focus on finding our way around here?" He asked irritably.

Killian growled, "Like you're gonna help with that."

Skelter snarled and leaned in so they were hardly a few inches apart. "If you want a chance 'a fixing yourself for her, then maybe you should start acting at least _a little bit_ presentable." He spoke so deep, fast and quiet, it was just about impossible for Anastasia and Damsel to hear.

Killian snorted as he looked down at Skelter, "It's almost cute how much you gotta fight for her. Just let nature take its course, if she naturally falls into my hands, then so be it. You can't fight gravity like that. Just doesn't work."

Damsel rolled her eyes, considering how Killian didn't even bother talking quietly. She hit them both in the head with the barrel of her rifle, "Would you two fuckers knock it off for five goddamn minutes! Jesus, leave her alone!"

Skelter rubbed his head, "Maybe if you neuter him, he'll shut his trap for once."

Killian scowled and reared back to punch him in the back.

"Hey!" Damsel aimed her gun at Killian, "I'll fucking blow your brains out kid. Knock. It. Off."

He growled and crossed his arms, "Where the hell do we go?"

Damsel sighed, "I don't know. Let's look around."

"Jesus Christ…" Skelter muttered, "If we're not fighting Sabbat, we're fighting each other…"

The next room had more vampires armed with firearms. Anastasia gulped, activating both Protean and Fortitude for this fight. As the bullets harmlessly pinged off of her, she tried to take out as many as she could.

Skelter activated the same disciplines she did, they fought back to rid of the Kindred. Damsel and Killian meanwhile stood in the back, Killian defending Damsel as she stood a distance away and fired at their heads.

There was one figure left in the distance, garbed in all black. At first they thought it was another Sabbat vampire, but once he got closer they saw that it was Cadmus. "Oh great…" He sighed, "Anastasia and her geeks…"

"Cadmus?" Anastasia asked, shocked, as her disciplines faded, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm about to go on a picnic."

She rolled her eyes, "Alright, I get it. You're here for Caesar, what makes you think he's here?"

"I've been tracking him. I'm pretty certain he's here." He said, then added with a smile, "But what about you? You guys, actually doing _work_." He chuckled, "I must be dreaming."

"Save it." Anastasia said, "We're about to clear this place out."

"I was here first."

"Oh yeah? Well we were here long before the Camarilla invaded, too."

He stifled a chuckle, "If you're so mad about that, then why don't you do something about it? We've been here two years, and so far you guys have done nothing."

"Look, we're not just going to turn around and leave just because you told us so." She said, then she smiled, "You'd have to work with us to take the Sabbat out. Together."

He shrugged, "I'm fine with that."

"Fine." Skelter said after a pause of him looking at Cadmus skeptically, "You know your way around the place?"

"It's an abandoned library. It can't be that big." He shrugged again, leading the way. Anastasia eyed him curiously, timidly walking at his side. Aside from their continued spats at the Last Round, this would be the first time they've spend an amount of time together as Kindred.

The next door nearby burst down, and a little head runner ran out, roaring at the five of them.

Anastasia shrieked and backed away, "What the fuck is that thing?!"

Cadmus drew his axe and swung in down, bisecting the creature in one fell swoop, "Yeah, there's probably gonna be a lot of these things moving forward…"

Damsel looked disgusted as she poked a leftover arm with her gun, "How come half of it turned to ash and half didn't?"

"Must be something Tzimisce related." Skelter said, "Looks like it was stitched together with…some sorta' flesh."

Damsel blanched, "I think I'm gonna go grab a burger so I can go barf…"

"That'd be funny if you didn't say it every other day." Killian muttered.

"Hey, shut up, dickwad." She snapped back at him.

"Enough." Skelter said, "Keep your eye out for more. They're probably a little hardier than normal Kindred."

Sure enough, there was a bigger helping of them as they progressed forward, about eight of them, the unkempt vents proved to be wonderful hiding spots for them. Cadmus dealt with as many of them as he could, it almost seemed to be second nature to him, at this point, while the rest of the Anarchs took out the remainder.

Anastasia shuddered, "Those things are creepy."

A small smirk tugged on Cadmus's lips, "If they're too scary, you guys can run back to your clubhouse…"

"We're fine." She growled.

"Clubhouse…" Killian snickered as he shook his head.

"I don't like how close to the surface they are." Damsel said bitterly, "The plague bearers were one thing, but if these shits get out…" She shook her head, "We're all fucked."

"I wanna know who's responsible for them." Skelter said, "We kill the source, we don't have to worry about the Masquerade."

"The source is a Tzimisce, named Andrei." Cadmus said, "I thought we killed him but…I guess not if he's still making these damn things…"

"Where'd you last see him?" Skelter looked over, something about his eye color was strikingly familiar to his sister's.

"Some messed up house…in King's Way…whole damn thing was covered in flesh, blood, and bones. Andrei and Caesar were waiting in the basement. So…in a way, these little fleshy bastards mean that I'm getting warmer…"

"So it's like a goddamn game of hot-and-cold." Damsel sighed, "And they were right under our noses the whole time."

"Yeah, that's usually their specialty." Killian muttered, wiping at a scratch on his cheek, "I remember these things from this smut tape Isaac had us look into. He sent a pair of fledglings after them, but I had no clue they were so…widespread."

"What the hell kind of smut tape were you watching?" Damsel gave him a worried look.

"It was called Death Mast Productions. No fucking clue what they're about."

"Yeah, that's what Slade told me about, anyway." Cadmus said, "That damn house was only the beginning, then we had to go through the sewer system for days."

"They were in the sewers?" Damsel asked, "How come Kindred haven't brought this up earlier? We use the sewers all the time and never saw any…"

He shrugged, "It was the system surrounding the Nosferatu. Andrei wanted to kill them all."

"Kill all the Nosferatu?" Killian asked, "I get that they're ugly…but isn't that a little harsh?"

"The Camarilla would be nothing without the Nosferatu." Skelter said, "I could see that, it ain't a bad idea for a group of evil bastards."

There was a silence, it lasted a pretty long time, to the point where they thought they had killed all the Sabbat vampires, "So…how's mom?" Anastasia asked.

"Mom?" Cadmus repeated.

"Yeah…you were living with her for a long time after I left…"

"Mom's dead."

"She's dead?" Her eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Pfft, when the hell was I supposed to tell you that? When I was staring down the barrel of Rodriguez's gun? When I was pushed down your little clubhouse's stairs? Or how about when you and your little dogs were reenacting their high school love triangle, act three? Would then be a good time? Excuse the hell out of me for not telling you." He said, "Huh, didn't think you'd believe me anyway…after all, I am the _evil_ Cadmus, who wants his sister out of this state, forever…"

She crossed her arms, "That's not a good reason to not tell me."

"Pfft, maybe if you weren't screwing around out here with the Anarchs, you would've seen her a bit more. But…no…we have to whore ourselves to the Anarch community."

"I am not a whore to them!"

"Yeah right, don't you see how excited they get whenever you're around? How they actually want to take charge and look all buff and determined to impress you. How they fight over you all the damn time?"

"Well…even besides that…they're…other…good reasons…to be an Anarch…"

"Swear to god, if you say 'Jeanette'…" He shook his head, then when she didn't say anything, he only looked more disappointed, "You can't be serious. Do you even know why she's an Anarch?" He paused, "It's because Therese is Camarilla. Honestly, people only go Anarch if they have nothing better to do, and she's a perfect example. If she's supposed to be an example of one of your 'wise elders' than that should be a sign that you're pretty screwed."

She rolled her eyes, " _Sembri proprio come lui quando mi parli in quel modo…_ "

" _Se fossi come lui, saresti già stato picchiato e coperto di sangue_." Cadmus said.

She blinked tears away, " _Smetti di provare a controllarmi! Lasciami vivere la mia vita!_ "

" _Sto cercando di salvarti! Che cosa? Pensi che ti stia per lasciare a LaCroix? Voglio tirarti fuori da questo stato così sei al sicuro! Non sei salvato con queste persone! Ammettilo! Non ti vedono come uno di loro!_ "

" _Ho paura…dammi il tempo di pensare…_ "

" _Ti darò tempo, se è quello che vuoi._ "

" _Non sono sicuro di volerli lasciare ancora_."

"You've got to be kidding me." He growled, "Anastasia, these guys are _losers_. I don't know how many different ways I can spell that out for you. You're a trophy to half of them and a sucker for the rest. They take advantage of your easy-going personality to keep their little group from splitting apart and there are like, seven love triangles surrounding this mess. You can't tell me that's pleasing to you."

"Yeah, maybe she isn't." Skelter butted in, "Maybe she can't stand any of us. But you know what she has that you'll never get close to?" His eyes narrowed, "Freedom. She's free to do whatever the hell she wants here, even if it means leaving with her bother and becoming his little chew-toy. And you know what? That's something you'll never have." He said, then he gave a dark smile, "Taking your sister away from us is the easy part. Don't pretend you got such an easy way out of the Camarilla. You think the Prince is just gonna let you _leave_ with all that shit in your head?"

"That's cute. You're so scared that I'm taking away your little bedtime masturbating project, that you're trying to make _LaCroix_ out to be scary."

"Alright then. Let's say we kill LaCroix. You guys get a new Prince, and then what? You willing to mess with some new Prince who actually _knows_ what the hell he's doing?"

Killian snickered, "Uh…they're not getting a new Prince." He said, "Once we kill LaCroix, they'll be gone…right? That's the plan?"

Skelter snickered, "Yeah, yeah, alright, my bad." He held a hand up, "Prince will die, Cadmus will be free as a bird, he can take his sister and go off into the goddamn sunset." He glared at Killian, "The only way the Camarilla's gonna 'disappear' is if everyone in it 'disappears'. Including him. I hate to tear off your little idealist goggles there, but it just ain't gonna happen. And even if it does, it ain't gonna be pretty."

"Can we just stop?" Damsel asked, looking a bit upset, "We're here to kill Sabbat, right? Let's just…work together. For like…ten minutes. Work together, kill the motherfuckers, get back on with our lives."

Cadmus seemed to begrudgingly accept Damsel's offer, if not for the fact that he couldn't think of anything to say, "This way." He said.

The next room was absolutely packed with Sabbat vampires, most of them came up close and personal.

"Mother of god…" Cadmus pulled his axe out, dueling with the closest ones, while Anastasia gained her green mist and bestial powers to help him out. Skelter snarled like a demon as he used his Protean and tore some of the Kindred to tiny bits. Killian worked with Damsel again to keep her clear from any Sabbat while she fired at any that were a little distance off.

Anastasia panted as her powers faded, turning back to normal, "Jeez…I…I didn't think this would…be so involved…I'm not doing so good on blood…"

Cadmus meanwhile, had tons of Brujah and Gangrel Sabbat mauling him, some of them were in their War Form, but Cadmus was easily able to find weak spots and exploit them. He remained calm even when he was outnumbered. In other words, his easy defeat of Anastasia began to make a bit more sense. He took a blood pack out of his jacket and tossed it at Anastasia.

She blinked, "Uh…thanks…" She took a sip from it, "Holy shit, this tastes good."

"Well, thanks to the fact that I'm a freaking Ventrue, I can't afford to drink anything lesser." Cadmus said, brushing the dirt off his coat.

"Lucky Jack ain't here to get pissy about that." Skelter said.

"If Jack were here…I don't even know if this place would still be here…" Damsel muttered.

"I don't even like thinking about leaving him around in the Last Round." He crossed his arms.

"It'll be fine…" Killian argued, "He's got it under control."

"Well, if we come back and he turned the place to splinters, it's gonna be my ass Nines kicks the shit out of."

"He wouldn't do that." Damsel said, "I'm sure he'd get it…" She sighed as she reloaded her gun, then looked up at Anastasia, "You okay?"

Anastasia gave a quick nod, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. A Brujah and Ventrue fought over a piece of bread two-thousand years ago and now we hate each other." Cadmus said, "That asshole needs to get over it already. Find a new hobby."

Skelter looked over at him, "Take it up with him, then."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Then your cock-blocker would get blown to smithereens."

"Yeah, I'd love seeing my best friend's brother get turned to ash." He rolled his eyes, "If that was the case, I woulda' tried to killed you months ago. I would never do something like that."

"And why is that? Aren't we on different sides?" He asked, "Aren't I a Camarilla sheep who doesn't know the first thing about freedom? One of these days this ceasefire will end and we may have to meet each other in combat. Anyone tell you otherwise and they're just kidding you."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm willing to cast aside this Jyhad bullshit for family. Even if we did face each other in combat, I'd turn a white flag."

Again, Cadmus was stunned into silence, he faced forward and moved ahead with everyone else.

The next room was quite large, very fitting for an arena, and standing in the center of it, was Caesar.

Cadmus scowled, "You! Alright, it's payback time!"

"Cadmus?" Caesar asked, "This time you've brought a pathetic army with you…" He chuckled.

"Enough talk." He pulled an axe out, "Let's just do this."

" _This_ is Caesar…?" Anastasia asked.

"The hell is that smell…" Skelter leaned in to Anastasia, "You smell that…?"

She nodded, "Cadmus…what the hell is this thing?" She shuddered.

"Hell if I know." Cadmus said, "Caesar! You're done!"

"Yes, yes, of course…let me show you my army first…" Caesar said. Five men dressed in all black walked at Caesar's sides, even their _eyes_ were a jet black. Cadmus's eyes were a dark brown, and could look black occasionally in certain lightning, but _this_ was something else entirely.

"What the…" Cadmus asked, "Who the hell are these creeps?" He asked, then his eyes widened, he remembered what Caesar said in their last encounter when he was with Angelique on the hill, "Oh no…these are your clan mates, aren't they?"

Caesar laughed, "Indeed they are!"

Skelter leaned back on his heels before he turned to Damsel, who was shivering if anyone looked close enough, "Go tell Jack." She nodded rigidly, thrusting her gun into his arms as she ran. Skelter handed the gun to Killian, "So what's the deal here, then? Why are Sabbat bringing so many reinforcements downtown?"

"Kill them all!" Caesar pointed, running off. The five LaSombra enacted in their powers of Obtenebration, the sounds of screaming children could be heard as the shadows stretched over their bodies. They then all pulled swords out and gained the lightning of Potence.

"Damn it! Caesar, get back here!" Cadmus waved a fist in the air, pulling his axe out.

"Well…we should be fine, right?" Anastasia asked, as she and her brother were surrounded by the green glow of Fortitude, "Five against five, well…four against five…" She said, as Damsel ran off.

"No. There's no way out of this, we're screwed." Cadmus said.

"Guess I'll be the guinea pig." Skelter activated Fortitude and Protean as he ran forwards to fight one off the LaSombra.

Cadmus ran up to assist him, fighting another LaSombra, while Anastasia fought a third. This left the fourth and fifth LaSombra to gain up on Killian.

"Motherfuckers…" Killian activated Potence, "Hey, guys, what the hell!" He asked as he tried to land hits on them, but only got whipped around and lashed, "I need a little backup here!"

Cadmus looked back, taking a giant leap backwards in an effort to assist him, but even then, it was still two against three, "Damn it! That girl isn't going to come back in time!"

Skelter licked his jowls as he stood back and held a hand out, summoning a pair of wolves to attack one of them as he continued to claw the others.

One poor LaSombra screamed as he fell over, being mauled by the wolves.

Cadmus paused, "Did…did that just _hurt_ him…?"

"Yeah…why wouldn't it?" Anastasia asked.

Cadmus clashed against one, eventually finding an opening and slashing him, when he saw that he drew blood, he smiled, "Guys! We have a fighting chance. These guys' Obtenebration isn't as good as Caesar's! We can hurt them!"

Killian nodded wearily as he continued his fight, while Skelter put down Fortitude to focus on Animalism. The LaSombra who was pelted by the Spectral Wolves were hit by the rest of Skelter's Animalism attacks, and he soon perished into ash.

"Holy shit! We got one!" Cadmus smiled as if Christmas came early, "Keep going!" He slammed his axe into the nearest one.

Skelter put his Protean down and took out his guns, firing at their heads and chests. Meanwhile, Killian started firing the shotgun rather than using Potence.

Cadmus heard a stray scream coming from Anastasia, so he went in for assistance. With Cadmus's axe and Anastasia's claws (the latter of which was aggravated), they felled another LaSombra. The remaining three LaSombra retreated.

Anastasia panted, "Holy shit…cutting through them…was like trying to cut through stone…"

"Caesar's Obtenebration is even worse." Cadmus said, taking a deep sigh, "We…we make a pretty good team."

Skelter put his guns back in his jeans, "You think they'll be coming back any time soon?"

Killian fell and sat up against the wall, dropping the shotgun to the ground, "I hope not…I'm wiped out…"

Damsel came running down, "Jack's coming with reinforcements." She said, then she paused, "You sent them all off, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Skelter rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, we sent them off."

"Pfft, that guy's coming. I'm outta here then." Cadmus said, then he faced Anastasia one last time, "I'll be back. Very soon."

Anastasia gave a nod, "Just be careful, alright? You're doing all this crap by yourself…one day that will bite you in the butt."

He chuckled, the last time she suggested he had no friends, it really offended him, but this time, he laughed, "You really think I don't have any friends, do you?" He chuckled as he walked off.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Skelter asked himself quietly.

"What clan were they…?" Damsel looked up at Skelter.

"No clue. That discipline…I've never seen it before." He turned around, "We should just get the hell out of here."

Killian wearily got to his feet, "Ugh…I'm exhausted…"

"We all need blood, I get it." Skelter said before he turned to Anastasia and walked beside her, "Did you want to come back to my place? I uh…." He paused, "This is gonna sound offensive, I don't mean it to be, but I wanted to help you with Animalism."

"Skelter…I…I haven't even mastered Protean yet…" Anastasia said.

"Yeah, but…it's better to be more well-rounded." He said, "'Sides, your Fortitude is like a tank, you can take a few hits. Animalism will help you in a pinch, it'll help you more than longer claws and teeth."

"Just let me think about it."

"You got plenty of time." He said, "I doubt the Sabbat are gonna rear their ugly heads at us any time soon after that."

* * *

 **A/N:** Poor Anastasia…if only she could catch a break :;( Thanks for reading!


	77. Chapter 77

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-seven! A taste of the inner depths of the L.A. Tremere chantry, brought to you through the vessel of Victor's mind…well, and Lu Fang.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Venus Dare, the first was a name for the Roman Goddess of love and beauty, and the second enacted a trial forced by courage. Victor's muse was more than deserving of the name. Though muse may not be an accurate term for her anymore. The Tremere Magister might have bitten off more than he could chew.

That's why he was slumped over the counter at the Red Dragon. Kine passing by would simply believe he was drunk, rather than drowning in misery. In Kuei-Jin territory, but he didn't seem to care much. Any creature, Kindred, kine, 'Kindred of the East' they could turn to bits of flesh and steamy blood in an emergency. Just the wave of a hand. So then why was such a powerful creature on the downward spiral of his emotional surroundings?

He couldn't believe it. He hated himself. Why did he allow himself to fall for someone a quarter of his age? World War Two, the Depression, the Cold War, the counter culture movement, all of these were just stories to Venus. Victor lived through it all, in addition to the countless Kindred struggles the young Chantry was faced with. Again, this was something a Toreador would fall for, not him, the esteemed scientist and second-hand man to the Tremere.

Every time he told himself that he was overreacting, he counterbalanced himself with the facts. She was young, she was lively, she was most likely never with one person for a long period of time. He was old. He had the values and natures of the twenties stuck within him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. So once a girl gave him the _slightest_ bit of attention, he ghouled her and daydreamed about marrying her. But for heaven's sake, he was ninety! If he was human and dating her, it would be dismantled, or at the very least, disgusting. Just because he no longer aged, it didn't mean the fact that there was a significant age difference between the two of them.

A man like him should have never had sex either. That was his fault too. Because that was, affecting him, for lack of a better term. It would be like not doing any sort of drug for eighty years and then diving headfirst into a row of cocaine. (As funny as picturing that would be). He wanted her, regardless if he thought their relationship was coming to an end, he still wanted her. What would anyone else give him? She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was calm, no matter what the situation. She was perfect.

It was his fault. He didn't blame her for anything. It took her between five to ten seconds to get fully warned up, while it took Victor several handfuls of minutes to finally get into the act. As a result, it left him dissatisfied. Not to mention the fact that she had slept with more people than he could count on both hands. But it was his fault. He didn't know why it bothered him. He had a pretty good feeling that she enjoyed him in bed better than anyone else she's been with. And what would she do to fix that? Jump into the nearest church and splash around in some holy water? Repent? The notion would make Victor chuckle, had his spirits not be so low. She and he both didn't have a high opinion on the notion of Christianity either. It's what he loved about her club so much. It's why he jumped in to help. She was so charming, and sharp, and level-headed, even when faced with Anastasia, who had strange powers she knew nothing about.

And breast sex? It dominated Victor's mind. He wanted to do it again. And again. And again.

Tears pooled in his eyes. He did all of this to himself. All of it. And what was he going to do? One couldn't easily 'undo' a ghoul. Unless he were to kill her. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't kill Venus. He wasn't even mad at her. He saved all of his anger for one person. He sighed. Venus was such a beautiful, gifted, woman, and she didn't deserve the likes of him. He would abandon her. He resolved. He would leave her, she would go through a little withdrawal, a little pain, and then she'd carry on her normal life. After all, he killed Boris, so hopefully, no one else would bother her again. This is why Victor spent all of his time alone, this is why he never formed attachments with anyone, aside from immediate Tremere Regents and Lords, like Strauss. It was because he would pick, pick, pick someone apart for their little flaws, even someone as _perfect_ as Venus was no exception. She was a divine woman, she didn't need someone like Victor, he resolved as he cried quietly.

"Hey there, friend…" Someone pat his back, "Lu Fang a big drinker, but you win the crown tonight, don't you, mister?" He sat next to Victor, "Cheers to you!"

Victor looked up at the old man, wiping his eyes.

"Huh? Oh…bad drunk…sad drunk, not good…happy drunk, eh? Things will get better, mister." He pat his back again, "Whatever it is." He laughed.

Victor looked ahead, not too sure about that.

"Let me tell you something…you come closer so you can hear…let me tell you something. Kids. Kids don't know nothing."

He thought about it. Sure enough, most of the arguable problems in the Jyhad were caused by the more inexperienced ones, "Yes…their naiveté leaves a lot to be desired…"

"Yeah…see…you see. You…you see? They crime, they not organized. Messy, ugh. No one can do it no more! Just, shoot bang bang whatever. Cop no good. All a mess. Not organized."

He blinked. That was an odd turn. When were they talking about crime? Although, this was a human he was talking to. A drunk one, by the way he smelled, "Do you know the right way to do crime?" He asked quietly.

"Pfft. Lu Fang know! I Lu Fang. Lu Fang, he know."

"Oh, and where is all this criminal expertise coming from?"

"Was uh…" He paused, "Wait, come closer…no say too loud. Was hitman. I kill. Kill good. Lu Fang kill lot of men."

"Is that so?"

He nodded, "But now, I retire. Happy retirement, Lu Fang! No more work. No more money…shh! No tell bar-tender!"

"Oh? You have no money?"

"Got some money. Need more. Got some hidden. Cannot get."

"Hidden?"

"Lock away. Need two key to get. Lu Fang only have one key."

"So where's the other key?"

"Lu Fang used to have, um, partner. Not partner, friend. Lu Fang have friend. Ji Wen Ja. Ji Wen Ja, Lu Fang, friend. Both kill people for money for people. For Tong. Uh, good Tong then, not, bad Tong now…"

"Yes…I…I had a partner too…once…or…friend…would be a more accurate term…" He mused.

 _Friends_ was the word Victor was looking for. Long ago, when the Camarilla made its presence first known in America, (LaCroix's Camarilla, at least). When the Camarilla was a mere child, at ten years old, Victor and his dearest friend Neo, were Embraced. Though there was one striking difference between the two.

Victor was sired legally, via the Tremere's Council of Seven, in other words, 'in the Pyramid,' while Neo was Embraced illegally. Back then of course, it was a huge offense, but it didn't seem to strike quite the same horrid meaning as it did to Victor and his Regent now.

A decade later, Neo Embraced his longtime lover, Ebony (again, illegally) and the offense might resulted in both of them being perished, but LaCroix's Camarilla was a skeleton crew already in New York during the fifties, so it was left alone. And for a long time, it was just that. Strauss and his three apprentices. Whenever someone, from the Camarilla, an Anarch, or the Sabbat, questioned or mocked this small number, they were sorely mistaken, as three apprentices was all Strauss needed to devastate their foes on the battlefield. It was a rather fond time for Victor.

* * *

Victor turned a page in his book, the three apprentices all sitting in armchair in a circle around each other, with a roaring fireplace behind them. It was difficult to hide a Tremere Chantry in the Big Apple, or at least, as difficult as it was to hide one in downtown Los Angeles. "I rather think Mercurio is a bit much of a name for him."

"What are you on about?" Neo asked, combing his fingers through his blonde pompadour, his attire was so rich he was usually mistaken for a Ventrue. A royal blue sweater vest, khakis, a few rings on each hand.

"Oh, nothing. Just the Prince's new ghoul." He sighed, "We'll see how long this one lasts. Hopefully longer than some of his others, they say he's a weapon's dealer."

Ebony rested a hand on her chin, she was known for her largely Victorian getup, a black dress, high black boots, a black pointed hat, and black makeup, "Is it true he's with the mafia?"

"It certainly sounds that way." Neo said, "I spoke to him a few times before."

Victor closed his book, folding his hands, "Do you think that…when LaCroix finds these people…he changes their name to suit his business front's taste a bit better?"

The three apprentices burst with laughter.

"I could see that." Neo said, holding out a hand and deepening his voice, "Your name is now Mercurio. Frank no more." More laughter.

Strauss walked in the room, knocking on the doorway, "I highly doubt that _reading_ could produce so much laughter."

"No, it was LaCroix we were laughing at." Victor smiled.

Strauss smiled back, leaving the room, any other answer and he would separate the apprentices into separate rooms.

* * *

"So…you and your friend…" Victor said, once he returned from his reverie, "When did you two come across all this hidden money?"

"One time, man need killed." Lu Fang said, "Man very hard to kill. Take both Lu Fang and Ji Wen Ja to kill man. Pay a lot of money to kill man. Money go in safe. Lock with two key. One key, Lu Fang. One key…Ji Wen Ja."

Victor did all that he could to pay attention, it almost looked as if he were nodding off. As Victor and Neo were probably just as formidable as Lu Fang and Ji Wen Ja. The pair of them could topple armies, and with Ebony in the mix, they could slaughter entire sects within a night.

He remembered the night Andrei taunted him in King's Way, when he foolishly attacked him by himself a month or two ago. _"Or…is the real reason you arrived at my temporary haven to reclaim the lost members of your lineage? Neo and Ebony?"_ There was never a central problem, that instantly switched them, from light to darkness, but Victor could attribute where a problem might've begun. It was in the late eights, early nineties, when the three apprentices have been honing their craft for decades.

* * *

Victor walked into Neo's quarters, seeing the latter hard at work and studying something closely. He knocked on the doorway, "How have you been faring, since last night?"

"Fine." Neo turned a page, "A night of rest healed off most of the damage."

"I'll say." He stood in the doorway, "Clan Gangrel is more dangerous than I believed, at least, in their War Form, it took both of us to kill one of them. That's rarely happened before."

"I know…" He said, "Stupid Anarch scum…" He fumed.

"Now, now…" He chuckled, "They'll learn their lesson within time…"

He turned another page, "You know what's going on with that new bloke the Ventrue Embraced…what's his name, Cadmus?"

"Ah, the rabble-rouser? I have no idea. LaCroix's threatened to kill him about five times now. One for every year he's been Kindred. It will only be a matter of time until he delivers that threat. The man was a former hunter…and his wife died too…or so the story goes…"

"If LaCroix was a _real_ leader, he would've killed him already."

Victor chuckled, "Again, you seem to be in the fieriest spirits tonight."

"Because those Gangrel dogs made fools out of us."

"But they're dead now. There's no reason to…lend the matter thought anymore…"

"I suppose." He turned another page, "LaCroix seemed to get a very big Ventrue following over the past few decades. Who was Embraced the other night? Miranda? Hmm, you should see the figure she has…"

"Ebony wouldn't like you talking about other woman like that."

He gave a defeated smile, "I know." He said.

Victor smiled back. He heard Neo and Ebony occasionally 'studying' in the room next to his. They were usually very loud, and it was a miracle that Strauss never caught them.

"He got another ghoul too. Harper. Though, she could be like Mercurio and he could be brainwashing a personality into her too." Neo chuckled.

Victor laughed as well, trying to peer at the book Neo was reading, "What's that you've got there?"

"The Lure of Flames."

"Lure of Flames?" Victor repeated, aghast, "The Regent said we couldn't study that until we've fully mastered our basic Disciplines!"

"I don't care what the bloody Regent says." Neo slammed the book shut, "Do you want to be weak forever, Victor?" He asked, "Do you want to be made fools of, by all the Anarchs in this city? Do you want to be teased, like you were when you were a boy?"

"Well…no…"

"Then this is our answer, isn't it?" He asked, "Those fools won't be asking me any questions once they see fire spraying out of my body. They'll be sorry…they'll…" He started laughing, "They'll all be sorry! Those morons! I'll burn them all to ashes!"

* * *

"The beast takes many forms within us…" Victor mused, quoting was his Regent was best known for saying.

"Eh…?" Lu Fang asked, "Oh…you…big time philosopher, huh? You like Confucius? They say…Confucius is like backed up toilet…full of shit!" He gave a drunken laugh.

"You and your friend…Ji Wen Ja…" He said, "What happened next? I presume it only got worse…the can of worms has finally opened now…"

Lu Fang again looked surprised at Victor's supposed clairvoyance, "Uh…yes…things get…uh…how you say, weird. Yeah. Lu Fang no think he can trust Ji Wen Ja. Ji Wen Ja act funny, strange. Lu Fang think Ji Wen Ja want to kill him! Ji Wen Ja got shifty eye, you know? Lu Fang notice. Lu Fang read people very well. Ji Wen Ja, he up to no good."

Victor has no way to gauge how long it took for Lu Fang and Ji Wen Ja to stop trusting one another. In Victor's case, Neo may have shown signs of being power-hungry in the eighties and nineties, but it wasn't until a decade or two when his madness would start to achieve a physical form. It was right before the turn of the millennium.

* * *

"What is it, Neo? It's late!" Victor asked, they were both out in a dark field someplace, a bit further away from the city. Neo had called him out and said they had business to attend to. But something was off about Neo's voice. He sounded excited, he sounded like he was born again, and not in the good way. "What…what are you carrying?" He squinted, "I can't see…"

Neo threw everything he was carrying on the ground, the debris made a rattling, high-pitched noise as it hit the ground. The sound only bones could make. Victor examined them, "Skeletons? Of…of who?"

"That's right." Neo growled, his voice had taken a gruff turn for the worse, and some of his rich clothing was disheveled, and there were blood spots all over him, "Do you want to know who these people are, Victor?"

He gave a quick nod.

"These are the fools that made fun of both of us when we were human. They made fun of us for being small. For being weak. They beat us, threw rocks at us. So for a little bit of payment, I burned them alive. I burned them long after they died!" He started laughing, "They…they didn't even know who I was! They forgot about both of us! That's what the experience all the richer!" He laughed, once he finally calmed down, he said, "All that eludes us now is that…Nines Rodriguez fellow…but…he should be easy…I think you and I should kill him together…"

"Neo…" Victor started shaking, "Why…why are some of these skeletons…so…so small…?" He picked one up that looked like it belonged to an infant, at best.

"What? Don't go soft on me, Victor…you think those wretched rats are allowed to reproduce! No! Of course not! I had to kill them all, all their pestilent families and hateful offspring, they all needed to go! They're all going to rue the day they tried to pick on either of us!"

Victor backed away slowly, "No…Neo…you…you're gone…aren't you…we've lost you. Nevertheless…Strauss will have to hear about this…especially if someone saw what you were doing…"

"Oh, so that's it." Neo's eyes had a predatory glint in them, "You always followed the rules, didn't you? Mister _Magister_ …" He said, referencing Victor's recent rise in the ranks, "You always thought you were so _special_ because you were in the pyramid, and we weren't!" He howled, "Ebony can understand my ways! She knows what revenge is! She does not fear the rules as you do!"

He shook his head, "You two are both…consumed by darkness…it is a path…I cannot follow with you…my old friend…I…I suppose this is goodbye…"

Neo chuckled darkly, "You speak as if I am going to let you get away alive…"

Victor swallowed hard, he tried to make a run for it, but Neo spewed fire out of both his arms. Victor screamed and fell to the ground, being attacked relentlessly, he tried to keep running away, not daring to fight back against his old friend. Nonetheless this was a night that had haunted Victor for years to come. He hadn't seen Neo or Ebony since that night, but he had assumed they both defected to become Antitribu, as often hinted by higher up Sabbat officials, as well as the likes of Andrei.

The next three years were also quite eventful. As, for starters, it was the new millennium, and with each new year in the millennium, the Tremere Chantry of two were blessed with three newcomers, but only one of them were a _welcome_ addition.

* * *

"Iphigenia Crystallia?" Victor asked.

"That is correct." Strauss nodded, in his armchair, "She seems to be a rather, resourceful, if not, unorthodox, individual. There was something interesting about her scent when I first met her. She is hardly a stranger to the supernatural, it seems."

"And she has interest in joining our folds?" Victor asked, pacing around, as usual.

He nodded.

" _In_ the pyramid, of course?"

He nodded again, "I will take the measures necessary to get her overseas so that she may drink from the Council of Seven. And we will soon have an apprentice in this Chantry, once again."

Victor nodded back, "Well, then I…welcome her arrival…I suppose…"

"I know the physical and mental wounds of Neo and Ebony's…departure…still burn strong within you…but you must open up your guidance and knowledge to Miss Crystallia…or else history will be doomed to repeat itself…"

He took a deep sigh, "Yes, sir."

* * *

Delilah and Leo's introduction in the clan were a bit less welcome.

Delilah's Embrace came a year after Iphigenia's. She was quite literally found on the streets, passed out, Embraced by an unknown Tremere. As one could imagine, this led to another conference between the Tremere Regent, and the Tremere Magister.

"No. Absolutely not. We must turn her away…" Victor quivered as he paced around, "She cannot be allowed within these walls!"

"Prince LaCroix is not giving me many options in the matter." Strauss said, "He has…continuously noted the…lack of numbers, our Chantry has…he would not be…open to the idea of us rejecting a new member."

"He's worried about our numbers, eh? Maybe I should visit him in his office, boil him alive. That will show him that what we lack in numbers, we make up for in power."

Strauss gave a deep chuckle, "While your words ring true, I'm afraid we will have to appease the Prince, for now."

"But he doesn't understand what has happened to us!" He said, "We cannot let in anyone who is outside of the pyramid, or else we'll end up with more Antitribu! He's thick! Thick! Unbelievably thick!"

"You need to have more faith in your upcoming apprentices."

"You haven't seen her, Strauss." Victor said, "She is…an _exact_ …replica…of Ebony. Of course, her ensemble was red, while Ebony's was black…but…their clothing…it's straight to the T. It…it sounds like some sort of…ritual…gone horribly wrong…we cannot trust this woman!" He whispered the last part.

"Your testimony has been noted, but I will make the judgement for myself, whether or not this young woman poses a threat to the Chantry and the Camarilla."

* * *

When news spread that Delilah Embraced a man named 'Leo', it was a wonder that Victor didn't collapse of insanity right then and there.

"How can you not be seeing this?" Victor asked, pacing quicker than he usually did, "Neo before? And now Leo?"

"Technically, his full name is…Leonardo…" Strauss said quietly.

"I get that! But…but that Delilah! She went out and Embraced him! Illegally! Just like how Neo Embraced Ebony! This…this is trouble…this will not end well! Not well at all!"

"Indeed. Originally, LaCroix would have executed both Delilah and Leonardo for this transgression…but given our…sparse numbers…it seems all he intends to do is slap us on the wrist…"

"What else is new with that one?" Victor asked, "A slap on the wrist is all he _can_ do. No one listens to him. The Sheriff is the only reason he's still in power, at this point…"

"I do find it curious, and disheartening, at the similarities Leonardo and Delilah share with your former comrades." Strauss said, "Perhaps it is fate trying to punish the both of us yet again."

"Whatever it is, we need to actually _do_ something about it." He said, "We need to…stunt their growth, not give them anything too difficult to do, so they do not go power mad and try to kill us all."

"You're suggesting we…ignore them? Give all our attention to Miss Crystallia? Have her rise through the ranks?"

"Yes. That woman is our only hope."

"I suppose we do not have a much better course of action." He mused, "Shall we then called Miss Crystallia our Millennium Miracle?" He added with a smile.

Victor smiled back, "Only time will tell."

* * *

"Hey! Mister!" Lu Fang smacked Victor in the back, "If you going to keep falling asleep on my story, I go somewhere else!"

"Right…sorry…" Victor said, he couldn't blame himself. He saw a lot of himself in this Lu Fang man. Hell, if he aged, he would probably look just as old as him, "So…what is Ji Wen Ja doing now?"

"Ji Wen Ja make phony-baloney fortune-telling boof in marketplace. He no longer hitman, pfft! Con man, low life. Ji Wen Ja. He keep key on him. Always on lookout for Lu Fang."

"Reconcile with your friend. Immediately. You must have been friends together, for years, yes?"

"None of that matter now. Too many years, we grow apart."

"If you do not reconcile, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"Maybe so. But how you can trust man? For whole life, he want to kill Lu Fang! Now different?"

"I have faith you two can work this out…holding a grudge is…well…it's rather unwise, in the case of two friends as dear as you."

"Maybe so. You think Lu Fang want to kill more people? I get away from. Retire."

"Then do what you can to work this out." He smiled.

He thought about it, "You right sir, very honorable. Lu Fang want friend, not more blood. I make good all bad blood from all the years! Ji Wen Ja welcome to Lu Fang! Lu Fang want friend."

He nodded, "I'm glad you've come to that conclusion."

"Ah yes…thank you. Next time you come to bar to see Lu Fang…hopefully, Ji Wen Ja there with drink too."

"Yes…well…I'm glad I could be off help…" He sniffed.

"Huh? What troubles you, stranger? You help Lu Fang with his problem. Let Lu Fang help back."

"I…I might just show myself out…" He stood up and brushed his tears away.

"It a woman?"

He gulped, "Yes."

Lu Fang gave a drunken laugh, "It always a woman!"

"Yes…well…there was a misunderstanding…of sorts…on multiple levels…I…I'm not sure what to do…really…"

"Go to her. Talk to her."

"Really?" He found it funny that Lu Fang was telling him to do the _opposite_ thing that he was planning on.

"Mmm-hmm. Go to her. Talk to her. Have to."

He nodded, "Very well, friend. I will take your advice into consideration." He said, as he left the Red Dragon.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm…wonder what ever became of Neo and Ebony. Thanks for reading!


	78. Chapter 78

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-eight! Hmm, I wonder where all the lemons have been…oh, there they are. Right here. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, there is some steaminess in this chapter, if it's not your cup of tea, then skim over it.

* * *

Her door was unlocked, and she hollered for him to come in, so he did. Most of her lights were off, besides a single light in the kitchen, and a candle in the living room that gave the place a smell of some sort of cinnamon pear scent, perhaps.

"Could you just listen to me for a minute, love? Just…look, just listen, listen…" Was she talking to him? As he walked inside, he saw her leaning against the counter, on the phone, a cigarette between her fingers. It looked like it was lit recently, as she brought it to her lips and cocked her head to the side as whoever was on the phone kept talking.

"As I said, it's nothing against you. No. No. Listen…look, look…" She closed her eyes, then snapped, "Would you listen to me?" When she yelled, her accent was American, "Listen! I don't hate you." She sighed, "I never hated you." She took a puff of her cigarette. "I have to go. I have to go, I have to go. Let me go." She was about to hang up, then she froze, "What? No, you can't. You can't do that…" She paused, "Larry? …Larry?" She shut her phone and turned around, putting the device on the counter and smiling, "It's been a while, dearie, where have you been? Business meeting?"

"One could say so, perhaps." Victor said, "Was that Larry? Fat Larry?"

"Sorry 'bout that, it was nothing." She smothered the cigarette against the tabletop, "How was your meeting? Any Tzimisce?"

He took a shaky sigh, "Venus…I've been thinking…"

Her smile faded a bit, then she raised a brow, "Oh, good lord, what have I done?" She sounded more irritated with herself than sad, "Was it the sex? Sorry I can get a little…wild." She looked back up at him, "I've never been with someone who treated me like a woman, is all."

"No…I…uh…" He was rendered speechless for a moment or two. He had no idea how _obvious_ he made it that he was breaking up with her. (Of course, he's never _dated_ anyone in the first place). The fact that his scarf was still around his neck was no help. As he always took it off when he entered a home or apartment. Always. The fact that he didn't now pretty much signified that he was going to pop in and out, "Perhaps…I should sit…and gather my thoughts…"

"Of course…make yourself at home." She said as she strolled over and sat on the couch. He didn't really take the time to notice she was in an old band tee shirt and a pair of flannel sweatpants, "Is it something with the Regent?"

"No. Strauss and I have been getting along swimmingly…we have been…for the last seventy years…" He said as he sat next to her.

"Well, it wasn't that I was worried about. I was wondering if having a ghoul was becoming a problem."

"No. Your…secretive status…isn't…isn't an issue either." He said, "The other night…just…reminded me…that we're from two different worlds, you and I."

"We are." She crossed her legs, "Are you referring to species or history?"

"Both, in a way." He sighed, "You're a club owner. I spend most my nights sitting in a miniature library. You're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you. I…I'm hideously old…I grew up during the Great Depression…I've been around…too long, some may say…"

"I don't think you've been around too long. But…if you think we should split ways, I'm alright with that. I can understand."

"I have no idea." He buried his face in his hands, "Then I spoke to an intoxicated patron at the Red Dragon for _much_ too long…I'm not sure if he hurt the situation or helped…"

She chuckled softly, "Is there anything you would want to talk to me about?"

"…I liked the sex between us…"

She smirked, "Well that's reassuring. Good to know I'm not completely useless."

"No…that…that isn't what I meant…I…I'm sorry…"

She giggled, "Yes, yes, I know. What's on your mind, love?"

"We're on…completely different speeds in the bedroom…though…that, and we don't know much about each other at all…it…it makes it difficult to found a relationship when you know next to nothing about me and I know next to nothing about you."

She paused, reflecting what he said, then she turned to him, "I was under the impression most of your life was very secretive. I didn't want to pry."

"Yes, then it was my fault." He looked up from his hands, "That's a fair assumption. Forgive me."

"Of course. I'm not upset with you in the slightest."

He closed his eyes, "Why did I even think that in the bar? Why did I think of leaving you? I've only been in here for five minutes, and yet I still find you the most charming person in my life, why would I leave you?"

She giggled and leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, "Well, what is it about me that you want to know?"

"I don't know. Anything." He squeezed her.

"That's a loaded question." She kissed his cheek, "I need more specifics. I'm not going to keep you here until the sun rises and pour my life story onto you."

"Then tell me about your 'business associate' Fat Larry." He said, "I know next to nothing about him. Is he going to send another Anarch to kill me?"

She wrapped an arm around his waist, "No. He isn't thrilled about you, but seeing how unsuccessful he was last time, I'm sure…he'll just move on. He 'donated' some of his funds to my club, I gave him a discount on drinks. He suggested we engage in some sort of…" She groped for words, "Relationship, I suppose you could say. Though I'm sure I wasn't the only woman he was dealing with, I was likely the only one he was paying."

"That explains why he was so eager to kill me."

"Yes…he called me his favorite quite a few times…he's a fan of the…gear."

"Oh…so that's what all of that…equipment was…" He said, "Did…did you…want to do that with me?"

"No…no, you certainly aren't the type for it. It's only fun with someone who I can hate a little bit."

"You'd probably up breaking me in half at the first strike, even if we were."

She giggled, "Yes, you are rather…fragile…" She squeezed him, "That's alright, I like the way we make love."

"As do I." He smiled, then it faded, "Has he left you in a…financial lurch…Venus?"

"Yes…yes he has. He was certainly generous with his payments…and now he's threatened to stop altogether. I'm surprised he hasn't withdrawn from our deal earlier."

He held out a single hundred-dollar bill, spreading it to five in a similar card trick he did to Cressida, "Take it."

She met his gaze, "…why? Don't you…need this?"

"I'm a vampire, silly goose." He bopped her nose, "Take it. I'll bring more tomorrow." He said, "Well…I shouldn't say _tomorrow_ …I'm not sure when I'll see you next. But the next time I do see you, I'll help you out."

She put the money on the table and kissed him, "This relationship feels like it's too good to be true. You give me money and kisses…what sort of payback do I give you?"

"You soothe the newfound aching lust within my entire body. I think it's fair."

"I soothe the lust, hmm?" She put a hand on his chest, "Are you in need of any soothing this minute?"

"I…uh…well, Venus…this isn't easy to say…but when I felt a woman's breasts…down there…it…well…"

"You like my knockers, hmm? They're all yours." She pulled off her shirt, then unfastened her bra and tossed it across the room.

He took his gloves, scarf, coat and suit off, hugging her close and kissing her over and over again, "I…I'll try to be faster this time…"

"Be faster? You can take all the time you need."

"Are you sure? Our speeds…are different…and besides…if I pleasure myself on your breasts…I…leave your area down there…untended…you had to finish yourself off the other night…I felt bad…"

She shrugged, "I had fun."

"Alright…saying all this terminology…isn't really helping my lust…" He grabbed both her breasts and squeezed down hard. She smiled and leaned in to kiss his lips, one hand held the back of his head, and the other rubbed slow circles around his back. He took his pants off next, leaning a bit and kissing one of her boobs, eventually going so far as to stuff some of it in his mouth. Since he didn't have to breathe, there were no limits.

She closed her eyes and groaned, then wrapped her legs around his waist and laid down so he was on top of her. With one of his hands, he massaged the other breast, the one not being sucked into his mouth, and his other hand rubbed the small of her back, as well as her bum. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, then she feverishly reached down and pulled her sweatpants down, no underwear beneath them. Her hands held onto his head as he kept licking away, while her legs squeezed tightly around his waist.

He looked up with a smile, "Do you like that?"

"Victor, I like _everything_ you do…" She said with her own smile.

"Ah, good." He took his front two fingers from each hand and began to massage each inner thigh, "What about down here? Is it…nice and satisfied?"

She closed her eyes as goosebumps covered her skin, "Oh god…yes…yes please…stay there…"

"Hmm? You mean this?" He pressed at her inner thighs.

Her head rolled over to the side as she groaned, "Please…fuck me Victor…"

"Ooh, that's nice, hearing you beg." He pulled his underwear off, reanimating the blood through his system via Blood Buff to get his member perked up.

Her nails dug into his shoulders and her eyes shut tightly as he pushed himself into her. He gave a light groan as he squeezed himself over her, thrusting again and again at passionate, yet gentle intervals, simply giving her a hug as the process carried on. She left a trail of kisses on his throat, occasionally biting down on his shoulder if he hit a particularly deep spot or kept up a rapid speed. Her voice carried through the entire flat, especially once she hit her climax.

Her breathing was ragged over his shoulder, "You don't know what you do to me…"

"Is that so…?" He gave her a kiss, "I thought I was just a silly little string-bean in a suit…"

"You're…the hottest string-bean in the bunch…" She smiled and squeezed him, "Who should probably go back to his Chantry before I ask for another serving…"

"No, no, I'm sleeping with you tonight…" He squeezed her back, "And…and…if I ever…talk about leaving you…again…just…just…" He paused, "Slap me. Alright?"

"Fair enough." She held his face, "I forgot to ask. I…uh…I've been having a craving for you."

"Hmm? Oh, right…" He got up and fumbled around his jacket pockets, "Where is that…? Oh, here it is…" He pulled his knife out and slit his wrist, "Here you are." He cuddled closely with her again.

She crawled into his lap and drank from his wrist, closing her eyes as she rested her head against his chest.

"Better?"

She licked her lips, "Much better." She squeezed herself around him, "You must be tired now…"

"Yes…well, goodnight love…" He squeezed her.

"Goodnight Victor…"

* * *

"Anastasia? You home?" Skelter knocked on her door, ignoring the glare he received from an elderly neighbor who hobbled into her room, greeted by the sounds of meowing cats.

Anastasia answered the door, "Hi."

"Hey." He smiled, it was a worried smile, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Did you…wanna swing by my place? Or I could just get out of your face…"

"Yeah, let's go." She said, shutting the door behind herself.

The elevator ride down was quiet, until he said, "Your brother seems like a nice kid." He looked over at her, "None of us would be mad at you for leaving, if that's what you're worried about. I know you're torn up about it."

"Of course I am. I don't want to leave the Anarch movement high and dry." She said, "Not after what happened to Lark. And Nines."

"Alright…" He said, "We're behind whatever choice you make."

As they got out and entered Skelter's beat up truck, he flicked the radio on as they started driving, some metal music started playing, but he kept it somewhat low so they could talk, "My new place is even further away."

She smiled, "You really are a Gangrel drifter, aren't you?"

He chuckled, "I needed to uh…get rid of some evidence. I didn't want to tell anyone, but I think I can trust you to keep quiet."

"This sounds concerning…"

"Don't tell any of the Anarchs. And do not tell your brother. Even if they offer to get you the best type of blood in the world, please do not tell a soul."

"What did you do?"

His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, "So…you know that Brujah Primogen who kicked the bucket?"

"Yeah…Rush…something or other…"

"Yeah…may or may not have…had a hand in that."

"You killed him?"

"Threw his ashes on the bed, scratched up a suicide note, investigations came up empty. I don't know how the hell I did it, but it's done. Someone already bought the old house with all the blood in the basement…don't know how that wasn't a red flag but…" He shrugged. "For now, I'm in the clear."

"But that's how Nines ended up in Griffith Park…" She said, through clenched teeth, "If they find out that it was you…"

"Then I'm just as fucked as Nines is." He said, "My goal wasn't to kill him. I had him tied up, I was gonna use him to get Nines back. Then he pissed me off and…" He sighed, "Beast took over. Beast wasn't as tolerable with him as I was."

"You need to be careful…you can't just…keep giving your humanity the middle finger like that."

"I know…" He sounded pretty upset, "It's not exactly easy to get back…"

"No…it isn't…" She said, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so hard on you. I just care about you."

"It's alright, I get it. I need that kinda voice of reason more often than you'd think. Since then I've been a little more careful…I'm not gonna screw up like that again." He looked over at her for a second, "Thanks for not freaking out about it."

"Anything for you, James."

He swallowed hard and sped up a bit, "So…uh…you wanna do training with Protean first, or Animalism?"

"Protean." She said, "I'm sorry…but…I'm sick and tired of being…the…the weird…hairy lady…with sharp nails…I need to do a full-body transfer…I need to be like you…"

"Well, I'll do everything I can to help you then." He said as he narrowed his eyes, "Tryin' to think of something we could use as a dummy…considering you tried to take my eyes out last time."

"You can help me with Animalism after I master Protean." She smiled, "I'd like that."

"Alright, good." He nodded, "Animalism's good for if you're outnumbered, like the other night."

"I know…it seems like a really good discipline…all the Gangrel disciplines are good…I just…I need to finish what I've started…"

"Makes sense to me. Man, if you concentrated on perfecting Fortitude and Protean…I don't think _anybody_ could hurt you."

"Did you want help with Fortitude?"

"I don't know how we could really train with that…unless you just…shot me up like a target until the bullets stopped hurting."

"I don't know…I just…life weights, and do sit-ups…pull-ups…pretty sure that helps…"

"I guess I'll keep working on that stuff." He said as they pulled into the driveway. He got out and looked around, "Not a neighbor in sight. Nice and quiet."

"I see, _very_ fit for a Gangrel." She said as she got out.

He walked over to the yard and pulled his shirt off, "Jeez, it's hot out, what is it, February?" He pulled the guns from his pockets and threw them aside, "I guess this side of the state's a lot warmer…that's gonna take some getting used to…"

"California itself is pretty warm." She shrugged, "You go a bit further up north, then it starts to get cold."

"Yeah, Chicago could get cold too, that's half the reason I like it down here. I always hated the cold." He turned around and faced her, "Alright, so I guess we'll just fight each other like last time. Maybe I'll see if I have any goggles."

"I…I don't know about that…" She said, "I…I kinda still feel weird…from the other night…can we just talk?"

"Oh…yeah, sure…" He said before he picked his guns up from the ground, "Did you want to go inside? Actually, that was a dumb question, never mind."

"If you want to go inside, we can go inside."

"Nah, it's fine, I know you like it out here." He pulled his shirt on and sat up against the wall, "So what's up?"

"I…I don't know…" She leaned against the wall beside him. She closed her eyes, taking her shoes off, then she opened them again, "I…I just like this. This…this is peaceful…"

"Peace and quiet? Yeah, so do I." He sighed, "If Nines dies, I decided I'm just…gonna be Independent. No reason in being an Anarch with a bunch a' hooligans who don't get it." He looked over at her, "Well, besides you."

"You'd…stop being an Anarch if Nines died?"

"I thought about it. Maybe I'd move to another state, I dunno. Jack's an ancient asshole, Damsel bitches at me all the time, Killian hates me for whatever godforsaken reason…they never really liked me much. I wouldn't want to get in their way."

"I'd really miss you if you left…then I'd be the only Gangrel in the Last Round…"

"Well…then I'll stick around. As long as you'd be there to keep an ounce of my sanity."

"Maybe I'll keep more than that." She smiled, putting a hand on his face and kissing him. He was already leaning against the wall, so she pressed herself against him, running a hand up his shirt.

His eyes widened before he kissed her back and closed his eyes, gently putting a hand on the small of her back. When the kiss ended, seemed stunned, "I…I thought you weren't interested…I…I thought after that fight with Killian, you were pissed at us…"

"Yeah well, then you told me about how you killed the Brujah Primogen, and it made me really wet."

He shook his head, "I thought I smelled something…" He muttered before he held her cheek and kissed her back, "Damsel figures out about this and she's gonna chew me a new ear. Probably gonna think I threatened you at gunpoint."

"She doesn't have to know. None of them do. We can keep this a secret from the Last Round. If…if you want." She said, "That just…sounds like something you'd be worried about…"

He chuckled, "You know me too well." He looked up at the stars, "So…then…what about Cadmus?"

"What about him?"

"I dunno…I…I thought you might wanna leave with him at some point…"

"I…I don't know what to do about him…if…if he figures out about us…he'll be pissed…but, he may be Camarilla…but…he has friends…" She smiled, "So I'm happy for him."

"Yeah, it's good you're not the only thing holding him together. But I'm sure he still thinks about you a lot. The other night, I saw how well you two fought together…" He shook his head, "Just sucks that the Jyhad's the only thing keeping you apart."

"Maybe I could talk him into being an Anarch." She said, "He hates LaCroix as much as we do."

"I don't think Jack would like that."

"…oh yeah…damn it…"

He sighed, "We'll figure it out. If he's as strong as you are, then he's not going anywhere." She smiled, then she kissed him again, pressing her body up against him. He kissed her back with the same intensity, one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist, "Guess it's kinda like riding a bike, huh?" He said, "Unless I'm shit at kissing."

She kissed him harder, unzipping the back of her dress a bit. He rubbed her arms, "You really wanna do it that badly? I got a bed upstairs that's a little less splintery than this wall…"

"I mean, would you rather wait? It's up to you, I just got turned on by that murder you were talking about."

"I just wouldn't want you to regret any of this…"

"I wouldn't."

He kissed her again, then scooped her up into his arms, "Well, I'm not gonna keep you waiting then." He carried her around the back and inside. The place looked a little tidier than the last one, a bit smaller but a bit newer. She was hardly focused on the house though, as he took her upstairs and into the bedroom, "You get in trouble somewhere, you come here." He gently set her down on the bed, then took his shirt off, "You need to take care of someone, do it here. No one will see or hear you for miles."

"I like that." She threw her dress off, "So you can take care of me and I can scream as loud as I want."

"Yeah I…" His eyes raked over her body, "Guess that's…another perk…jeez, that had to hurt like a bitch." He eyed the tattoo.

"Hopefully you plowing me will hurt more."

"You're too good at this." He took his boots and pants off, then sat on the edge of the bed next to her, putting an arm around her waist and kissing her. She sighed and kissed him back, laying back on the bed. He pulled himself over top of her, kissing her neck and throat while slowly gliding his hand up and down her stomach, "…certainly didn't think this was gonna happen tonight…but, you're not gonna hear me complaining…"

"If it makes you uncomfortable…" She sighed, "We don't have to…I don't want to…like…scar you…or something…"

"No, of course not…" He kissed her lips, then reached back and gently unfastened her bra, "I've had sex before, Anastasia, I just thought I blew my chances with you a while ago."

"We'll have to wait and see about that." She said, throwing her bra off.

He eyed her chest, especially the snake head, "Shit, that's hot…" He gently rubbed her breasts, then leaned in and kissed one. She squeezed him, letting out a small groan as she wrapped her legs around him. He looked back at her legs and rubbed her thighs before he crawled back a bit and started kissing her inner thigh, his hands rubbing at her ankle, "I oughta get you a new pair a shoes so you don't damn near break your ankles all the time…cause this…" He slid his hands up the backs of her thighs and squeezed her rear, "This is perfect, with or without 'em."

She groaned, "You really think I should ditch the heels?"

"I don't want you to hurt yourself." He started tending to the other leg, kissing her knee and rubbing her other ankle.

She shuddered and moaned, spreading her legs a little as her hips quivered, "I'll…I can run out and buy something…" She screamed, "For myself…I'm still loaded from…" She gasped, "That…one job I did…"

He sighed and slowly slid her panties down, rubbing her hips to ease some of the tension. Then he leaned in and kissed the underside of one of her breasts, the hand that wasn't holding him up was caressing the other breast.

She let out another scream, "James…" She would whisper occasionally, spreading her legs and showing him how ready she was.

"Goddamn…" He pulled his underwear off, "You're gonna get it…I knew telling you that was dangerous…" His blood pumped through his veins again before he slid his member up against her slit and kissed her throat, "I wanna hear it again…"

"What's that…your name…?" She panted, "You'll be hearing it a lot…in a second or two…"

"I'd better." He propped himself up on his forearms as he slowly plunged into her, closing his eyes, "Shit…you weren't kidding…"

She gently sighed, spreading her legs and accepting him a bit more freely. She sighed his name over and over again, wrapping her arms around his back and letting him penetrate her as hard as he wanted, occasionally urging him to go deeper.

When she wasn't sighing his name, he was pressing his lips to hers, following whatever tempo she set. Whenever she'd ask for more, or ask him to go deeper, he'd reach down and pull one of her thighs up to change the angle. He leaned in and hissed in her ear, "Come for me, Anastasia…let it out…"

"I've been…" She screamed, "Coming since I was riding in your bumpy ass…" She groaned, "Truck…"

"Fuck…" He grunted out as he saw stars when she clamped down around his member. His fingers squeezed her hip and he grit his teeth as he gave one last powerful thrust. When he opened his eyes again and saw her spent on his bed, he rolled over beside her and held her tight.

She hugged him back, "Alright…I'm gonna go into torpor…for ten years…now…"

"Good….then I did my job…" He kissed her cheek, "Sorry if my back feels like sandpaper…"

"It…it's fine…I forgive you…"

He grabbed the blanket at the foot of the bed and pulled it up, "You…get some rest…I'll…I'll do the same…"

"Okay…night James…"

He gave her a squeeze, "Night Anastasia…"

* * *

Cadmus's trip up to his room was interrupted by crying. He had no idea who it belonged to, but he followed the source, and he saw Miranda leaning against the wall in the one of the hallways, sobbing.

"Hey, Miranda?" Cadmus asked, "What's wrong?"

Miranda tried to compose herself, brushing her tears away, but it was no good, "Nothing…"

"Come on, what happened?"

"…LaCroix…"

"Aw, Jesus…what happened with him?" He asked, "Why do let the shit he does get to you so much?"

"I…I don't know…" She cried.

"Is it something about the sarcophagus?"

"No…" She let out a sob, "He…he…I suppose Gary sent him the naked pictures of me…"

"Oh…" He swallowed hard, "Well…uh…yeah…I can't imagine he was too happy about that…"

"Why? Why does he berate me so…and yet…people like you can walk around just fine, even though you clearly don't support him!"

"Ouch…okay, going to tackle one issue at a time here…look…he's not almighty Prince LaCroix…alright?" He asked, "He's just some idiot who was sent to drown out here in Anarch infested waters. What he thinks of you and me doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. He'll get his one day, alright? He treats too many around here like shit. Especially you. He's got some nerve to do that."

"Especially me…?"

"Yeah. You're one of his most loyal protectors. For him to send off on you, it's horrible, no matter what it was about."

"But…but he's right…I'm just…just a pervert…"

"Whatever, we all have our own weaknesses." He shrugged, "So you're…flirtatious…it shouldn't matter. Nor should LaCroix's opinion of it matter. He won't stay Prince for long."

She brushed more tears away, hugging him, "Thank you, Cadmus. You're…you're a good friend…"

If she kept that up, _she_ was going to make _him_ cry, "Friend…you…you see me as a friend…even though I'm…kinda an asshole?"

"Like you said, we all have our weaknesses." She gave a teary smile, "I'll see you later, Cadmus."

He nodded, heading for his room again, as Miranda headed to hers, he bumped into a figure on the way, however.

"You should watch where you're going, boy." A wiry voice said, before he smirked, "I heard your little, lover's reunion over there."

Cadmus frowned, not bothering to dignify the second part with a response, "I doubt you heard much."

"I heard enough to know that you're up to no good." Mister Constantine snickered.

"Then if I'm no good, why the hell did you Embrace me?" He snapped, "Eh, _sire?_ "

He laughed a bit more, "Because it was a means to an end. You've been plaguing our organization for years as your stupid stint as a hunter. So I did what any Kindred would do to their natural nemesis, the hunter. Something worse than death. I made you _become_ one of us. And my efforts were well appreciated. You see, not long after your Embrace, was I promoted to Primogen, of the Ventrue Clan, here in Los Angeles."

His eye twitched, "I can't imagine you were promoted while I was a messed-up fledgling, still trying to kill you guys anyway, and getting threatened with the Sheriff's ridiculously big buster sword every other week."

"No, of course not." He scowled, "I wasn't promoted until you finally behaved yourself. I looked like a fool! They all thought I was an idiot for turning you! But luckily, you stuck out in the end."

"Maybe next time, instead of Embracing someone against their will, you should, I don't know, _work_ for your promotion. Doesn't seem too hard. Not for a brown-noser like you, at least."

"It matters not. The other Primogen and I know of your fate already." He chuckled, "Soon, LaCroix will send you out somewhere that you'll never come back from. And soon we'll all be done with you."

"Oh, great, so even the fucking _Primogen_ know that LaCroix is basically trying to kill me on suicide missions?"

"The smart ones, anyway."

"And who's that? You and LaCroix?"

"You would do best to stay out of my way, boy."

"Pfft, you're the one who's blocking the way to my room."

Cadmus and Mister Constantine glared at one another. One wore all black, the other all white, one had black hair, one was blonde. If their color schemes didn't give away that the two were enemies, nor their mannerisms, it was certainly their circumstances. Cadmus and Mister Constantine split off, and Cadmus finally entered his room, slamming the door behind him.

Angelique put her glass of chocolate milk down, she was sitting at the table by herself, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah…I guess…" He sighed as he sat across from her, "The…upper levels of Venture Tower were…very crowded today…"

"Were they?" She asked, "I could go clear them out for you."

"It's fine…I ran into Miranda first…she was crying about something." He said, "Apparently LaCroix yelled at her for something…which…is kinda stupid…because she's the only one who gives a damn about him…"

"Guess he wants mutiny."

"Then I ran into my damn sire. I don't know what the hell he was doing so close to my room…"

"Your sire?"

He nodded, "Yeah, the Ventrue Primogen, Gerald Constantine, he's my sire. Did it for the good of company, he says…cause I was a hunter before all this went down so…win-win, for him…"

"Pfft. He should have been executed for that, illegal siring. If the Prince is gonna make rules, he should stop bending them around for everyone."

"Well…maybe in my case, he actually got permission, who the hell knows…all I know is that it pisses me off, because if I knew that it was going to be my last day being human…I don't know…"

"Yeah, I get it. I'll do what I can to help him find his grave. With you." She stood up to rinse her glass out.

He gave a small smile, "Yeah, we'll just have to be careful. Given his position, I think a few people would notice if he…suddenly disappeared…"

"Yeah, good point. We'll…we'll have to wait for the right time."

There was a pause, "I think it's only a matter of time before Anastasia comes to her senses about all this."

"You're making a breakthrough?" She asked, "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know…I think she finally realized that all the other Anarchs are assholes…"

"Good…good. Then she'll break away soon…what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do if she breaks away?"

"Leave." He said, "Well, as soon as I figure out how the hell to kill Caesar…"

"…and…and I get to come, right?" She turned around and faced him, looking worried.

He smiled, "Of course you would. Why wouldn't you?"

"I don't know…" She said, then she walked over and hugged him.

He hugged her back, "Of course, I wouldn't be able to do any of this shit without you."

"Did you want to go out on another raid at some point?"

He squeezed her, but either he didn't know his own strength, or he underestimated how tiny she was, but she fell right into his lap. It didn't seem to bother him, however, "Maybe…but not tonight. I'm exhausted…I was out hunting for Sabbat in that abandoned library. Apparently Caesar was right and he did bring more of his clan around. I was able to kill one of them, with my sister. We make a pretty good team."

She situated herself so she was sitting in his lap, "That's good, then…you two should be fine then, once you break away. And…I'll help too…when I can."

"Thanks Angelique."

"Uh huh." She said, then she reached up and kissed his lips quickly, "Of course."

He gave her a squeeze, "I'll keep you safe too. But…I mean…between the haircut, the change of clothes…and the contacts, I think you're basically home free…"

"Me too." She giggled, "I can always switch it up _again_ if it comes to it."

"That's true." He said, "You look pretty like this, though."

Her cheeks turned a little pink, "Thanks."

He kissed one of her cheeks, "I think I might head to bed."

"I probably should too…" She said, then she stood up so he could get up, "Night Cadmus."

"Goodnight Angelique."

* * *

 **A/N:** Almost one for each scene, but Cadmus and Angelique are both too nervous for that. Thanks for reading!


	79. Chapter 79

**A/N:** Here's chapter seventy-nine! Getting Pisha a body was a little too much work…let's see what alternative Miranda decides upon.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, Miranda exists…so, if you're not a fan of the rowdiness, skim over the last scene.

* * *

There was a knock on the Chantry doors.

It peeked open, the pair was greeted by a ruby red eye, and fingertips painted red that gripped the edge of the door, "Greetings. Mister Vanderbilt, Miss Frost. Is there anything we can do for you?" Her voice was smooth, deep, and unfaltering.

"Yeah, I just need to see Victor." Cadmus said.

"And perhaps your Regent." Miranda said, "If he has the time to do so."

"Very well. Come in." She stepped back so they had room to enter, then closed and locked the door, "If you'll allow me, I'll bring you to the Regent's room."

"I just need to see Victor." Cadmus said, trying to find his way around by himself.

Miranda rolled her eyes, "Cadmus!" She said, then she gave an apologetic bow to the girl, "Forgive me…we'll…see ourselves to Mister Madison…first…"

"Of course. If you find yourselves lost, call and I will find you."

"Yes, of course." Miranda said, following Cadmus, "She was just trying to help, you know."

"Yeah, but you want to see Strauss, not me." Cadmus said, barging into Victor's room, "There he is. What can I say, tenth time the charm."

Victor put his book down, "Miss Frost, Mister Vanderbilt…such a welcome surprise." He smiled and held his hands out, "I haven't seen the two of you since the Nosferatu Warrens." He said, "Or, shall I dispense the formalities of referring to you by your surnames?"

Miranda smiled, "It's good to see you again, Victor."

Iphigenia put her book down, "Frost and Vanderbilt. You must be LaCroix's prime agents, I recognize those names."

"Yeah, who are you?" Cadmus looked at her.

"This is Iphigenia Crystallia." Victor smiled, "She is one of our most skilled apprentices. I am quite proud of all the time and work I've put into her tutelage."

Miranda smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, if you're _half_ as strong as Victor, then I better stay on your good side!" Cadmus laughed.

Iphigenia chuckled, "Oh, really, I'm not nearly as powerful as he is…unfortunately, Mister Madison has the habit of making me out to be the most promising Tremere alive." She smirked at Victor before she turned back to Cadmus and Miranda, her eyes especially lingering on Miranda, "If you'd like, I could depart, if this conversation is private."

"I don't care." Cadmus shrugged, after exchanging a glance with Miranda.

"Yes, let us get to business." Victor said, "What caused you two to seek me out, hmm?"

"I got questions." He said, "And lots of 'em. About Caesar."

"Caesar…?" Victor asked, "Why is that name not ringing a bell…hmm…oh! Right! The LaSombra we fought in King's Way!"

"LaSombra?" Cadmus's eyes widened with both surprise and joy, "What…what is a LaSombra? What does it do? What are its powers? Weaknesses? Tell me everything you know."

He was very lucky Victor liked to hear himself talk, to explain things. "The LaSombra are a…cunning clan, who usually govern the Sabbat with the Tzimisce as the Ventrue govern the Camarilla, it's a signal of the rivalry these two clans hold. The LaSombra hate the Venture as much as the Tzimisce hate the Tremere."

He nodded, "What's their clan weakness?"

"The LaSombra cannot hold a reflection in a mirror, in addition, they are very sensitive to light, especially those who revel in their shadow powers."

Another nod, "Damn it…those weaknesses are too specific, what are their disciplines?"

"Potence, Dominate, and Obtenebration. The last one of course being their trademarked Discipline, able to bend darkness and shadow at their will."

"Yeah…see, Caesar…can make this…shadow armor…sort of…"

"Ah, yes, the Tenebrous Form. That armor is so tough that it can only be broken by fire, sunlight, or magic."

"Hmm…fire…" He thought about it for a bit, "Alright, no further questions."

"That's it?" Miranda asked, "That's all you came here for?"

"I want to kill Caesar. Knowing what the hell he _is_ helps."

"Right, then I shall head to Mister Strauss, and ask my questions…unless you know what this is, Victor." Miranda half unsheathed her sword.

Victor blinked, "See…blades are not my area of expertise."

"Very well. I'm off to Strauss." Miranda said, Cadmus following her.

"I could take you there, if you wish." Iphigenia said, "It's…quite literally a maze, the way there."

Cadmus nodded, "Thanks."

Strauss arose from his armchair once he saw Iphigenia lead in the visitors, "Miss Frost, Mister Vanderbilt, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Sir, I just had a few questions." She pulled her sword out, making Strauss back away a few steps, until she said, "Could you examine this blade for me?"

"Of course." Strauss held his hands out, as Miranda handed the sword to him. He felt the blade with his gloved hands, "Ah…I see, one as powerful as yourself, carrying a blade like this, it is of no surprise to me."

She smiled, "Well, thank you, sir."

"This is a weapon of the True Black Hand. It has been cursed for centuries, and as such it carries much more bite than a traditional Japanese katana."

"Jeez…True Black Hand…what the hell is that?" Cadmus said.

"Pisha was telling me something similar." Miranda mused, "That it was an ancient weapons, capable of taking out extremely lower generation vampires."

"Might I ask who this Pisha is?" Strauss asked.

"She…she was a vampire…who…who eats flesh…"

"What the hell?" Cadmus asked.

"Ah, a Nagaraja…it's curious to think that one of them would be here in the new world…" Strauss mused, "Nevertheless, her words ring true, and it's very possible that she may have in fact belonged to the True Black Hand."

"But what is the True Black Hand?" Cadmus asked.

"A very old, and ancient group, dedicated to their own salvation from Gehenna." Strauss said, "Although most of those from the ancient order now lie in secrecy, in other factions, such as the Sabbat, the Anarchs, or our very own Camarilla…"

"She mentioned something about a Week of Nightmares?" Miranda asked.

"Ah, yes…it is supposed that this was the time when the Ravnos Antediluvian rose from its torpor, and began a great war with the Kuei-Jin, increasing the lethality of its childer by tenfold, and giving them amazing psychic power. This ultimately backfired, however, one the Ravnos Antediluvian was killed, as the power given to the Ravnos Clan was too much to handle. They went mad, and devoured their clan mates in a cannibalistic fury. Now, there are only whispers of the clan left."

Cadmus blinked, "I don't even know what the hell any of these clans are, anymore."

"Well, you heard Strauss, there are barely any Ravnos left…" Miranda said, then she smiled, "Well, I appreciate you looking at my sword sir, I am glad it was as powerful as I first thought it was."

"Of course, I hope you two have a pleasant evening." Strauss bowed, as the two Ventrue began to make their exit.

Iphigenia led them out, then turned at the exit, looking at Miranda, "You wouldn't happen to be busy this evening, would you? I was just…wondering if, perhaps, you'd like to grab drinks with me."

Miranda smiled, waiting for Cadmus to leave her company, "Iphigenia, right? I think, we should get to know each other better at my room. Would you like me to escort you up Venture Tower?"

It had to be too good to be true. She was flipping a coin to see if Miranda even liked women, a weighted coin, really. And yet, it seemed Miranda even skimmed right over drinks, "I would be honored." Was it a trick? A trap? Well, she was armed, at least.

Miranda smiled as she led the way into Venture Tower, assuring Chunk that Iphigenia was not only a friend, but an honored guest. Once they entered her room, she poured a red liquid into a pair of wine glasses, sitting on one end of the table, while providing an empty seat and a drink for Iphigenia, "I haven't seen you around much." She mused, "You must spend a lot of time in the Chantry."

"Mmm hmm." Iphigenia slowly took a seat, wondering how it was possible for it to be this easy, "Occasionally I go out and perform tasks with Mister Madison, but as of late, I've been doing quite a bit of research." She wasn't ready to tell Miranda about her family, she wasn't ready to throw their existence onto LaCroix desk, "I've been rather behind with my Thaumaturgy."

"That's a rather powerful discipline, or blood magic, I should say." She said as she took a sip of her glass, "I've seen Victor dismantle many powerful Tzimisce creations with ease, regardless of their size or power."

"Mmm hmm." She picked up the drink and took a sniff, sensing that it was clear as she took a sip. It was easily the best thing she ever drank, it must have been blue blood, "I've found myself in a bit of trouble with the Prince about it." She crossed her legs, "After I lost a good deal of my physical strength, seems I relied so strongly on the blood magic, I cast the Masquerade aside. Luckily, since the incident, I've restored my record."

"I've never broken the Masquerade. Was it a pain to get redeemed?"

"It was a bit difficult, but Mister Madison helped considerably. So." She smiled and leaned in, swirling the contents of her glass around as she rested her head on the other hand, "Tell me about yourself."

"Me? Well, I've been in the Camarilla since the nineties, gradually rising up through the ranks to become one of LaCroix's prime agents with Cadmus." She crossed her legs, "Of course, I'm still trying to find my footing in California, I'm sure you're the same. We've only been here two years, but I was in New York for about twelve. What can I say? The back-to-back tasks provides a somewhat entertaining source of peaceful monotony."

"Mmm, I can imagine." She said, "I can't help but respect you, I've only been involved in the Jyhad for…four years? It already drives me mad." She said quietly, "You must be incredibly strong."

She smiled, "Yes. You're right. Most of it comes from my sword, but, you were there for Strauss's diagnosis about it."

"Mmm, of course. But, I was referring to your mind." She smiled back.

"Thank you. Yes, being thrown into one battle after another forces one to more or less develop a strategic mind for combat."

She finished her drink, "So…I'm going to be direct with you, because I've wasted enough of my life beating around the bush." She sat up with a smirk, "Are you interested in me, or is this some sort of ruse? Or, I should say, are you interested in women, or are you trying to axe me?"

She tilted her head to the side, "Killing you would serve no purpose, aside from being killed by your fellow Tremere, and tricking you would be cruel, not to mention tricking Tremere neonates flies into the face of my duties for LaCroix. I wouldn't do that."

"Right…" Sighed through her nose, seeming to relax considerably, "I didn't necessarily…get along with Mister LaCroix in our meeting…I wasn't sure if he wanted to…kill me."

"Did you do something to offend him?"

"I…existed?" She raised a brow, "I'm…a black woman? Who's a Tremere?" She sat back, "When I entered his room, the look he gave me was…punishing…it was heartless…and the way he spoke to me, he acted like I was a child…I…" She shook her head, "I've said too much…"

"No…you see, recently…he and…have…run afoul…due to my personal life…"

"Is that so?" She raised a brow, "What does he have to do with your personal life?"

"Oh…it…it's nothing…I'd rather not talk about it…it…it is a very…sensitive issue…in fact, if Cadmus did not reassure me about it, I would still be quite broken up about it."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" She said, "I think we should…take our minds off of the politics. Talk about something more…relaxing, for both of us."

"You'll have to forgive me." Miranda said, "That's…been my entire life…for decades now…I can scarcely imagine a world without the Jyhad." She sighed, "Depressing, isn't it?"

Iphigenia nodded, eyeing around the room, "I stepped into this life as a type of escape for my life as kine…it's only caused more chaos…I had no idea how hectic it really was…"

"Yes, quite…it's a four-way war…five if you count the hunters. Being Kindred may protect us from certain human problems…but we are granted with a horde of new problems."

"Mmm…" She leaned in and uncrossed her legs, "So…you and Cadmus…?"

"Hmm? Oh, we're associates, and nothing more." She smiled, "I…have tried, but I doubt he thinks about women anymore, after his dead wife."

"Ah, I see…he's honorable, then." She said, then she gave an almost timid smirk, "You'll have to forgive me, there was just something about you when I first saw you…" She crossed her legs again, "I felt like my heart would beat again, like it would race out of my chest."

"Yes, a typical reaction from Kindred and kine alike to my appearance." She gave a deep chuckle, "You however, are more enticing than most people I've fed from for the past ten years."

"Oh, I'm flattered." Iphigenia's grin was devious, "It isn't every day I find myself with women who are both gorgeous _and_ intellectual…"

"Intellectual, why thank you." This genuinely flattered her, especially after LaCroix's row with her, "Dear me, you're making me feel…things…I hadn't thought possible…"

"Is that so?" Iphigenia said, "Why don't you…" Her yellow eyes landed on the surface of the counter before she looked up with a smile on her black lips, "Show me the couch…?"

"No, no, you get to see my bedroom." She smiled as she took her socks off, "We'll sleep together once I'm finished examining your body."

"Oh, that sounds simply enchanting…" Iphigenia stood up, "I think my blood's running warm again…"

"Wonderful." Miranda stood up and led the way, entering her dark purple, Victorian age bedroom, "I hope it's too your liking."

Iphigenia looked around, her eyes wide, "It's gorgeous…" Really, she was astounded. Really, she only ever visited places so extravagant when she was alive, when she was taken to dinner with 'guests'.

She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the rope on her kimono so it would come undone, leaving her entire body out for show, "I'm ready whenever you are."

Iphigenia eyed her over, "You're…you're simply stunning…" She smiled before she stepped forward and gently rested her hands on Miranda's waist, kissing her lips gently.

She kissed her back, hugging her softly, "You're quite beautiful too. I can imagine your life has been dominated by people telling you otherwise, but they're wrong." She smiled.

Iphigenia seemed touched, "Thank you…" She whispered, before she kissed Miranda's lips again and rubbed her shoulders.

Miranda leaned back until she was laying on her pillow, with Iphigenia on top of her, "Relax, dear." She rubbed her back, hugging her dearly.

Iphigenia nodded and closed her eyes, hugging her back, before she reached back and unfastened her bralette, taking it off and tossing it aside.

"Your sense of fashion is…impeccable…I really like it…it's truly one of a kind…" She squeezed her, "It's so…jaded and mysterious…it really turns me on."

Iphigenia smiled and kissed her harder, reaching forward and gently rubbing Miranda's breasts, "Thank you." She said softly, leaning in again and kissing her collarbone.

She gave a light groan, "That feels nice…" She trembled, wrapping her legs around her.

Iphigenia gently brushed a strand of Miranda's hair from her face, "Is there anything you'd like for me to do?"

"I have no preference. This is about you." She gave her a squeeze, "Would you like me to pleasure you first?"

Iphigenia squeezed her back, "That…that would be lovely…"

"Very well." She smiled, flipping so Iphigenia was on the bottom. She kissed her feverishly, massaging her breasts with both hands and suggestively humping her waist.

Iphigenia closed her eyes and let out a loud groan, gripping the sheets tightly, "Oh god…you're incredible…" She reached up and held the back of Miranda's head with one of her hands and kissed her back just as hungrily.

"I'm just getting started." She whispered in her ear, rubbing her thumbs over her nipples.

Iphigenia bit her bottom lip and gripped the blankets again, wrapping her legs around Miranda's waist tightly, "Dear god…"

"Hold on…" She backed away, taking Iphigenia's pants off, she rubbed up her rear next, kissing her stomach passionately.

Iphigenia froze like a stone, she let out a quiet gasp as her hands came down and she covered her inner thighs.

Miranda backed away, "What…what did I do? Did I cross a boundary?" She swallowed hard and backed away, "What happened?"

Iphigenia swallowed hard and shook her head, scooting back a bit, "No…no…you didn't…you didn't do anything, dear…" She said as she moved her hands away slowly, "I…I forgot…" There were scars there, too many to count, going down from the line of her panties to about halfway down her thighs.

"Goodness…" She said, "Is…is this something you wanted to talk about?"

"I…" She tried to fight the tears that welled up in her eyes, but lost miserably, "I've never…I've never slept with a woman before…" The 'tough guy' act was dead. She felt every wall in her mind come crumbling down, she felt a wave of raw sorrow flush over her mind, consuming all sense of reason, "I've never found a woman before…I've never…" She held her forehead, "I've…been pretending to be a man my entire human life just…just so I could make enough money to support my family…and find a woman…but…" She trailed off and wiped her tears away, "It became too much…I was so weak back then…that's…when I started fighting…"

Miranda skittered off to put her robe back on, then she sat beside Iphigenia and hugged her, "Fighting?" She asked.

Iphigenia shuddered, "Boxing…I'm…not sure if you've ever heard of…Iggy Crystallia…you didn't grow up around here, I'm sure you wouldn't know…it was my alias…I was…quite popular…"

"So you, pretended to be a man in order to support your family?"

"Yes…" She sniffed, "I still can't afford them…the lights got turned off the other night…Mister Madison has been paying me like…like some sort of charity…I'm just incapable of providing for anyone, not even myself…"

"I could lend you a helping hand." She offered, "You sound as though you could use the help."

She gave a shaky sigh, "No…no, you've made it clear that you've been going through…many troubles with the Prince…I can manage…I…" She pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'm sorry, that was…completely inappropriate of me to just….break down like this…I've just…never had someone…see me the way you have…I've never been beautiful or attractive…"

"But…you are both of those things…Iphigenia…there are times when we experience weakness…and we need to seek the help of others in order to recover. I don't know what role you have in your family, but you can't just…constantly be a strong-willed…emotionless husk…forever…you need to let others in."

Iphigenia met her eyes, they still watered a bit, "But…I can't let them down…my…my sisters…I don't have time to be weak…"

"Sisters?" Miranda smiled and gave her a squeeze, "I'm sure they love you. I'm sure they appreciate all the help you've given them."

She shook her head and squeezed her tighter, "They don't even know…" She whimpered, "They don't even know that we're not…even slightly related…It feels like they're…they're my adopted children or something…they would be dead without me, they're completely incapable of functioning alone…"

"What happened to them?"

She laid back on the bed and covered her eyes with both hands, "I'm sure you've heard of thin bloods…well…my mother, she was a thin blood…I'm not sure which clan, but…she was Sabbat. They didn't welcome thin bloods, she had to do everything she could to blend in with the others. And so did my father. He was…also a thin blood, Sabbat Nosferatu…that's…why my ears are pointed." She moved her hands away and stared at the ceiling, "It's also why I…I'm assuming I don't exactly have the perfect feminine figure…anyway…" She held her forehead, "My mother died, but my father took care of me for…years…until the others found me. They…they freaked out, essentially…I was not supposed to exist, they had no idea what I was…it was bad. So they killed my father and contained me with another one of my kind. That was Halcyon, my…my sister. Her father was a Malkavian thin blood…but…rather than killing him…they had him…kill her. Or at least he tried to…" She sighed, "He afflicted her with eternal madness. She was what, two or three? But…when she survived…when she survived the hallucinations he sent in her head, the plague of voices, the physical damage…they killed him too. It was when they discovered a third of our kind and decided to kill the three of us, that I took her with me and escaped." She let an empty sigh fill the air, "Since then, I've been…I've been taking care of them…one crazy and one completely clueless to…any of this…"

"So you were all in reality separate children of thin bloods?"

She nodded, "Halcyon might know…I have no idea what she does and doesn't know anymore…she knew when I became Embraced…she…started calling me a parasite…"

"Hmm…so perhaps you hold a torch towards the Sabbat worse than Cadmus does…"

"Cadmus?" She asked, then she sighed, "Well…I was certainly confused when I met Gary…he…he just casually appeared in my living room…talked about Embracing me…I wanted to know why he wasn't attacking me and why he was in a tuxedo…"

"Mmm, yes, the introduction into the various different sects must have been especially interesting for you."

She gave a shaky sigh, "…what…what about you?" She looked up at Miranda.

"Me?" She asked, "You want to know what happened to me?"

"Unless it's private…I just thought…I…I…" Iphigenia had never felt so flustered, "I just…wanted to know more about you…" She needed to get her ground again. If she couldn't climb back up the cliff, at least she could knock Miranda down with her.

She sighed with a smile, looking at the crescent moon through her window, "My childhood, was, fairly normal…by all definitions of the word. At least my early childhood was. I believe some time after I was born, maybe a year or so, my father was Embraced. Although he didn't seem to fully get along with the concept of the Masquerade, as we were usually always beset by hunters." She said, "We avoided them and ran away from them for years, but, one day they killed both my parents."

"They left you alive?"

"I kept insisting to them that I was human. Many times. As clear as I could at the time. Mind you, I was…ten…maybe a little older. My handle on the English language was perfectly fine. But they didn't believe me." She frowned, "Because my father was a vampire, they imprisoned me, in a tiny, dirty cage, for…years…" She shuddered, "Running tests on me some days, burning and torturing me in the interim…yes, when I turned ten, you could say that I was abruptly taken away from the public world."

Iphigenia's jaw slowly dropped as she looked away, towards the bed, "How did you…well…you must have…escaped?"

"When I was twenty." She said, "Again…give or take…one cannot exactly tell time by the public, civilized manner. They have to scratch tiny lines in their cell…tally-marks…I suppose." She said, "It was luck more than anything. A Kindred platoon attacked the hunters' base. I don't know which sect they represented, but I just ran away in all the chaos." She said, "Of course, I still didn't know what any of it all meant. Not until I myself was Embraced. I just thought bad men liked to hunt my father for the fun of it."

Iphigenia looked back up at Miranda, then she held her, "I envy your strength…"

She squeezed her back, "It wasn't strength…it was running away…"

Iphigenia chuckled softly, holding her face, "No, no…the strength in here." She held the back of her head gently, "Your mind is like…a steel ball…"

"Thank you." She smiled, then if faded, "The leader of that group was a man by the name of Grunfeld Bach." She seethed, "When I found out that he was partaking in the war surrounding this city…I…"

"I…I've heard of that name…" Iphigenia's hands fell to Miranda's shoulders, "Is he still alive…?"

"As of now, he is." She said, "I plan on driving my blade through his heart, when I can get the chance."

"I'm sure that window will open for you…it will, I'm sure. You can make up for your lost childhood." She squeezed her shoulders.

"Yes…well…that's why I'm…well, the way I am now…when I escaped the cage…I…I wanted to be with people again, I wanted to be loved…that's why I'm…over affectionate…or…perverted…as LaCroix had noted…"

"You're not perverted." Iphigenia held her closer, "Women like us aren't perverted, we just want to be wanted…I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Yes." She smiled, "If…if you'd rather just…rest with me, I'm perfectly okay with that…we both did just bear our souls to one another." She said, "I…I think you're the first person I've told all of that too."

Iphigenia smiled, "And you're the first person I've ever told all of that to as well…well…I told bits to the Regent to ensure that I wasn't going to stab him in the back…" She sighed before she held Miranda tighter, "But…I also think both of us could use some…attention."

"Very well. Would you like to carry on with where we were?"

"Please…."

She pulled her robe off, holding Iphigenia's face and kissing her over and over again. Iphigenia kissed her back and pulled Miranda over top of her. Her hands rubbed down her sides, down her waist and around the swell of her hips where she held on and squeezed from time to time.

Miranda made out with her a bit more, crawling downward and kissing her stomach, "This is where I left off…" She shuddered and squeezed Iphigenia's butt, "Your…your belly-button piercing…was making me drip…" She said as she humped her leg.

Iphigenia grinned and closed her eyes as she felt Miranda up against her leg, "I could take out the others, if you don't like them…I forgot to ask…"

"No…it's…more than alright…"

She chuckled softly, "Good, good…" Her fingers combed through Miranda's hair, "Then please, enjoy it…"

Her eyes locked onto her inner thighs, "Am I allowed to touch?"

"Yes, yes, go ahead…" She softly rubbed her inner thighs, biting down a bit harder on her stomach and groaning. Iphigenia let out a strained groan, "This…t-this is why I wanted you to go first….I…n-needed some inspiration…" She said as she slowly slid her panties down out of the way.

"I see." She said, beginning to play with her sex, "You'll find that I'm quite experienced in this field."

Iphigenia's eyes closed as she spread her legs to give her more room, "Oh yes…I'm…so glad you're the one taking my virginity…I don't think there's…anyone better…"

"So I really am your first time?" She smiled, biting down a bit harder on her stomach before she moved back as started licking her womanhood.

Iphigenia grunted as her nails dug into the sheets, her back arched away from the mattress as her legs clung around Miranda's neck.

"I'll take your quivering passion as a yes." She chuckled to herself as she continued.

Her eyes closed and she clawed the mattress more, throwing her head back and crying out briefly before she gave a weary look towards Miranda, "I hope…nobody hears us…"

"I'm fairly positive no one will hear us."

"How reassuring…" She smirked.

"Yes, quite." She held her butt firmly and kept exploring her womanhood.

Iphigenia grit her teeth and moaned as she faced out the window and panted, reaching down to hold the back of Miranda's head, "I don't…understand…" She gasped as Miranda hit a sensitive spot, then she shuddered and closed her eyes, "How someone so perfect…isn't spoken for…"

"That's because I'm not perfect." She smiled and wiped her face off, "We all have our faults."

Iphigenia slowly sat up, "I don't see a single one…"

She chuckled, "Flatterer, I hope you don't mind if I ask for a turn."

"Monkey see, monkey do." She held Miranda's shoulders and pushed her down onto the bed, straddling her. She smiled as she sat on Miranda's waist, "Miranda Frost…" She murmured with a smile before she leaned in and started caressing her breasts, gently biting at one of her earlobes before she whispered, "Makes my tits get hard…"

She groaned, "Ooh…dirty one, aren't you, sweetheart…" She said, "You're driving me wild…"

"Good, good…" She slid a finger down her throat, between her breasts, and only tapered off at her bellybutton, her fingernail ever so gently scratching against her skin, "At least I'm casting some sort of impression…" She kissed her lips and ran her fingers through Miranda's hair.

"More than just an impression, I see you as much more than simply a pleasurable night."

Iphigenia slid her thumbs over the peaks of Miranda's breasts, "It's nice to be on the same page." Miranda cried out, her hips quivered as she spread her legs a bit. Iphigenia scooted back a bit, "Alright, dear, I'm going to need you to be honest with me and let me know if I'm not doing anything for you."

"You…you have been…for…for a while now…"

She chuckled softly before she leaned her head down and started licking at her womanhood, squeezing her outer thighs tightly. Miranda let out a moan, clawing at the bedsheets and wrapping her legs around her.

Iphigenia continued her onslaught, until she sat up and looked at her hands, "I would…love to fit these inside you…but my nails are so sharp…" Her eyes darted around her room, searching for something else to stuff inside her.

"Um…I'm trying to remember…if I have anything in here…"

Iphigenia reached forward into Miranda's nightstand, keeping her occupied with the pads of her fingers on her other hand. She compromised with a round bottle of lotion, holding it up for Miranda to see with a devilish grin, "Oh, I'd love to see if this fits…"

She gave a soft sigh, "You're absolutely insane…"

"Well, you have to let me know if it's too much." She held the small of Miranda's back as she slowly pushed the round end of the bottle into her opening.

She gave a low grunt, trying to thrash forward occasionally when she could, "Very…very inventive…" Iphigenia smiled as he leaned in and licked at the exposed areas she could, still slowly pushing the bottle in and out at different angles. "Just…just be gentle…please…"

"Mmm hmm." She crawled up a bit and kissed her stomach, rubbing her outer thigh with one hand and handling the bottle with the other.

She bit her lip and let out a tiny scream, thrashing about at this point. She grunted and grabbed the bedsheets, trying to contain herself in one place.

"Yes…there you are…come all over me…" Iphigenia grinned mischievously as she licked Miranda's throat and pushed the bottle in a hair deeper.

She groaned, gradually slowing down until she completely decompressed, "Alright…" She said, "No more…"

Iphigenia chuckled and slowly pulled the bottle out, putting it back in the drawer and kissing her navel, "I hope that wasn't like pulling teeth…" She laid beside her, "I'm receptive to constructive criticism…"

"No, no…it was fine…you're a creative one…aren't you?"

"You inspire me, yes." She kissed Miranda's cheek.

"Alright…well…we should get to bed…" She hugged her, "I have business to attend to tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, I…I wish you would have told me earlier…I wouldn't have wasted so much of your time with my…silly breakdown…" Iphigenia hugged her back and rested her head under Miranda's. Iphigenia's hair felt soft and fuzzy under Miranda's chin.

"It's alright." She hugged her back, "I think our conversation was very…cleansing…it lifted a weight off of our chests…"

"Mmm hmm…" Iphigenia closed her eyes and held her close. Was it really possible to find someone in one night, find someone who she could trust every detail of her life with? Who she could trust her virginity with, who she could trust her most private thoughts? Every facet of her personality? In one single night? One meeting? Her mind was racing with joy, yes, and peace, but regret stood on a tightrope, looming over everything. Would it topple and send her into even deeper water? Or would it keep its balance? Could she trust someone this easily? Was it all too good to be true? "Goodnight, dear." She kissed Miranda's jawline.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

* * *

 **A/N:** Has Iphigenia found her Venus? Well, thanks for reading!


	80. Chapter 80

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty! Every time I hit these milestones, I get a little more surprised that I haven't gotten distracted with another muse and started something else…Well, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Alright, I guess it's finally time to do this." Slade said, as they all looked up at the Fu Syndicate building.

"I'm going to tear that place apart to find Barabus…" Edgar said.

"Hopefully that…that Mandarin fellow doesn't make this painful…" Tess said quietly.

"You know he will. We all know he will." Cressida stumbled on in.

They entered the lab, seeing absolutely no one at the receptionist desk, so they meandered around for a bit, until they entered a conference room with a television, it immediately powered on, revealing the Mandarin.

"So glad you finally decided to show up." He said, "If you want to see your comrade, walk through those doors."

The group exchanged a glance, but they all in all had no choice but to play into the Mandarin's hands. They entered the tiny room he had provided them, once they stepped on the central platform, they began to rise.

"Good. I am told you are rather resourceful individuals. This should make you most intriguing specimens. You and your kind may play mortals for weaklings and fools, and that may be fitting for some, but you underestimate me." He said, once the platform rose high enough, they saw the man himself, with an attendant, safely behind bulletproof glass, "Our four subjects are two male, two females. Two of them seem to be in their early to late twenties, while physical abnormalities make age indeterminate for that latter two. As with my first test subject, there are no vital signs."

"Well you can fuck yourself, too, pal." Cressida snarled, "You got nothing better to do than test us in cages like little rats? Huh? Who's paying you for this bullshit?"

"Just relax." Tess said, "We'll just have to go through whatever he has for us for your friend."

"I oughtta hit that boy for getting into this mess in the first place…" She grumbled under her breath.

"No heartbeat, no body heat…" The Mandarin droned on, as a light greenish mist was sprayed into the testing room, "Test chamber air sample is ninety-seven percent carbon monoxide. Normal respiration cannot take place. Subjects are by all definition…clinically dead…"

Slade initially jumped back when he saw the smoke, but then he realized he didn't need to worry about breathing anymore.

"Hello in there…" The Mandarin taunted, "I'm going to run some tests on you. I'm interested in how you work, but only because it's my task to find the most efficient way to kill your kind." He said, "Please, give me everything you've got."

"Here goes…" Slade swallowed hard.

"I suppose we shouldn't use weapons…" Tess mused.

"Fuck him, if we want to use weapons, we should use them." Cressida said, "We're smart enough to use 'em, right? Let them throw his little experiment."

"Begin the experiment!" The Mandarin shouted, and blinding white lights came on, "Test chamber has been filled with ultraviolet light, releasing moderate UV radiation. Does that burn at all?"

There was a pause, "Subjects exhibit no sign of pain or even physical discomfort. Shut down the lights." The lights went off, "Conclusion, UV radiation does not provide the desired effect." The door to their left opened, "Please, move on to the next room."

Tess looked confused herself, "I…thought the sun was…UV radiation…why didn't we die?"

"It's gotta be the sun." Cressida said as they made their way to the next room, "Gotta be the source."

The next room had red laser beams dominated most of the space, "Okay…so…this guy clearly spends his time watching sci-fi movies…" Slade muttered.

"Your kind is resourceful. Your survival instinct border on animalistic. I'm curious about your innate abilities. Let us see what you can do. The walls are reinforced concrete, several layers thick. There is no other exit, believe me, it is my design." The Mandarin said.

"So…we have to get to the other side?" Slade asked.

"I would think so." Tess squinted at the beams, "Could we shoot them, you think?"

Cressida stepped closer, "No, he's got them covered up by steel. Unless you got some sort of machine gun packed between your tits, there, it ain't gonna happen. We'll just have to slink through."

Slade sped ahead, reaching the other side in seconds, "Done."

Edgar crouched down, "Well…whatever…we Nosferatu are usually hunched over like old people anyway, I'm sure this won't be different than slinking through a sewer system."

"Not at all." Cressida followed after Edgar as Tess followed in Slade's footsteps and used her Celerity.

"Good idea." She combed her fingers through her hair, "Oh, I hope I didn't give myself a haircut on the way over…"

"No, you look fine." Slade smiled, "We should keep going though." He walked into the next room, and immediately a blade spinner ran by and sliced his torso open, Slade screamed and fell over, losing a little bit of blood.

"What the hell?" Edgar asked, seeing three blade spinners flying around, completely berserk, "What the hell are these things?" He was interrupted as he was cut by one.

"Only the most simple creatures can survive dismemberment. I am told you can regenerate parts of your body. I'd much like to see this. I wonder, how many limbs can you lose before you cease to function?" The Mandarin said.

Tess's eyes hardened as she pulled herself as far away as possible to save herself. She took out one of her pistols and started firing at one of the panels, trying to destroy it. When sparks flew and the blades jolted in their spot, she sighed, "Looks like he didn't protect these as much." She said before she repeated the process with the other two.

"Well that wasn't pleasant…" Edgar said, feeling his wounds, though his were miniscule compared to Slade, who had his stomach sliced open.

"You've shown great resilience so far. Let's see how you do against some live targets. Proceed to the next room." The Mandarin said.

"I don't know how I feel about this 'live targets.'" Edgar said, lowering his voice, in case the Mandarin really _could_ hear them, "What if they're Kuei-Jin?"

"They could be…" Tess said, then looked at Slade, "You should drain them, perhaps the blood will heal some of that." The look in her eyes was only one of worry.

"Hmm? I can't drain Kuei-Jin…they're vampires…" Slade said.

In the next room there was a man in a hazmat suit holding a cross, "Sometimes…myths…are constructed around legitimate observations." The Mandarin said, "Let us find out if there's any theory in an old superstition. Initiate Van Helsing experiment."

"Shit…we're screwed!" Slade said.

Tess, Cressida and Edgar all looked at Slade like he was crazy, before Cressida walked up the guard and reached out to grab the cross, "C'mere, this is going in your eye."

The man shrieked and started running for his life.

"Oh, come on, they didn't even _arm_ him?" Edgar asked, summoning a pair of ghostly blue wolves to maul him alive.

"Wait…why didn't that do anything?" Slade asked.

"Crosses don't actually do anything to us." Tess said, "Neither does holy water or garlic. It's all superstition."

"Oh…right…"

"Van Helsing hypothesis tests false. Well, when God fails, put your faith in the gun…proceed, commander." The Mandarin ordered. Suddenly the group of them were attacked by men in riot gear, wielding shotguns, so it pretty much gave away that the Mandarin uncovered quite a few secrets about Kindred while experimenting on Barabus.

Slade coughed up blood and fell over, "God damn it…"

Edgar growled, blue lightning surrounded his arms, he would need all the Potence he could get to bust through their armor. He pulled his sledgehammer out and started fighting them off.

Cressida joined Edgar in clawing at them and beating them with the guns they dropped, firing occasionally.

Tess, meanwhile, put her arms around Slade's shoulders and helped him stand as Cressida and Edgar cleared the room out.

"Subjects have terminated Belmont team." The Mandarin said, clearly surprised, "You're all turning out to be very useful guinea pigs. But we have a conflict of interest. You continue to endure even though it's my instruction to incapacitate you. This calls for a more…drastic…approach. Continue to the next room…I'm very excited about this next test."

"Oh no, there's _more?_ " Slade asked.

"It's alright, I'm sure we'll manage." She said as she helped him along, "We made it through the warrens, right?"

"Many regimes use electricity to torture information out of their captives." The Mandarin said, "It would be useful if this applied to your kind as well. Or, will the voltage have effects similar to fire? Let's find out."

"Jesus…" Cressida looked up at the big sparking generators on the ceiling that brought bolts of electricity down on the floor and shocked them all, "Shoot it, bimbo, shoot it!"

Tess shuddered as she held her handgun and fired at it over and over. "Damn it…its fortified pretty tough…it's going to take more than just a few pot-shots." Edgar said.

Slade fell on the ground, writhing in pain as he was shocked.

"Does that hurt?" The Mandarin asked.

Edgar growled, "That bastard is going to look uglier than _us_ by the time I'm done with him."

Tess kept firing at the reactors over and over, really, it was their only hope. Cressida scooped Slade off the floor so the electricity wouldn't hurt him more on the metal floor.

"You have demonstrated considerable mental and physical acumen." The Mandarin said as his generators exploded, "And I'm quite perplexed how something that should be dead can display such strong survival skills. Let's begin the final test. Step into the next room."

Slade shook himself off, trying to walk for himself for the time being, "So if we pass the next room, what happens?"

His question was greeted by silence. Cressida more or less handed him off to Tess, he went from being surrounded by the smell of something slightly fishy to the smell of something vaguely jasmine smelling. And, was there Worcestershire sauce in there too?

"Standby…" The Mandarin said, "Run a check on the extinguishers one more time. I've already determined fire is a weakness of your kind. I would like to know more about the psychological effect it has on you and how it may be exploited."

"Crap…" Slade tried yet again, to walk for himself, "How the hell are we going to get away from fire?"

"Shoot it?" Tess got her guns out and aimed for the nozzles before too many flames spewed out.

The entire room exploded, leaving a hole in the glass. The Mandarin yelled out a few obscenities, and he had men in armor block his escape. They began firing away with their shotguns.

Slade sped forth and began to fight with them, while Edgar fired up Potence to do the same. Cressida charged in as well, Tess dashed forward with her firearms and aimed for their heads. With such a wide variety of killing methods, the researchers really didn't last long.

Slade saw the attendant who stood by the Mandarin's side during their experiments, ran over towards him and grabbed his unprotected neck, draining him dry.

The Mandarin returned to the battlefield, "My employers…punishment for your escape, would be a-thousand times more painful than anything you could ever devise! I refuse to give you the satisfaction." He pulled out an Uzi and began unloading the magazine into the lot of them.

Tess grunted as she faced the brunt of the bullets. Cressida ran forward and threw a handful of broken glass at him, then dove in to drain him like Slade did his attendant.

When the Mandarin dropped dead, he left a key behind, "This must be the key to Barabus's cell!" Edgar picked it up.

Slade looked back at Tess, "You okay?"

She nodded wearily, her stomach filled with lead. She looked rather sickly, "I'll be alright, yes…let's proceed…"

Edgar led the way down the stairs to the holding cells, eagerly unlocking the door, "Barabus!"

"Edgar!" His eyes lit up as he looked at the others, "What, did they get all you too?" He sighed, shaking his head, "I've got no excuse…getting caught by a bunch of humans, ugh…this is a new low…" He looked back up, Potence already shimmering across his body.

"Gary sent us after you." Tess said, pausing when she looked Barabus over. Really, she was surprised he was even Nosferatu, "Let's just get out before something else happens."

He was almost about to ask what happened, before he saw how terrible everyone really looked, "Well, we can't exactly high-tail it out of here like that. There are servers here. We have to delete everything they got; any sort of research they gathered, anything. Can't risk it getting out. I think there's a mainframe on this floor."

"Alright, Cressida and I can handle that." Edgar said.

"Good. Anyone interferes, leave 'em to me. If I tore out the lungs of everyone here, it still wouldn't feel like revenge…"

Edgar gave a spooky chuckle, sure enough, when Barabus led the way to brutalize every officer in sight, it wasn't a surprise for many of them. Slade went in to help him out, while Edgar and Cressida worked on deleting all of their files.

"Hmm…" Edgar said, "Apparently the Mandarin was working for a 'Priestess.'" He read off the terminal, "She also plans to kill Wong Ho and Kiki."

"What?" Slade looked back from freshly killing a guard.

"Yeah, says all that right here."

Slade walked back to read what Edgar was hacking into, "Why does none of this surprise me?"

"Priestess…" Tess crossed her arms, "I suppose she's next on our list…but dealing with the Kuei-Jin sounds like something we'll need reinforcements for."

Barabus came strutting over, absolutely covered in blood, "That was the last of them." His fogged eyes looked somewhat relieved, "Let's get the hell out of here." He turned around and started heading towards the exit with them before he smiled, "Oh. And…thanks."

"No problem." Slade nodded back with a smile, and with that, the two Toreador and three Nosferatu went their separate ways. No sooner did Slade and Tess leave, they heard the phone nearby them ringing away. They exchanged a glance, and Slade finally picked it up, "Hello?"

"Do you need a lawyer? Do you need someone to get you out of a pinch?" It was an automated voice. He was about to hang up before he heard, "It's called a gun, boss, they'll never let you down."

Tess leaned up against the wall meanwhile, her eyes directed towards the smoggy sky, up at the brightly colored lanterns in the streets, at the bustling people with bags of food making midnight runs home for late-night dinner.

"Gary." Slade said, "I'm sure Barabus is on his way back to warrens as we speak."

"So it seems." He said, "I know you brought our boy back. And hey, I'm proud of you." He snickered, "Ain't easy getting to business carrying around so much luggage."

"I manage…" He gave a chuckle, "So where's the sarcophagus?"

"With all the loose change dangling in his pockets, you'd think the Prince would have the highest bid in the auction house. Hmph, seems little-boy-blue forgot about the Giovanni…they had a bit more…initiative. I'm a sucker for…" He made an outrageous slurping sound, "Juicy morsels of gossip."

"The Giovanni…so they have the sarcophagus…" He said, "What are they? Like…a bunch of Italian mobsters or something?"

Old Gary had a good laugh, "If you're going to play Jyhad, you need to do your homework. Knowledge is power and power has a price. But seeing as how I've already got what I want from them, I'll give you a freebie. Oh, you're going to love this…they've got skeletons in their closet…literally! I should have played the Catskills. Incest, organized crime, death cults…that's the Giovanni. Spaghetti and corpses, boss."

"Jesus Christ…they're a _clan?_ "

"That's right. Ever heard of a Cappadocian? Well, can't blame you if you haven't. Giovanni like wealth, they like power, they like fame and immortality. But they weren't exactly thrilled to see they didn't have a seat reserved with their name on it." He waited a beat, "Cappadocians aren't around anymore. Dead as dodos, boss."

"…wait…so…what…what did they do to the Cappadocians?"

"Diablerie wasn't as taboo as it is now. Genocide, eh, not like it was advised. World spun on a different axis back then."

He swallowed hard, "And they have the sarcophagus now…great…alright, I guess I should go…oh shit, wait…where are these guys?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you, boss. They have a mansion in the city. I'll get you a map. They're having a reunion. Anyone who isn't a Giovanni shouldn't get within fifty yards."

"Right…I'll have to be extra careful, then."

"You get 'em, boss. You give 'em one for Gary! If you should survive and ever need any information, come back and see me. I'm always here. And everywhere." The line died.

He hung the phone up blankly, frozen in his place for a while. He had a feeling. He would call it a sinking feeling, but it seemed the opposite. It almost seemed as if things were about to start heading up for Slade. He felt as though his time with LaCroix was going to come to a dramatic and flagrant end. Yes, looking up at the night sky, it certainly seemed possible. Ever since he answered Gary's call, he had a foreboding feeling that an abrupt change in the system in California was going to occur.

There was a second thing plaguing his mind, and she stood right in front of him. She was an instrument of LaCroix, maybe an unwitting instrument. She was only doing this because of all the nasty things Slade had said to her. She figured if her life had so little meaning, she might as well go out with a bang. That was her thinking. This figure, standing in front of him, blending in perfectly with the beautiful scenery. Why did he find this sight so romantic?

It was because she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

He growled and slammed the phone back on the receiver, with almost enough force to break it. He didn't want to fall for the same trick dozens of men and women have over the years. He walked over to Tess, "Uh…uh…" When her purple eyes met his, he froze. He would call the sensation tripping over his tongue, but that would imply that he was _making_ sounds to begin with. He couldn't even speak. After a minute and a half of dead air, Slade smoothly started with, "Giovanni…the uh…Giovanni…they have the sarcophagus…that…that was Gary…he…he told me the Giovanni have the sarcophagus…"

Her lips quirked up in a smirk, "What did Gary say to get you so flabbergasted?" She stood up away from the wall, standing so close beside him, there was absolutely no personal space. Her whispering landed on his ear, "Is he sending you some nude photos of pretty girls?"

"No." He frowned, "Gary just made it sound like those Giovanni diablerized an entire clan, so I'm worried…"

"Mmm hmm. Julius told me about them in a passing conversation, I don't know much. I know they're not good news. Where are they?"

"Gary's going to send me a map real soon, and then we can finally end this mess." He said. He gave a random shudder. Why did he want to squeeze her close so badly like they did the other night? _Damn it, Slade…stop…being creepy…all this Chinatown shit is getting to my head…_ "So…uh…yeah…once I get that map…we'll uh…we'll head out…"

"Sounds divine." She said, keeping her arms folded over her stomach so people wouldn't see the injury there, "I think both of us need blood. You sound as if you've suffered some sort of head trauma."

"I'm fine." He said quickly, "I…uh…" And then he slowed down, "I'm going to uh…get the team back together again. The one we were in for the Warrens? I figure that'll even our odds rather than us just going it alone. Besides, knowing Miranda, she'll probably want to help us anyway."

"Yes…that's a good idea." She waved down a cab, "I'll pay, if you'd like."

"It's fine, I got it." Slade said.

As they entered the cab, Tess sat down and moved her arms away from her stomach. Her purple eyes flickered up to the cab driver, before she looked down and pulled the bullets from her stomach. She reached over with her other hand and propped Slade's hand out so he could hold the bloody bullets she put there, "I thought you might want some…" She grit her teeth as she pulled out the last deep bullet and dropped it in the palm of his hand, "Ammunition. I don't know if you're going to use it. Oh. And here." She took out her pistol and put that in hand, "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." Slade said quietly, "You okay?"

"Mmm hmm. It's healing. Nothing aggravated."

"I know…it just…probably sucks…getting shot at, like that."

"I'm sure getting sliced and diced was a little worse."

He shrugged, "I mean, I got to feed on someone, you didn't."

"I'll be alright." She smiled, it was something sincere and warm. Then her smile abruptly faded as she pulled her phone from her top and flipped it open, "Ash?" She squinted her eyes and leaned in, then plugged her other ear with her fingers, "Shh, shh, honey, what happened? Start over, I couldn't hear you." Even Slade could hear the choppy fuzz of the line getting cut up. She seemed to do her best trying to decipher what he was saying, "Is…is anyone dead?" A pause, she chewed on her tongue with her molars, "I'll be there as soon as I can, alright? Did anyone see you? I said did anyone see you. Ash? Ash!" She sighed as the fuzz overtook their conversation, then she hung up and tucked her phone away, "Slade, did you need to go to Santa Monica very badly?"

"Not really…I just wanted to go home…"

"Alright." She leaned in, "Excuse me sir, I know it's inconvenient, could you take us to Hollywood? I'll pay extra, it's not a problem." The driver sighed reluctantly and switched his turn signal to the other direction. She leaned back and looked at Slade, "Why is he such an idiot, Slade?"

"Who?"

"My…doting lover…who takes his anger out on the gas pedal…"

"I don't know Tess." He said, "I don't really know much about him. He doesn't talk much." He pondered, "And VV doesn't really tell me anything about him either."

"He doesn't…he doesn't talk. It's all up in his head. Getting him to say anything is like pulling teeth…" She rested her head on the headrest, "Whenever he calls, it's to tell me that he needs money, that he needs a ride home, that he needs blood…" She closed her eyes, "It's like he doesn't even have emotions…"

He glanced out the window, "And to think, my sire has the opposite problem…"

"Hence why they don't really get along…it's not like they fight…you can't really _fight_ with Ash…he just gives up. I…I feel like his mother more than his…" She paused, "Whatever I am. I'd say girlfriend, but I know he has other women somewhere."

"Dragomir has it the best." Slade said abruptly, "Watch him and Genevieve talk for about five minutes. They may be Malkavian, but it doesn't seem to matter. They gel better than any couple I've ever seen."

Tess watched as raindrops started to cling to the glass, "He just needs someone to take care of him. He's like…he's like a bear…big and protective…he doesn't stand getting used…"

"I just hope he and Genevieve can stay safe from those Anarch punks."

"I think he'll be just fine…" She muttered, crossing her legs before her phone started buzzing again. She let it ring. "Maybe I'll get promoted if we bring the sarcophagus back. Maybe I can be…be something more than an errand boy. I'll be the secretary…I'll…file his papers away…all his little white lies and grievances, shredded…I think he could use some more people like that…"

He didn't know why she kept telling herself that. He didn't doubt that LaCroix needed more personnel, but he didn't want to envision any sort of future with the man. Any future with LaCroix was not a future Slade wanted. He would be his slave forever. He had to come up with some way to escape his grasp. If Tess wanted to be blind to the fiend LaCroix really was, then so be it, "Almost there…" He sighed, recognizing the roads now.

Tess was silent as the cab pulled over. She reached in her top and paid for both of them, despite what Slade said. She added an extra twenty, then got out and dusted herself off, "Call me when you're ready to take care of the Giovanni."

He nodded, "I'll pay you back, when I find the money."

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

 _Blood._ It was one of the many things on Dragomir's mind as he looked around the parking lot of his apartment complex, looking for a bum or someone who was late to work. He certainly wasn't going to plague Genevieve for a trip to the blood bank, not for blood that tasted like plastic. He couldn't leave her home either. He needed protection. She needed protection. They couldn't afford to be miles apart. Even standing in the parking lot, he felt uneasy without her at his side. Really, she was the last thing he had left. Tess had fallen into a pit of darkness and gotten swallowed entirely, and Slade had become a slave to Jyhad. She completely distracted him. It was his nightmares that set him back on track.

Watching Slade get torn apart and turned into a head runner, watching Genevieve get strung up as a light fixture in Andrei's room, watching April be picked apart as she screamed for him, screamed for Dragomir to come save her. But he couldn't move. No, he was a spectator in his nightmares. He stood by and watched them all suffer, watched them all fall apart. When he finally gained his freedom, he ran forward to attack Andrei, but he'd turn into someone different each time. And Dragomir would kill them. Sometimes it was Cadmus. One time it was Victor. Jeanette. Pisha. It changed each time, but it was always the innocent. Never was it once someone like Tess. How he wished it could be.

"Sir, would you mind stepping away from my car?"

Dragomir's covered eyes slid over to the man in a suit and tie, his eyes weary, "My wife is in labor, I need to get to the hospital."

"Oh, is that so?" Dragomir asked as he walked forward and held a hand out, "I think she's already in your car."

A purple fog hazed over his head as he turned to his car, then gasped, "Lena? Lena, hold on! Dear god!" He pulled at the door handles, but it seemed they were locked, "Lena, I'll be right there, lemme get the keys! Everything will be alright!" He fumbled in his pockets for his keys when Dragomir grabbed him from behind and drained him just shy of death. He let the body crumple to the ground before he turned and walked towards the building, up into his apartment.

The lights were off, the room was cool. Just the way he liked it. "Genevieve?"

"Dragomir?" She peered away from the television, "You sucked a car man."

"I did suck a car man." He sat next to her and held her hand, "His blood was thin and plain."

She grabbed the remote and turned the television off, leaning on his shoulder, "I'll need the red sweetness tomorrow."

"We could buy some for you tomorrow." He gently rubbed a finger under her chin, like someone would with a cat.

"It's okay…I can pillage my own…"

He chuckled softly, "Very good." He lifted her up into his lap and closed his eyes, seeming the most content when her arms and legs were wrapped around him, when her chest and belly were up against his, "Am I a good shell?"

"Mmm-hmm." She got up and took her shoes off, laying on her stomach and pulling Dragomir overtop her on her back, crawling slowly with him on top of him, "Now I can eat all the lettuce."

He snickered as he held onto her shoulders so he wouldn't fall, "You're the prettiest turtle I've ever met." He leaned in and kissed her cheek, then he tickled her and wrestled her back into his lap, both of them sitting on the floor between the couch and television, "I just worry…that your little shell will crack one day."

"No." She squeezed him, "No cracking…I…I've got you…I'm…I'm going to keep this shell safe…"

He squeezed her back and closed his eyes, taking his glasses off, "You're my life now…" He met her eyes with his, "My life was balanced by three…one intense, one mild and one in the middle…and now…my life is just held up by sweetness…the flavors of life are driving me mad…"

"You'll get the other flavors back, my sweet."

He sighed in through his nose, "And what about my devil's dessert…?"

She paused, not seeming as sure about this as with everything else she's said, "It is clouded."

"Victor Madison…the Tremere Magic man, he knows…he'll tell Strauss and he'll tell LaCroix…if the system was a seamless as it's supposed to be…my entire life is left hanging on the ragged ridges of Jyhad…"

"Then rig the ragged ridges in your favor, my darling." She said, "Cozy up to the magic man, the lie detector…make sure he has no reason to tell the Wizard King…create a steel bond with him that transcends your devil's dessert."

"You're…you're a genius…" He squished her cheeks together a bit as he kissed her forehead, "I will befriend him…and all will be good. The Prince will still run mad by my hand…"

She sighed and closed her eyes, "The fiery sky…oh…how I wish it to be so…"

"Sounds beautiful…" He kissed her throat, then paused, "Caine's Sword…have you had any visions of it?"

She gave a worried face, "None…"

"It…it has been plaguing my daily torpors…"

She squeezed him, "Forgive me…I…I…lean on me…when you're frightened about the Black Hand…"

He combed his fingers through her hair, "Of course…thank you, dear solace…" He rested his head on her shoulder, "Thank you…thank you, thank you…"

"You're welcome." She smiled, "Did you want another nap?"

"Yes…with…with you holding me and keeping me warm…maybe the sword will stay away…"

"I will keep you warm like a mother goose tends to her eggs." She kissed his lips.

* * *

 **A/N:** Slade is definitely VV's childe…Thanks for reading!


	81. Chapter 81

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-one! I ever mention how much I love Slade's lack of tolerance for bullshit? Cause I do. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

The temple doors to Ming-Xiao's antechamber burst open, revealing Slade. Ming-Xiao looked a little surprised at how brashly he entered the room, "Welcome back, Kindred. Do you seek guidance?"

"I know it was you." Slade said darkly.

"Know…what?" She asked blankly.

"Your little project with the Fu Syndicate, you've been behind all of this!"

"Is that so?" She asked, "Where might I ask, did you find all of that information?"

"Couple friends of mine had a little peek into your 'research.'"

She chuckled, "I applaud you, Kindred. You must be a great warrior indeed."

"You set up the Mandarin, you gave the Tong power. You screwed up Chinatown!" He pointed.

"Forgive me, I thought you were aware." She narrowed her eyes, "Our people are at war. Would your elders act any differently, had they the resources?"

"My elders…Kuei-Jin elders…it's all the same, isn't it? It isn't the Jyhad if someone isn't trying to kill the pawn that I am, huh?"

"I suppose so."

Slade scowled, "Up yours!" He shouted as he exited the temple, running towards the Red Dragon.

Once he got into Wong Ho's office, he blurted, "I know who the silver-haired man is!"

Wong Ho blinked a few times, "Welcome back." He said calmly, "So…who is this person, my friend?"

"He was a mad scientist…conducting all these weird experiments."

"Experiments? What kind of experiments?"

"Well…he was looking for weaknesses in…uh…certain things…"

"I see." He said, "So where is he now?"

"Dead." Slade said, "But look…he was working for Ming-Xiao."

"What? How can that be? Ming-Xiao would never involve herself in something like this! I don't believe you!"

"Wong Ho…you're _next_ …she's going to kill you next. She isn't to be trusted."

"Hmm…I consider you a friend, and I appreciate your counsel. Perhaps I will think on the matter for a little while. Maybe I will speak with Ming-Xiao about it."

Slade swallowed hard, contemplating on exactly how bad an idea that would be, "No…Wong Ho! You don't want to do that. Please! You need to get out of the city with your daughter, as fast as you can! Just go!"

"I…believe you. Perhaps I will close the restaurant, get Kiki, and go away for a while. Thank you, my friend. I owe you another debt of gratitude. May the gods be with you, on whatever path you decide to take."

Slade nodded, "Thank you, Wong Ho." He said, as he began to take his leave.

Sure, he _should have_ been worried about the sarcophagus right now. That was the goal he was handed by LaCroix, but, he needed to warn Wong Ho. Wong Ho didn't deserve any of this mess. Sure, the Nosferatu would've made fun of him if they saw him make all this effort just to warn a man and his annoying daughter to flee the city. Even Tess would give him an odd glance, but to Slade, Wong Ho represented what little of Chinatown was still morally in the right. He represented the _good_ in Chinatown. Everything else seemed corrupt, but Slade wasn't going to let Wong Ho get caught up in the explosion. He deserved to keep his life. Slade took a deep sigh, now that the weight has finally lifted from his shoulders, he would need to make plans to storm the Giovanni manor.

* * *

Santa Monica was quiet at night. Cool, quiet, relaxed. He was sure if he was still alive, his wet clothes would actually give him goosebumps, but for now, it was just soothing. Since he had been hired, the Prince requested he acquaint himself with the figures nearby in his domain, including his agent, Mercurio. He was on his way there when he heard a rather savage sounding growl behind him, "Ugh, Angel, leave the poor man alone."

He turned around to see a woman with platinum blonde hair in a navy blue bikini and white loose knit cardigan, a white Afghan hound snarling and barking at him, yanking on a silver chained leash. Her navy colored eyes met his, "Sorry, dear."

Kingston gave a playful smile, being a Brujah Primogen made him a kid at heart when the time called for it, "What's this now?" He asked, getting to Angel's level, "I've never had a dog turn me away like that. Could it be possible that we've gotten off on the wrong foot?"

Angel's growl quieted, his ears flattened back, he still held a snarl.

"Oh, trust me, dear, he's not very friendly at all." The woman said, "He doesn't even get along with my sister, and we live together."

"Hmm…is that so…?" He stood tall, "I've never seen anything like that."

She smirked, "He's a bit of a bastard, but what can I say, he has a soft spot in my heart." She brushed some of her hair away, "I hope I haven't kept you late for some sort of meeting."

"Nah, I'm not really doing anything important tonight. I went out for swim again, but then I remembered how damn cold the water is around here."

She raised a thin brow, "You…went for a _swim?_ "

"Yeah…you know, like in the ocean…"

"…it's February…where are you from?"

"I was born on the other side of the country…but I spend most my life in England."

"Mmm hmm…" She chuckled softly, "Did you want to grab drinks? Something to eat? Unless you're running away from your wife."

"I'm not married."

"Good." She said, "Then perhaps I can get you an autographed photo at the end of the night." She said as Angel growled when she tugged on his leash a bit, "Oh, and please, can we not go to the Asylum? I'd like to be able to hear when I return home."

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm not really that hungry." He said, "I already ate somewhere else."

"You're passing up a date with _me?_ " She raised a brow, "Do you know who I am?"

"…see…I've been in the country for…a month at most…"

She crossed her arms, Angel sat down but looked irritated, like a child tugged along with a parent who ran into an old friend, "May Virgo. Supermodel? I've been in California for just a few weeks now myself."

"Ah…that's why you were talking about a photo, it all makes sense." He smiled, "Young little thing, aren't you?"

She chuckled, "I suppose so…have you reconsidered my offer? I don't exactly offer a night on me to every man I meet." Angel barked. "Quiet, you."

He shrugged, "I suppose a date wouldn't exactly kill me. Lead the way."

She started walking beside him, "What's your name, dearie?"

He honestly considered given this woman a fake name, she seemed to be all over the place, "Prospero Kingston."

She looked over at him, "Prospero?" She smirked, "Do you know a Miranda? What about Caliban?"

"Well…I think there's a Miranda in my building…don't think I've met her yet…see, I just transferred here. I hear she's one hell of a woman though…should probably stay away from her…"

"Your building, hmm?"

"Yeah." He smiled. _Well, LaCroix does have a legitimate business front, why the hell not?_ "Don't know if you've seen Venture Tower yet or not."

"…Venture Tower? You…work in Venture Tower? The place is massive…"

"It is. I'm one of the higher ups. Not _the_ man in charge, but, I work very closely with him." For some reason, he wanted to show off to this woman. He had no idea why. He likened her to one of those 'Cleopatra' types that Nosferatu just love to Embrace for the hell of it. He would have to remember all the information about this girl, where she lived and all that, in case she pissed him off, so he could inform Gary and his brood where she lived.

Her devious eyes widened, "Really…? What are you doing out here? Just…walking the streets like…like some sort of commoner?"

God, she would make an _amazing_ Toreador. Almost _too_ good. Which is why it would be a barrel of laughs if he gave Gary a call. But he heard a heartbeat from her, so he wasn't entirely interested in her, really. "Uh…" That's right, she asked him something, he took a while to answer, "I guess my boss wanted me to…familiarize myself with the area…meet his contacts, get a feel for the city, that sort of thing."

"Uh huh…" She said slowly as they made it to the parking garage, she reached in a pocket in her cardigan and unlocked her car, "Apologies for the things in my car." She opened the back seat and Angel hopped in, still growling at Prospero whenever he looked in his general direction. She closed the door for Angel, then stepped into the driver's seat, not bothering about her seatbelt. She sighed and pulled her hair back out of her face, relaxing as Prospero got in and the car bell stopped ringing. She was about to start up the car when her phone rang. "Ugh. Damian." She flipped her phone open, "Please let me call you back. Yes, I'm fine. No, no, I would never. No. Alright, I'll call you when I can." She hung up, "My boss." She put her phone in the cup holder.

"Ah…a supermodel boss, that must be good fun." He said.

"He just wants to make sure I didn't eat anything today." She started up the car and started driving, "My sister doesn't like him. I think he's alright. He pays well."

"Jeez…you didn't eat anything today…it's like…midnight…"

"I go three days. I can drink as much water as I want, of course, it's not like I'm _dying_." She adjusted the mirror, "Ugh, April must have been driving. She always futzes with the mirrors."

"Do you and your sister get along?"

"Wonderfully. She might argue. She's a doll. Absolute angel." Angel barked, "Not like that Angel. Sweet as candy. We complement each other well, I think."

"From what little I've heard, you guys sound like complete opposites."

"Mmm hmm. Yes, essentially. She likely still thinks boys have cooties." She chuckled softly, "She had a few very good friends in high school. Never had many friends in middle school. Then her senior year, things happened, you could say. We had to move. Moved away from all her friends. Poor thing hasn't been the same. Like a fish in a bowl."

"I see." He said, "So we got one loner sister and one who isn't allowed to eat. Man…your work sure is cut out for ya."

She hummed as she smiled, "I think that's enough gossip for you, mister." Her eyes landed on him, "Tell me about your job."

 _Oh, I'm just a vampire. I drink blood. Probably gonna drink yours._ "Look, I mean, there isn't much I can tell ya. I just got here…coworkers seem nice…or…bearable…at the very least…"

"Can't tell me much? Don't tell me you work in the government. You look like a bodyguard."

He badly hid a laugh, but then he just laughed out loud anyway, "Yeah…I'm a bodyguard, ooh, I like that."

"Mmm hmm." She rolled her eyes, "I would just think someone with that physique wouldn't…sit around and read through reports. Unless you just…do a lot of swimming."

"I mean, I _used_ to…man, screw the Pacific Ocean…"

"Yes, it is rather fickle, isn't it?" She said as she pulled the car into a parking lot and put the car in park, "You don't have to buy anything. I'm getting some wine." She got out of the car and brought her purse, "Mister Prospero. I'll buy you something if you want."

"What? Hey, that's fine, I don't need anything." He walked beside her, "Miss Virgo." He added with a chuckle.

She cracked the window open for Angel, "Be back in an hour, sweetheart." She turned towards the building, her head tossed high as she walked, "Or less."

"Or less?" He mimicked, "We going to dine and dash?"

"No, depends if your bore me." She entered the restaurant, and was ushered in by a waitress.

"If I bore you, huh?" He smirked, "That a challenge you laying down?"

"If you'd like." She said as she sat down at a table for two, rather secluded in the back.

He sat across from her, "Well…technically, _you_ asked _me_ out, so if I bore you, it would be your own fault for assuming that I was worth anything."

"Mmm hmm. I suppose so…" She sat back, "I just figured since you're a _bodyguard_ and all…you might have some interesting stories for me." She folded her hands on her lap, "Unless you'd like to just tell me how pretty I am, I'll sign you a nice little photograph and we can move on."

"Come on, sweetheart, don't take it to heart, I was only joking." He said, "You and your sister live a pretty tough life, if anything, I feel sorry for you."

She gave a little sigh as the waitress walked over. Before she could open her mouth, May wafted a hand, "Red wine. That's it." The waitress nodded timidly and scurried off, "I don't really like talking about myself, you know. I'm much more interested in you. If you can't tell me about your _bodyguard_ profession, then at least give me something fun from England."

"I sat around and did my job. The end. Oh, and I did a lot of swimming." He said, "Hey…is, uh…is that red wine particularly strong?"

"It shouldn't be. I'm not a lightweight."

"Yeah, but you haven't eaten anything…liquor gets to your brain a lot quicker when there's no food to act as a buffer…" He said, "I mean, I trust you…I just…don't want you to get drunk…I'll have to carry you home. Your dog would think I'm assaulting you and bite one of my ears off. I'd drop you off in your bed. Your sister would pee herself at the sight of me. She'd empty every firearm in the house into my chest. I'd limp home." He nodded for a bit, "That would make a headline or two…"

She chuckled softly, "If I get drunk, then just leave me in my car." She said as the waitress set down the glass and walked off. "Besides, I don't have firearms at home." She took a long sip of her wine.

"You don't, huh?"

She raised a brow, "No, I don't. I like to have a bit more faith in humanity."

He made a slight face, "Don't think your faith in humanity is really that high. Well, I can't say I blame you."

"Blame me? For what?"

"Eh, it's nothing."

"Mmm hmm…" She took another sip of her drink.

A man suddenly walked forward with a camera, "May Virgo?"

"Mmm hmm." She faced the paparazzi, "Oh, smile for the camera, dear, give them a show."

 _Can't tell if I'm shitting all over the Masquerade or not._ He smiled for the camera, in between shots he raised his brows at May, "I wonder if they're gonna think I'm your _bodyguard_."

The paparazzi skittered off, "No, I think you're my boyfriend now. Fiancé, perhaps." She crossed her legs, "Where's my ring?"

"Hey, hey, hey, that shit's too fast." He said, "I know better than to marry the first woman on the street I see…"

She giggled softly, "I'm only telling you what the media thinks. They have a hive-mind, you know."

"Yes, I'm well aware what paparazzi are. Surprisingly there are some of them in Europe."

Her smirk grew, "Yes, but I'm sure you've never dealt with any."

"No. Cause I'm smart."

She gave a single, detached laugh, "Smart, hmm? Who's saying I'm dumb? I'm providing for my family. Paparazzi's, photoshoots, they're my source of income. People like the way I look, you know. Most of the time." She raised a brow, clearly speaking about him.

"I never said you were dumb."

"Mmm hmm." She finished her wine, "You must be gay. Straight men don't talk to me like this." Her eyes narrowed, "You're like some sort of predator."

"Beg your pardon?"

"I've never had a man treat me the way you are. I can't tell if I like it or not."

"I like women."

She sat back and crossed her arms, "Mmm hmm…" She uncrossed her legs, her eyes pinned on him for far too long, before she flipped her hair over her shoulder, "I think I've had just about enough of this evening."

"Oh, have I outlived my usefulness?"

"If you have to put it like that." She stood up and grabbed her purse, "I can't say it was the worst night of my life. I can't say I regret pulling you in off the streets, either. I just wish you would have…opened up to me more. It's a shame, really." She adjusted the bag over her shoulder, "I told you far too much."

"Ah, so the serial killer finally steps out of the shadows."

She had turned around and pushed in her chair, then froze, "What?"

"Yeah…would be quite a shame if…the…uh…authorities…heard about…you know…that…a famous model…was a murderer…"

She turned around and gave an airy laugh, "Come to my car, dear."

"Yeah, I think I'll walk home on my own two feet…thank you." He said, "Got a lot of _body guarding_ to do."

She reached forward and caught his shirt, her nails long and pointed, "Come to my car, dear." She repeated lower, "I think there's…a bit of confusion."

Would he play her little game? No doubt she would try to kill him too. Although, he was Kindred, so the scene would play out with humor, if anything. (Unless she had a flamethrower or something similar in her car). He gave long, dark laugh, "Well, if you _insist_ on begging, then who am I to refuse a lady?"

She smiled before she left about a-hundred dollars on the table and walked with him out into the parking lot. She stood beside her car, leaning against the side, Angel watching from inside, "What did you hear about me, hmm?"

"What did I hear?" He asked, "Nothing. I didn't know who the hell you were until we met on the sidewalk back in Santa Monica."

"Then why are you saying I'm a serial killer?"

"I don't know. You've killed, I know that. And occasionally you seem a bit…off…but…food deprivation and alcoholism can do that to a person…so, I just sort of assumed."

She looked out towards the roadway until she faced him again, "Does it bother you that I've killed people?"

"Eh…I've killed people." He shrugged, "Eh…well, maybe I didn't…maybe I did. I can't remember now. I probably did."

She giggled a bit, "You'll stay quiet?"

"Depends on who you've killed and why."

She crossed her arms towards herself. Angel was heard growling. "My father. And my boyfriend. Ex, I suppose."

"Jesus…what the hell for?"

"My mother hung herself. I found the note, she wanted 'freedom' from my father. So, I took care of things. I didn't want April to grow up in that sort of environment. She doesn't know. And Marcel…" She rubbed one of her temples, "Marcel broke my heart." She looked back up at him, "I don't tolerate people who try to take my life away from me."

 _That's some heavy shit._ "I see."

"Are you afraid I'm going to kill you?" She raised a brow, "I'm not a serial killer. I carry a gun. I don't want to die. You're not on my list. Yet." She smirked.

 _As if you could kill me._ "I'm not really afraid of many things. Look…May…" He sighed, "I…I don't want to be _another_ thing you have to worry about. I won't tell anyone. I won't be _another_ problem on your plate. _Another_ stressor in your mind. I'll just…drop it, okay?"

She seemed surprised at first, but hid it soon after, "Yes…yes, good. Right. I suppose I ought to thank you."

"Sure, whatever, bye." He turned around and started walking away.

"Prospero." She called out, "Your number. I'd like it."

He sighed and rolled his eyes as he faced away from her, turning back around, "Look, I don't have anything to write on me."

"Well, I do." She opened her car door, bending over to reach inside the glove box. She scratched something down on a scrap of paper, then handed it to him, pinching his cheek, "You're lucky you're such a charmer. Goodnight, dearie."

"Yeah, goodbye." He started walking off again.

"Goodnight." She called, then went around the car and got inside, taking a deep breath. Angel stopped growling and laid down in the back seats, "What do you think, Angel…is he a good man? I don't think so." Angel lifted his ears and listened, but didn't bother chiming in, "I've never met someone like him…" She closed her eyes and sighed, "Is…is this what a friend is? Something about him…I feel relaxed around him. Natural. I think he'll make a good friend." She looked in the rearview mirror and adjusted it so she could see Angel. She smiled, "I don't think I'll ever hear from him again."

* * *

 **A/N:** So it seems the Brujah Primogen and April's supermodel sister have really started to hit it off (whether it was positive or negative outcome still remains to be seen). How will this affect their futures? Will the Brujah Primogen bring her into the Jyhad, as a hideous Nosferatu? (We all know Gary would be game for that). And now that May and April, the illustrious fourth friend of Slade, Tess, and Dragomir, have come to California, anything seems possible. You'll just have to stay tuned to figure it out. ;) Thanks for reading!


	82. Chapter 82

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-two! Lots of talk of love in this chapter, lots of secrets, and heartbreak…if there was a third genre, it'd be drama. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also Tess exists.

* * *

"What time is it?" Iphigenia's voice was quiet as she closed the door behind herself, stepping into the study where Victor and she usually did their research.

"Quarter past three." Victor remarked as he turned a page.

"Damn…" She sat next to him and sifted through books, picking up the one she must have left off on, "What does that leave, an hour and a half? Apologies…"

"Just about, I'm afraid."

"I hope you're willing to forgive me." She crossed her legs and turned a page.

"Forgive you?" He asked "What have you done wrong?"

"Wasted time. My priority should be the clan, not myself."

He gave a small smile, "There are times when those lines are very blurred."

She nodded as a silence fell between them while they both read. Until she turned another page, "So…is there a woman in your life, or was Delilah's assumption incorrect?"

"Delilah?" He asked, "Where is that woman getting her information from?"

"Her nose, apparently. Told me you've been spending time in a club or somewhere where there's alcohol. We both concluded that isn't somewhere natural you'd spend your free time."

"This city is littered with alcohol and the disillusioned homeless population. It could be anywhere."

"Mmm hmm." She leaned back and smirked, "Is it a man then? Victor, you know I, out of all people, am not going to judge you. Or tell anyone. I'm not Jeanette."

"It's no one." He said, "I'm not sure when Delilah's word became…the law of the land around here…but…"

"It hasn't." She shrugged, "I was just curious. The mortal sin that plagues me time and time again."

"Yes, it plagues us all. Were it not for our joined clan, we would be free from curiosity. But what is it the Tremere want? We want to learn. We want to acquire knowledge. An honorable pursuit."

"Mmm hmm." She flicked another page over, "I think I'm in love. And the worst part is, I know it isn't going to last. I'm going to have to break it off if I want to get anything done…" She sighed through her nose, "And I'm positive she has…others." She shook her head, "Yet I've never met anyone else so enchanting…and I know Strauss wouldn't approve at all…" She closed her eyes, "Perhaps we're all better off left alone…as solitary creatures…"

"…is she Kindred?"

"It's Miranda."

"Oh, I see." He said, "Yes, she was Embraced when I was…about seventy…give or take…I know all her…reputations…very well. At the very least, I doubt Strauss would mind. What separates her from women like Tess is that she is capable of independent, intelligent thought, and she is _very_ deadly on the battlefield. I enjoy sharing a skirmish with her at my side."

"That's the thing…she's…easily the smartest woman I've ever met…and yet…every moment I spend with her, I feel like I'm kissing the ground she walks on, and she's…simply smiling over her shoulder. I know I'm…just another toy for her…" She chuckled and shook her head, "I wouldn't surprised if she Dominated me into whatever our relationship is."

"What makes you so sure?" He asked, "I've heard her doing such a thing to her food, but, she isn't necessarily mean-spirited. Not like LaCroix, at least…"

"Women…will do funny things for self-confidence. I think she loved the fact that she had me sobbing in the palm of her hand, I think she likes the taste of power. I think LaCroix is rubbing off on her."

He smiled, "An astute observation, for one so young." He noted, "So…you were vulnerable in front of her?"

"Regrettably so. I don't…I don't know what it is about her that drives me to be hers…"

"Her physical attraction? That, and the way she scantily dresses…that most likely doesn't help. She's also fairly studious and intelligent. She has a quiet, calming voice, fit for a Tremere. In an ideal situation, she is, in all intents purposes, a perfect woman. But she is weighed down by her perversion. That's why you feel so divided, yes?"

"…no…no, she isn't perverted. She's…" She sighed and closed her book, "She's too good for me. A league above my own. I know she'll regret giving me the time of day when the right person finds her."

"Perhaps this is something you should speak with her about."

"Yes…I…I should…" She rubbed at one of her temples, then smirked, "How about now?"

"How about now?" He repeated.

"Who's the special one? I won't tell anyone, Mister Madison, who would I have to tell?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, please, I'm just _dying_ to know." She grinned.

"There's nothing to know. Whatever sort of information Delilah fed you, it's incorrect."

"I refuse to believe it. A man such as yourself? There's no way. Do you require more secrets?"

"No. I apologize if you thought telling me about yourself and Miranda would compel me to…level the playing field…as I have no secret to tell you…"

She sat back and sighed, "Oh…what a shame…I hope you'll forgive my curiosity."

"Yes, I don't mind."

She opened her book again, "If something does happen…and you need someone to talk to, I'm here. You've faithfully supported me since I walked through these doors for the first time, it's the least I could do."

"Yes, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

* * *

"Sorry the place is a mess." Damsel opened the door and let Anastasia into her apartment, the place was pretty cluttered, the clothes pile on her bed was impressive, "I never get time to clean with all the babysitting." She dropped her keys on the dresser, "Want a drink?"

"If it's no trouble." Anastasia smiled.

She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, growling under her breath as the remote took a few tries to even power on. Then she went to the fridge and got out what looked like a gallon of milk, but was really filled the blood. She put it down on the counter and grabbed two mugs from the sink, rinsing them out, "We should do this more often, you know. Hang out with each other, away from all the banshees."

"Yeah, there hasn't been much time with all the craziness going on."

She put the mugs down and poured some blood in one, handing it to Anastasia, pouring the other one for herself, before she put the gallon back in the fridge, "Here, I'll make some room…" She muttered, picking up a pile of boxes off of the couch and slamming them down on the floor, "There." She sat down and left enough space for her, closing her eyes, "This has become my new favorite sound. Nothing."

She sat next to her, "Being the great peacemaker in our group has taken a lot out of you, huh?"

"Peacemaker? That's you. No, I'm just the guard dog, as Jack would say."

"Well…you put a lot of work into making sure those guys don't kill each other, too."

She smiled, "I think you're the only one on the goddamn planet who thinks that. I guess Nines kinda appreciates me. Appreciates the fact that I haven't blown my head off yet, at least."

"If you honestly feel that way, you should just talk to me more."

She nodded as she took a sip from her mug, "I think we could both use a little time with each other. I need my faith in humanity restored, and you need time with someone who isn't trying to turn you into property."

She gave a silent nod back, sipping from her drink as well.

Damsel finished her mug and stood up, "You mind if I shower real quick?"

"No, go ahead."

"I'll be right out." She took her phone out of her back pocket and left it on the couch, grabbing a pile of random clothes and plodding off into the bathroom.

Anastasia turned her attention to the TV for a few minutes before Damsel's phone buzzed. She peered down to see who it was, and saw that it was Nines. She spent every second of the ringing contemplating whether or not she should answer, before the tiny screen lit up with a voicemail and the phone finally quieted.

Damsel came out in a black tank top and black boxers, her stringy damp hair loose around her shoulders. She sat next to Anastasia again, "Alright, fill me with whatever gossip you got, I can take it. What happens in here stays in here."

"Your phone went off." Anastasia said.

"It did? Jesus, was it Kent again?" She leaned over and grabbed it, then flicked it open, "Voicemail?" She raised a brow and played it.

Nines's voice was a little choppy, "Where's my nightly call, huh? Call back when you get the chance."

If Damsel could blush she would have, "Fucking idiot." She closed the phone and put it aside, "They'd all be dead without me. All of them. Especially him."

"That's why I called you a peacemaker before." Anastasia smiled, "Whether you know it or not."

Damsel smiled back, she almost looked like a different person without the lipstick and eyeliner, without the beret. Her eyes seemed warmer, her smile more genuine, "If I'm the peacemaker, then you're the peacekeeper." She mashed her little fingers into the buttons and picked up, "Nines, what's up?"

In the quiet of Damsel's room, Anastasia could hear his responses too, "Nice and quiet up here. 'Specially when the werewolves are asleep."

Damsel rolled her eyes, "Please don't say shit like that."

He snickered, "They were just normal wolves, alright? Relax. How's everything been down there?"

"After the Sabbat shit-show? Fine. Quiet. Haven't seen Killian in a while."

"Probably just doing something for Isaac. No big deal." He chuckled softly, "You make all these problems yourself, Damsel."

"I do not. Swear to god, you don't even know. You can't even say that. You don't know, you just need to be here."

"Give it a couple hundred years."

"Cocky bastard." She muttered, "You're gonna get sick of that little observatory."

"Already am. I was thinking about moving somewhere else. I was gonna ask you to call Jack, but you're probably beat."

"No way in hell am I talking to Jack now. No, this is _my_ time now. From four to six is my time. I'm not asking for much."

"Four to six, huh?" He asked, "Then how come you call me every night? Thought it was you-time."

Damsel rolled her eyes, "That's different."

"Oh yeah? Huh, funny how that works."

"Shut up." She growled, crossing an arm over her stomach, "You know, it was rude of me to even pick up the phone, I have company over."

"Is it Kent? Can you tell him to stop calling me?"

"What? No, it's not Kent. What the hell, Nines, why would I let Kent in my room!"

He laughed, "He's kinda the type to welcome himself in."

"No, it's Anastasia. Someone who, you know, won't call me a bitch every five minutes."

"Anastasia, huh? Having her over during your you-time? Brownies after the Brussels sprouts, I guess."

"Hey, shut up!" She spat, "What, am I not allowed to have friends now?"

"I just never took you for the type, s'all."

"…the type? What the hell are you implying?" She snarled, "Rodriguez!"

He laughed, "It's, it's nothing. Really. You two have fun, I'll get out of your way."

She pouted and crossed her legs, "Wait, what did you want me to ask Jack?"

"Just ask him to call when he gets the chance."

"Yeah…alright, fine." She sighed, "Night."

"Don't get killed." The line went dead, then she flicked the phone closed.

"Sorry, he gets worried if I don't call him. Thinks something could've happened to us."

"It's nice that at least one of us are keeping in touch with him." Anastasia said.

"Uh huh…" She closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch, letting the sounds of the news fill the air. "So, what's up?"

"I don't know…" She sighed, "I really wish we could get this Blood Hunt off Nines…"

"Ugh, me too…I just want to _see_ him again…" She sighed, "He's probably gonna die up there…it's not gonna be the vampires, it's gonna be the werewolves. And he's not gonna call me cause he's not gonna want me to worry. He's just gonna drop off the face of the earth. Nice and quiet. Leave us all in the dust."

"It's weird that LaCroix replaced the Brujah and the Toreador Primogen…but not the Malkavian one…wasn't that what all of this was about?"

"…you know, that is kinda weird…unless he just…can't find any suitable…clients, or whatever they're called…"

"…this is all that Tess girl's fault…"

"Yeah, it is. Cause she had to go and be a fucking bitch. Ugh, Nines is such a goddamn philanthropist…acts like this big tough guy, then he comes in and brings Cammies in like his new best friend…ugh, he does this to himself!" She kicked her feet in frustration.

"I agree that bringing in a Camarilla fledgling probably wasn't the best of ideas…I was really nice to her too…that usually melts all the ice…"

Damsel combed her fingers through her hair, "Hey uh…on an unrelated note…you've had a boyfriend, right? Or girlfriend? Like…who isn't Killian…"

"Huh? Yeah. You mean like…long-term…?"

She nodded quickly like a bobble-head.

"Uh…well…not…not really…for a long period of time…I kinda just…slept around…" She said, feeling more ashamed of herself, if anything. "I…uh…but no more…I'm just…I bit off more than I could chew…I'm not doing that shit anymore…"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I shouldn't have asked…with all the…the big mess with Killian and Skelter…I didn't mean to bring it up." Damsel looked regretful that she even brought it up, "I don't know…I've just never seen Kindred…like…married or anything…maybe it's cause I'm still young? I haven't 'seen it all' yet, as Nines would say…"

"I'm sure Kindred could get married if they wanted to. Why couldn't they? I just doubt that with Jyhad and everything that there are many relationships that make it as far as marriage."

Damsel nodded slower, "Yeah…that…that makes sense…" She sighed, "Sorry. Shouldn't have brought it up. Unless you wanted to talk about it, which I'm down for. I dunno, I just feel like you've been going through a ton of shit recently."

"Yeah, but I'm okay. Don't worry about me."

She nodded, "Okay…Nines just told me it's my job to make sure you're okay…after I told him about all the crap that's been going on…he told me it's the Den Mother's job to make sure 'Stasia the Mediator's happy as can be."

She smiled, "Did he now?"

"Yeah…he might have mentioned some other names, but I tuned those out." She smiled back.

She laughed, "Thanks, Damsel."

"Uh huh." Damsel reached over and hugged her.

She smiled and hugged her back, "I need to make sure _you're_ happy too, you know."

"Me? Yeah, I'm happy. Might not seem like it…but I'm alright."

"Okay, well, if you ever need help, just talk to me."

There was a pause, then Damsel sighed, "God, I can't believe I'm about to fucking say this."

"Say what?"

She shifted a bit, "How…uh…" She tried to make eye contact when she wasn't looking away in what had to be embarrassment, "How'd you figure out you like both?"

"Hmm? I've always known…or at least, when I hit puberty."

The face she was making was hard to place, like a cross between a pout and a thinking face, "Never mind."

"Why'd you ask?"

"Just…curious."

"Uh-huh, _curious_."

"What?" Damsel's face lit up with frustration, "What, what is that supposed to mean? Maybe I like neither. Maybe I like trains. I'm not talking about _myself_."

"Right." She said slowly.

Damsel crossed her arms over her chest and sat back, "You want an answer? Fine. I like Nines. Maybe. I don't know. I only started liking him over the phone. Maybe before that. I don't know. Something doesn't feel right about being with Nines. Doesn't feel natural. I think I just miss him."

"Okay. That's fair."

"Don't you dare tell Jack." She said, "Or Skelter. Or Killian."

"Okay, I promise."

Damsel smiled, "Thanks." She sighed and sat back, "They called me the cow-kisser in high school. In Michigan at least, when I told them I lived in Missouri for a few months. I…still can't tell if they were calling me a hick or a lesbian…"

"Neither can I…I barely attended school…so…I wasn't really on the up-and-up with the insults…"

"Ugh, I wish I quit school earlier. My dad forced me to go, every goddamn state we went to. Half the time we moved is cause I got in a fight…I started carrying a switchblade around." She said with a devious smirk.

"My dad and I never got along either…" She said, "He…he hated both of us…growing up…"

She shook her head, "Good thing Kindred can't have kids, or the world would be fucked."

"They can Embrace." She chuckled, "Isn't that enough?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She snickered, "Did you want to sleep over?"

"No, I should head back to my apartment." She stood up, "But I had a lot of fun hanging out."

"Me too." Damsel said, "Let's do this next week, er…whenever we have time."

"Sounds good." She smiled, "Bye Damsel." She waved.

"See ya."

* * *

"I'm almost glad you got cut up this time." Tess said as she stood tall, smoothing her thumb over a white piece of gauze on his cheek, "At least you weren't unscathed."

"Yeah, that makes sense." He said dryly as he leaned back and rubbed his hand over his left bicep. It was wrapped in a good amount of bandages, even then, it was soaking through, "Ash River's arm, attached by a thread. Arm grows back."

They must have been in his bathroom. The walls were a tacky yellow color, the sink was speckled with blood, a first aid kit was gutted out on the linoleum floors. He was sitting on the toilet, the lid down, shirtless, his entire torso littered with little shards of glass, or scars where glass used to be. There was a particularly deep gash going down from his hairline to his right eyebrow that hadn't been attended to yet. Tess stood in front of him with a needle and thread like some sort of nurse, "I don't know why you're angry with _me_." She said, "I've been trying to help you since I met you, you're doing all of this yourself, Ash."

His pale eyes looked bitter, the sound of the TV blaring in the other room served as their atmosphere, "I don't need you, Tess."

Her eyes narrowed, "You think I don't know that? My intelligence outperforms yours any day."

He cut in before she could continue, "Then why the hell are you still here? If you're so smart. If you're so smart, you'd know I'm a complete waste of time."

"Because…because I love you…" Her shoulder dropped, "Alright? Is that okay? Do I have an excuse to care now?"

He sat back and gave a brooding sigh, "No."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a cotton swab from the first aid kit, mopping the blood off his forehead before sticking another adhesive there, "I care about you because I know there's potential there, somewhere." She held his face with the other hand and met his eyes with hers, "Do you understand? You were born to do something, you were Embraced to do something. You aren't a waste."

"I find this rich coming out of your mouth." He said, "Why the hell are you still around? From my understanding, all your friends ditched you once you got Embraced. Right? That's what you told me."

She stood back and crossed her arms, "I had no idea you were listening."

"Well, you're only talking all the time. Hard not to."

"What the hell is your point?" She spat.

"You don't know why you're here!" He shouted, again, his voice made it hard to do that, "You don't know what the fuck you're doing, and you act like some big shot who's descended from God himself, what the hell sort of life are you going to lead? You know what? I bet you're going to die before I do! You'll shoot that big mouth off to the wrong person, and it'll be game over."

"I said, what is your point?" She demanded.

"You have no room to yell at me. None." He sat back and crossed his arms, "What have you made of your life since your Embrace, huh?" He stood up and grabbed his shirt that was over the edge of the toilet, pulling it on, "You told me it was good. You told me life was worthwhile if I escaped, you told me there was a place for me, a place for everyone. I've been dead seven years Tess, seven. How long have you been dead, a few months?"

"We can find our place together."

"Where?"

"I don't know, we just have to keep looking."

"Not here." He went into the living room.

Just like that, Ash had pulled the lid away from the boiling kettle, the steam poured out and burned, but then, there was nothing left. He put the lid on and let it all form again, let the water bubble underneath. Tess followed in, trying to pull the lid away again, "Alright, so maybe we won't stay here. But we can go somewhere." She said with a smile, "We've lived here our whole lives, right? Let's move together, it will be an experience for both of us."

"You're in my way." He was sitting on the couch, staring right through her, to the TV.

"You're just going to watch TV?" She rolled her eyes, "Absolutely ridiculous. You are the worst man alive." She sat next to him and crossed her arms, watching what was on TV. Sure enough, it was Negative Zero, the movie he had the biggest role in.

On screen, his skin looked warmer. The purple, sickly looking bags under his eyes were gone. Done away with, perhaps with makeup. His piercing blue gaze was subdued, more of a gentle aqua color. No facial hair, not even a single hair on his head was out of place. His lips were pink and soft, not the slightly lighter, bluish color they were now.

Tears rolled down past-Ash's cheeks as he watched a boat on the horizon slowly sail off. He held a hand out towards the sea, gently sobbing until the camera panned away panned towards the sky. And then the credits rolled.

"How much has changed?" Tess asked, "From your life then, to now."

He looked over at her, "Everything."

"Everything…" She repeated, "Isaac hasn't."

"Are you kidding me?" He asked softly, "Isaac's changed the most. He went from…from…from what, an agent? An employer, a source of income to…to some kind of hellspawn. Look what he did to me, Tess. If it weren't for Isaac, I wouldn't be in this mess at all."

Tess closed her eyes, then reached over and turned the television off. She wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her head there, sniffling softly, "I don't know what you want from me, Ash…" She whimpered, "I'm willing to do anything…anything to make you happy…and you don't want anything…"

"No, I don't." He didn't bother hugging her back, in fact, he tried to stay away from her as much as possible, pull his arms away and sling them over the back of the couch, his eyes landed on his left bicep to ensure it was alright.

She slid her hand up his shirt and rubbed his chest slowly, the little wounds there already gone. She felt like she was in a trance, listening to the clock tick, feeling his cold body underneath hers. She looked up and pressed her lips against his jawline, kissing closer and closer to his lips until he bothered facing her and kissed her back.

She moved herself into his lap, her skirt riding up her thighs around her hips, her heels tumbling to the floor. Ash focused his kisses on her neck, his hands on the small of her back, pulling her in closer.

A warm fog clouded Tess's mind. As much as they argued, as much as they fought and disagreed, as much as they pushed each other closer and closer to the edge, she could give him one simple kiss and he'd come crumbling back into her hand. It was reassuring to know that he was there, no matter how flaky he seemed, no matter how much it seemed he hated her, he always came around.

Her eyes opened as he pushed her shoulders back so she could lay across the cushions. She met his lips with hers, her fingers laced around the back of his neck as he hastily pulled her blazar undone, cupping her breasts in his palms. Her hands ran down his spine before they pulled his shirt off, gently running down his left arm to his left bicep.

He bit her lip, she gasped as she tasted blood, "Ash…"

"Don't fucking touch it…" He hissed.

She pulled her hands away from it. It was good though, wasn't it? Having a wound there, something to remind him of the Masquerade. A physical jolt to him of what he could do to himself. So she touched it again. Grabbed it, really.

His eyes widened as he shouted, "Goddammit Tess! Let go!"

The nails of her other hand dug into his shoulder as she kissed his neck.

He grit his teeth as blood soaked through the bandages onto her hand, "Tess, you bitch, let go…" He moaned.

She moved her hand away, looking at the blood that was left there. "Ash…"

He sat back and held his left arm, "Get the hell out of here…" He growled.

"It will heal…" She held his face with the clean hand, "It's a reminder, isn't it? Not to screw with the Masquerade…"

"It's a reminder not to screw with _you_." He seethed as he stood up, "I'll call the cops."

She got up and buttoned her top, "Ash, listen. I love you, okay? I want to help you…if I have to push you in order to help you, then I'm not afraid to."

He scowled, "Get. Out."

"Ash…" She slipped her heels on and walked towards him to hug him, "I love you—"

"Well I don't!" He thundered, a low frequency sound, one that rattled the ground. "What the hell does it take for you to get that?"

Her eyes watered as she took a step back, "But…"

"I can handle myself, Tess. Go."

"I…I lo—"

"Don't fucking say it. Because it isn't true."

"Yes it is." She whimpered.

He grit his teeth and grabbed the nearest thing, a picture frame, whipping it at her. It cracked her in the skull and sent her off.

* * *

 **A/N:** In Ash's defense, Tess should have seen that coming. Really. Thanks for reading!


	83. Chapter 83

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-three! This chapter's all about second chances…but, are they really worth the effort? Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, there is some raunchiness in the end, if it's not your cup of tea, then skim over it.

* * *

"I tell ya, this woman was the _definition_ of a prima donna." Prospero crossed his arms, "Couldn't stand her for more than five minutes…"

Mister Chamberlain turned a page in his book, "I see."

"You don't get it." He said, putting his hands on the table, "Not calling Gary about her would be a missed opportunity." He was desperately trying to get the message across. It didn't help that it was Mister Chamberlain's twelfth 'I see' in a row. The Toreador Primogen was unlike anything Prospero had ever seen. He was used to them being obsessed with drama, the center of attention, or at the very least theatric. Goddard Chamberlain was none of those things. He looked like a ninja, and he spend most of his un-life studying the ways of the Kuei-Jin. He could almost always be seen reading a book, he seemed so studious that he would almost fit a Tremere better than a Toreador.

The Brujah Primogen and Toreador Primogen were in the former's house, sitting at the kitchen table, each of them had a glass of blood in front of them, but Goddard hadn't even touched his.

Prospero clenched his fists, "She pisses me off. Just…arrogant…bitchy. She thought I was gay. She thought I was gay…just because I wasn't drooling over her like all the other chimps were."

"Mmm, I see."

"I should just kill her." He said, "Or call Gary…like I said before…"

Goddard turned a page, "In your voice, there is remorse."

He froze, "Jeez…that shit is creepy…you're spookier than those freaking fortune-tellers…" He closed his eyes, "Yeah…I do feel shitty about all this, so what? I felt bad. She's living as a model…so…naturally she's running on no food and no sleep…so that's probably why she's so messed up. Her sister isn't doing any better."

"You don't want to inflict harm upon her."

He opened his eyes, "So what if I don't? If she keeps going around like that, then she's done for."

"You want to see her again."

"Hey, hey, hold on now." He frowned, "Don't go putting words in my mouth."

Goddard turned a page, "The opposite of love is not hate. It is apathy. If you _truly_ didn't care for this young lady, I do not think you would be making the current statements that you're saying at this very moment."

Prospero paused. Maybe Goddard was a Malkavian, how else would he be so on the nose? Since the two were both hired at the same time, they got along relatively quickly, getting to know the city, and the people in it. Due to their nearly opposite personalities, they complimented each other quite well. They both had an eye for battle too. Together, they could most likely level entire armies. (Though Goddard alone was plenty, as Prospero had previously observed. He had seen Goddard's fighting abilities, and how quickly he could make his enemies disappear. His Celerity also far outpaced Prospero's).

"Do you have a method to contact this woman?" Goddard asked.

"Yeah…I have her number…" He said, "But…but what if it's a trap…or something…I…I don't know."

"Then by all means, humor her trap." Goddard closed his book and their eyes met, "You feel sorrow for her. And even if she tries to strike you down, she will be unable to. You have nothing to lose." He said, and after a beat he added, "You may not run from your past, Prospero. But hiding under it and using it like a shell is no better substitute."

Prospero's eyes wavered. _So he did see the picture._ "Alright, I'll call her. Make yourself scarce." He waved a hand. He picked up his phone and dialed her number, when he looked at the table again, Goddard was gone. He had no idea where he went, he know he didn't hear the door shut. The dial tone nearly made his heart beat again out of nervousness. He teared up, what Goddard said did nothing but remind himself of all the pain he had been trying to wash away with routine swims and paperwork after paperwork.

"May Virgo." Her voice sounded like it was echoing, she must have been driving. It was curt and emotionless, impossible to pick up what sort of mood she was in.

"Yeah…May? It's…it's me…" He said, trying to hide his faltering voice.

"Oh…you? Yes, yes, because I recognize every 'you' on the planet. What can I do for you?"

His eye twitched, "Prospero, genius."

"Prospero?" She asked, "Huh. I never thought I'd hear your voice again."

"Look…did you want to…I don't know, try again or something? Have dinner? If you want it can be on me."

The was a pause, but he knew she didn't hang up because he heard a lot of static on the line, the sound of a car horn in the distance helped too, "Where?"

"I don't know. It's your call. You'll be doing all the eating…or…wine drinking…"

She giggled, "Yes, yes, let's try that place…oh, what was it called? The Italian one.

Bougainvillea? It's in Hollywood, I believe. I'm nearby."

"Yeah, sure, I'll be right there."

"Wonderful. Toodaloo, dearie. See you soon." The line ended.

The taxi ride there was quiet. Something he figured he might as well enjoy while he could. It wasn't like her voice was shrill, or squeaky. Generally, she had a very pleasant voice, but he knew she was going to be talking at least seventy-five percent of the time.

When he got out, he saw her standing on the patio of the restaurant, thankfully Angel was nowhere to be found. She was in a strapless navy blue cocktail dress with the belly exposed, a little pearl belly button piercing matched her pearl earrings. She smiled when she saw him, "What, didn't bother dressing up for me?"

"Ah, I knew I forgot something." He said.

She rolled her eyes and walked inside the building with him. "Ugh, reeks in here. I hate garlic." She muttered before a hostess approached her and led her to a table for two. She sat down and crossed her legs, looking up at Prospero, "I hope you're ready to purchase me a meal. I'm cheating today."

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I can have money on my person from time to time."

"Oh, well that's reassuring." She sat back, "How have you been, dear? With all that… _body guarding_ and all…I can imagine it must be taking a toll on you…"

"I bet your modeling takes more of a toll than anything I do."

"I wouldn't be surprised." She mused, "Someone tried to kidnap me the other day. If anything, _I'm_ in need of a bodyguard."

"Someone…actually tried to kidnap you?" His humorous countenance faded.

She raised a brow, "Don't look so surprised. There are plenty of ugly little boys who want their hands on a pretty girl like me and don't want to work for it. I didn't have Angel on me at the time…but…a little bit of lead to the stomach sent him off. I think he's alright."

"You…should consider finding a different line of work…"

She laughed, "And give up the amount of money I make? The fame? No. No, it's well worth it, I think."

A waiter approached, "Good evening. What might I get for you two this evening?"

May didn't bother looking at the menu, "Do you have lobster?"

"Well…this is an Italian restaurant—"

"And I can't stand Italian food. I'd like to know if you have lobster, dear."

"I…I think so…"

"Then I'll have one of those. And a nice glass of red wine. Be generous."

"…uh…alright…and you, sir?" He looked at Prospero.

"It's fine, I'm not eating anything." Prospero waved a hand, "I'm treating her."

"Of course." He said before he walked off.

"I haven't had lobster in years…" She sighed dreamily, "I could pay, if you'd like…you're making me feel bad about it."

"What? It's no big deal." Prospero said.

She played with one of her earrings, "Are you an only child?"

"Yeah, that's right." He said, "Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated about what you and your sister have."

"That's what I thought. She's still in Arizona, at home. Very jealous of me, I think. She's wanted to go to California for years and…here I am. Leaving her behind. Like a good sister does."

"Oh, really?" He asked, "How come you two split apart?"

"Work. I was told there was a need for…beachside models. Here I am. If only the water was warm, hmm?"

"Yeah. It's not. Go figure."

She leaned in, resting her head on her hands, "Tell me more about yourself."

"I was pretty sure I told you mostly everything about me. Was born here, in America, moved to London, worked there for…jeez…years and years…then there was a transfer and here I am now. Same company. Same job. Different place."

"Well, who's your boss?" She asked, "Maybe we can do a little boss roasting together." She smirked.

"Right now, it's Sebastian LaCroix."

"Sebastian LaCroix? That…that multi-billionaire?" She raised a brow, "If you're trying to have a second shot at this date, you need to at least make your lies believable."

"Pfft, believe whatever the hell you want, you think I give a flying crap?" He asked, "Least I'm allowed to _eat_ at my job."

She crossed her arms and turned her gaze out the window, "What's he like? Oh, I bet I could summarize it. I know what they're all like the millionaires, the billionaires. Pretentious. Whiny. Cold hearted. Selfish." She looked back at him, "My boss is the same way."

"I mean…he's fine…kind of…until he lied right to my face…bastard…"

She chuckled softly, "What's so important that he had to lie to you about?"

He shrugged, "Let's just say that I have these two…skills…sixth senses…you may call them. I can tell when a person is lying to me, and I can if someone has ever killed someone." He said, "He failed both tests. But…then again, so did you."

She giggled, "Well, what's a billionaire without a few deaths under their belt?" She asked, "Makes things fun. How else would they rise to the top? Oh, I'd love to be a billionaire. I'm almost a millionaire. Almost. I'm climbing."

"Oh yeah, because modeling is such a stable profession. What are you, eighteen? It may be a fun uphill climb now, but…"

She snickered, "Oh, that's sweet of you. My career is over in two more years. Nobody likes a thirty year old model. That's when the wrinkles set in."

"See what I mean? Even you know that your time is running out. So you must be worried."

"No, not particularly. I'll manage…I'll set up some sort of retirement plan…I'm sure my boss will help me. He's a sick bastard, but he takes care of us. Some of us. Tammy died the other day. We're throwing that one under the carpet, though."

"Tammy?"

"Coworker." She swatted a hand, then the waiter set down a plate with a lobster on it, nestled in parsley. "Oh, thank you dear. You're an angel." She reached in her top and handed him fifty dollars, "Enjoy it."

"T-Thanks…" The waiter took the money and bustled off.

She looked down at her lobster, "Poor thing. It's just awful how they cook these. Inhumane." She started breaking the shell with a fork and knife.

"Says the person who's about to eat its corpse." Prospero muttered.

"Mmm hmm." She hummed as she pulled out a piece and bit into it, sighing, "Oh…it's so good…" She handed him the same piece she bit into, "Here, here, you have to try some. Just one bite."

He backed away slightly, "Can't."

"Oh, allergic?" He nodded. "What a shame." She finished the whole piece before taking a sip of her wine, "What do you think your favorite meal is? I'll have to pay you back one night."

"It's fine, May…you don't need to pay me back."

"Well, what is it? Now I'm just curious. Someone's favorite dish tells a lot about them."

"It does?"

"Mmm hmm. I think so."

"I don't know…I'm not really that picky…I also just ate before I called you…food is the last thing on my mind…"

"It must be steak. Something with protein. Something to build those muscles, hmm?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

She rolled her eyes, "Are you afraid to tell me something? I'm not going to blab your secrets off to everybody, sweetheart. I can't help but feel a little frustrated around you, considering you know nearly every detail of my life, and I know next to nothing about you." She took a sip of her drink and continued pulling apart the lobster, "I'm fine with sex without strings, if that's what you were going for. Honestly, I have no clue what you're going for. Why you're keeping yourself so secretive around me. It's something some sort of serial killer would do. And I suppose I would know, wouldn't I?" She took a bite of lobster.

"I'm not a serial killer."

"I believe you."

"Then why did you say it in the first place?"

"Because, it something a serial killer _would_ do. I'm not saying you _are_ one. I'm saying you're _acting_ like one."

"Maybe I'm just not comfortable blabbing personal things about my life to people I've met twice…you know, like the _rest of the world_ …?"

She shrugged, "Fair enough. Then why did you want to go on another date with me? At least tell me a story or something. I'm just confused, is all."

"I don't know…a coworker told me I shouldn't blow you off…if you want honesty…"

She laughed, "Oh, that's precious. Well, I appreciate your consideration. Honestly. It isn't every day someone's chivalrous to a little ditz like me, I'm sure you can imagine." She took another bite, "Mmm, the tail is even better."

"Look…I'm sorry…I've been an ass…I…I don't want to…hurt you like this…or have you take anything personally…"

"No, no, I'm not offended. Promise. I'm touched, really. I've never had someone take care of me the way you have. I just wish I could pay back the favor, you know. Help you out with something."

"I don't need help. I'm just…worried about you…you seem to have a rough life right now, that's all."

She took another bite of lobster, "Oh yes. Extremely difficult. Impossible." She said with a smirk, "I only get fed lobster dinners, ugh, how terrible my life is."

"Maybe it's easier to observe from an outsider's perspective."

"Mmm, I suppose." She took another sip of her wine, "You just sound so lonely. Besides your boss. And coworkers."

"I just got here." He said, "Of course I'm not going to know who the hell anyone is."

"Here I am." She smiled.

He smiled back for the first time of the night, "I'm glad I met you. If nothing else, you've made this transition a bit more interesting."

She giggled, "Oh, goodie. I'm flattered. Really, I am. You should come to one of my shoots."

"Doesn't really sound like my cup of tea…"

"But the company would be nice. Or maybe I could bring you to my house. You could meet April."

He shrugged, "That sounds a bit better."

"Hey, and if you're not interested in me, maybe you'll find her cute. She is my opposite, after all. Well, she looks a bit different. A little less thin. Fairy like, if I were to say. Oh, and her hair is much shorter. She says it makes washing easier."

"I'm not…really in a romantic mood right now…"

"Oh, I could tell." She snickered, "I figured that might change your mind…but…oh well. Only so much a girl can do." She sighed, "That was my backup plan, after all. Models usually don't have a hard time getting married. Finding a nice wealthy man to pay for her once she gets old and can't model anymore. Then there's an ugly divorce, she cries a bit, makes the judge pay her for the rest of her life, gets custody of the kids. It's a beautiful, life, really." She looked back at him, "And I can't find a single man who's willing to marry me. I only have two more years. I thought maybe California pickings would be better. They're not."

"Those aren't reasons to get married. That's just sad. And shallow. You get married to a person you love and want to share your life with."

She snickered, "Love isn't real. Sweet pea. Sorry to say. People are big hairless monkeys. We get horny, we say we're in love, we make children, we get old and hate each other." She shrugged, "Love is something women made up to write novels."

"Maybe to you, it is. I believe in it."

"Fair enough. So does my sister. She's been waiting for years for her boyfriend to come back. Because they loved each other. I think he's dead, really."

"I feel sorry for her, then."

She sighed, "You really think it's real, hmm? You ever fall in love?"

"I did." She looked at his ring finger then back up at him without saying a word. "We were married for years…"

"Mmm hmm." She rested her head on her hand as she listened.

He narrowed his eyes, "And I loved her. And she loved me. Alright? There was no bullshit. No…money tricks…no lies…no adultery…you just think you know everything don't you? You think you have your shit all figured out? That you have the world wrapped around your little finger, and when you shed a tear, thousands of men will coming running. Well, you may _think_ love is fake, I certainly can't blame you, given your job and your life, but I'll always know what the real thing is. I'll always have a reference. That's probably why none of your tricks work on me."

She played with her fork, "What was her name?"

"Clair."

"So it is real."

"I…I'm sorry…I uh…didn't mean to…say things like that about you…you…you really…I don't know…" He said, "You flip-flop so much for me. Sometimes I want to feel for you, other times I think what you're saying is the stupidest thing I've ever heard…"

"Glad we feel the same about each other." She smirked.

He sighed, "Am I _that_ big a jerk to you?" He asked, "I can't be worse than anyone you deal with at your job."

"No, you're the nicest man I've ever met."

"Now you're just flattering me."

"Well, let's see. My father was an asshole. He called April fat, hit her if she got bad grades. Told me to go into law school, yelled at me for wearing pants instead of a dress. Lovely man. Hmm…my boss…typical millionaire. My ex was…he was gay. Angel's a sweetheart. Bit of a bastard, but I suppose he's nice to me."

"Alright, well that's compelling evidence I can't argue against."

"When is our next date? And where? I'd love to see where you live. Do you live in Venture Tower? What's it like?"

"Eh, it's fine." He shrugged, "But I actually have a place to myself, not too far away from downtown."

"Oh. I'd like to go there. Maybe wear something more comfortable."

"Wear whatever you'd like." He smiled.

She finished her wine, "Is this what having a friend is?" She stood up, "How bizarre."

"What do you mean?" He asked as he stood up.

"I haven't had a good friend in a while. Unless you still hate me."

"Hey, I never hated you."

"Mmm hmm." She stood up and pushed her chair in, "Did you want me to drive you home? Where is it you even live?"

"It's fine, I'll just call cab or something."

"Mmm-mmm, I insist."

"Alright, then I have no choice." He smiled.

She pulled her keys from her bag, "You're paying, right? Leave a nice tip for the man."

"Yeah, I mean, he did have to deal with _you_ all night." He said as he slapped some bills on the table.

She rolled her eyes and lead him outside, "He's dealt with worse, I'm sure—" As she turned her shoulder to face him, a man came running over with a burlap bag, throwing it over her head and scooping her up like a bag of feathers.

She thrashed and shouted in his arms as the man ran with a pair of accomplices, "I got her, I got her!"

"Go before that dude catches up!"

"This is what happens when you try to outrank Ellie McPherson!"

"I can't wait to fuck her in the ass!"

"I can't wait to get my chainsaw!"

"Prospero!" She shrieked in a rather unladylike fashion for herself.

His eyes shrunk, he sped forward, his fists covered in unearthly lightning as he ran so incredibly fast. He dispatched the three punks in less than a minute, the lightning and speed whirling around him disappearing as he removed the sack from May's head.

The only thing May saw now was three bodies that were mangled and bleeding beyond recognition, as well as Prospero's smug grin, "Seems you're an awful big fan of attracting attention to yourself."

She combed her fingers through her hair, it went from messy to perfectly clean in a heartbeat, "How much do you charge an hour?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"If I charged you two grand a night…" She got to her feet and gave an irritated sigh, "These boys…ugh, these boys! Ellie fucking McPherson…okay, look." She held her hands out as she stood in front of him, "Rival model, Ellie McPherson. Hideous. Looks more like a bear than a woman. Ugh, you should see her waxing strips. She pays these little rats to run around and snuff out the competition. This is the second time. They're still after me. I'll pay you to watch me. I know you're not a real bodyguard but I'll pay you real nice to pretend you are."

"I'm not sure how happy LaCroix will be if I tell them that I have to go protect an up and coming model…"

"What hours does he make you work? I'm flexible."

"Alright, alright." He sighed, "I'll try to juggle both of you at once. But…there's a drawback. I'm completely unavailable during the day. Got that? No calls. No email. No contact. I won't be able to respond to any of that. You'll need to figure something else out for the daytime."

"I don't work in the day. I live. I sleep. That will work wonderfully." She hugged him briefly, "Now, escort me to my car."

"Didn't hear a 'please.'"

"No, you didn't." She giggled, "Fine. _Please_. Ugh, what a 'dad' answer."

"Good, you're learning." He smiled, "And don't compare me to your asshole father."

"I'm not comparing you to _my_ father, I'm comparing you to every other father on the planet." She said as she paused at her car, "Check for bombs." She waited a beat, " _Please_."

"How the hell does someone _check for bombs?_ " He raised a brow, "What do you want me to do, tell you I found one as I'm engulfed in flames and smoke?"

"That's certainly one way to do it." She crossed her arms, "Not ideal, but…"

He spanked the back of the car a few times, with such force that the chassis swung back and forth, "Huh. So I guess they're no bombs."

"Ugh, I wish you wouldn't do that in front of me. The car breaks and you're buying me a new one." She opened the back seat door and threw her purse in, then got into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, or else what?" He smirked as he sat beside her.

"What do you mean, 'or else what'?" She raised a brow, "I find your boss and make a complaint. Or I find your bank account and tap into it like a little leech. Or I give you long hours without pay. I have lots of methods in this twisted little mind of mine." She smirked back.

"Too bad none of them would work."

"Mmm, I'd find a way." She started driving, "You didn't tell me where I'm going."

"Not that far away from downtown, I'll show you the way."

"Alright, dear." She said, trying to hide a yawn, but it was nearly impossible, "How old are you?"

"I don't know…fifty?"

"What? Ew, no you aren't." She looked over at him, "No, you are not fifty. Forty, maybe. At most. What, you lose track? You go to prison or something?"

"Watch the road." He said, "Jeez…ew…how old are you, seven? People age. They get older. Get the hell over it."

"You are not fifty. If you are, I need to know what sort of facial cream you're using."

"I don't know…I use a ton of that hair shit…what is it called…Touch of Gray? Or…no…that wouldn't make sense…my hair is _all_ black…"

She rolled her eyes, "Ugh, never mind." She muttered, "Such a closed book. I'll crack your spine one day, dearie."

 _Don't count on it._

* * *

 _Just bring it up. Very smooth, very casual, she'll understand. Preface with something nice, something neutral._ Iphigenia eased herself into the chair she sat in last time when she visited Miranda, "So, how have you been? Or how has work been, I should ask."

"Not very eventful." Miranda said, pouring two glasses of blood for them, "I just finished a few, small tasks, and I have some operatives working on a bigger goal, for now."

"Anything you need a Tremere for?" She smirked.

She pondered on it, setting a glass in front of herself and in front of Iphigenia, sitting across from her, "Not…at the moment, I don't think." She crossed her legs, "But if that changes, I'll be sure to let you know."

She nodded, "It isn't like I've perfected the discipline, but I'm sure it could be helpful to an extent." She took a sip of her drink, _Now would be the time…_ She kept her eyes on the countertop as a silence filled the air.

"Well, Victor…or…Mister Madison, as it were, states otherwise, in terms of your skill." She smiled.

She chuckled softly, "Well, he has very high hopes for me…most of the time he says those things to inspire me to work a little harder."

"He seems to view you more favorably than the other students."

"I…I have noticed that myself. I really…" She shifted in her seat, "I really shouldn't spread Chantry rumors, for the security of our Clan, but they both seemed so…so disappointed with Delilah and Leo, our other two apprentices. Leo I could understand…he was Embraced illegally. But Delilah…she was found in the streets, she had no choice. It's…it's as if you picked up a stray dog from the streets, brought it home and neglected it. I don't see the logic behind the way they treat her." She sighed, "I'd worry about telling you all this, but really, it's information you could find in her database somewhere, I'm sure."

"Hmm…it's rather interesting information indeed…"

 _Now is your chance…_ "So…uh…I wanted to…talk about something." She met Miranda's eyes.

"Yes?" She smiled.

Iphigenia's eyes drifted to the tabletop slowly, "It's just…the other night…that was….that was something new for me." She said, "And…" Her mind fizzled as she tried to think of something else to say, before the bubbles in there faded away to nothing, she was left on auto-pilot, "I think I love you." _Wait…what?_

"Well, I would think so." She stifled a small giggle, "People who don't love each other don't really…do _that_ …"

"Love each other?"

She nodded slowly, "I don't just…pleasure _everyone_ in my room. Not many people have come up here before. So…" She shrugged, "Think of yourself as…above everyone else…all the one-time meals…the rabble…that sort of thing."

"But…why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why are you treating me so much?"

She gave another shrug, "It sort of dates back to what you said about me. It isn't every day you find a woman so charming, pleasant, intelligent, and beautiful."

Iphigenia's confused look faded to an empty look, with the tiniest smirk, "Pleasant, hmm? Am I pleasing to you, Miranda?"

"I would like to think so."

She chuckled softly, "I wish I had met you earlier." She finished her drink, "You have anything else planned for the rest of the night?"

She took a big sip of her own glass, "I do not."

"Neither do I. Let's get to know each other again."

She smiled and stood up, "As you wish."

Iphigenia stood up and trailed after her, "The bedroom again?"

"Of course." She entered her room, taking her socks off, then her kimono.

Iphigenia sat on the edge of the bed, taking off her bralette, "Should we get some…some tools first? I feel bad about the…lotion."

"The lotion bottle felt excellent." Miranda said as she laid back on the bed, "You do whatever you want."

"Someone's looking a little impatient." Iphigenia tickled Miranda's belly.

She snickered and covered herself up with her arms, "Not impatient for that…"

"You have a toothbrush?"

She shook her head, "That…that would feel…sharp…"

She giggled, "I'd use the back end. If it's one of those…fancy motored ones…I could take the bristles off…give you a little vibration…" She leaned kissed Miranda's inner thigh.

"Alright…v-very well…"

"You seem hesitant. I'll let you think about it." She got on her knees between Miranda's legs and caressed her breasts, leaning in to kiss her stomach.

She groaned, "Yes…" She held Iphigenia's head down and spread her legs.

Iphigenia smirked against her belly, "I had a feeling you liked this…" She slid her hands down and massaged her waist and hips, licking her stomach.

"…you like it as much as I do…" She said, in between sighs.

Iphigenia slid her head between her thighs, her hair felt fuzzy and almost tickled, her piercings felt like ice. She leaned in and took a slow lick over her sex, Miranda could feel a little stud in her tongue as well.

She bit her lip, "It…it feels so cool…" She quivered.

"A little gift for you." She sat up a bit so she could make eye contact, "For taking care of me. I got it just the other night."

"I…I see…" She said, shuddering, "I would like some more, please…"

"Of course, dear." She leaned in and kept licking, before she started burying her tongue inside.

Her groans progressively got louder, as her hips began to start a rhythm to keep up with Iphigenia's tongue. Iphigenia started to grow frustrated with the fact that her tongue couldn't quite reach deep enough, so she quickly reached over and fumbled for the lotion bottle again. Slowly, she pushed it up into her womanhood, licking at the unattended areas. Her hands kept Miranda's thighs apart, occasionally running up and massaging her hips and rear.

She moaned, "I see the…" She sighed, "Bottle makes its return…"

"Yes it does…I wanted to hear how loud I can get that voice…" She placed a wet kiss on her belly.

"You…rather like my midsection, don't you…?" She panted.

"It's…so small…compared to…to everything else…"

"Yes…many have pointed that out…" She smiled, "Are you a bit thirsty yourself?"

"Shh…shh…" Iphigenia kissed her inner thigh as she twerked the bottle and squeezed her rear tighter. Miranda gave an abrupt scream, spreading her legs a bit further as her hips shook even more and she grabbed onto the bedsheets.

"There it is…" Iphigenia gingerly slid her teeth against her inner thigh as she slowly pulled the bottle out and rubbed her lower abdomen, "That's better…"

She closed her eyes and overall looked very peaceful, "That felt good…"

"I'll keep it in mind…" Iphigenia laid beside her and played with Miranda's hair, combing it through her fingers and fanning it out on the pillow.

"…your turn…"

"You seem so tired…."

"I…I know…" She hugged her close, "I…I can keep going…"

"Well, I'm not going to hold you back…"

"Then come here." She lifted Iphigenia up and stuffed one of her breasts into her mouth, chewing on it as she pat her rear.

Iphigenia's eyes widened before they closed, a low groan passing through her lips as she gripped the bedsheets tightly, wrapping her legs tightly around Miranda's waist as she slowly grinded against her.

Miranda bit down harder, trying to press her nipple against either her tongue or the roof of her mouth. Iphigenia bit her lip and held in any screams she had, "It's…almost astounding how much faster you can get me to come…"

"I'd get you more wet if those pants were off." She said as she moved her mouth away from Iphigenia's boobs.

Iphigenia dismounted her and pulled her pants and underwear off, quickly resuming her position, "Now, where were we?"

She sighed, "I believe you were worshipping my flawless body the best way you know how."

"Ah…" She kissed Miranda's lips and clasped her hands over Miranda's breasts, grinding up against her hip.

"Y-Yes…" She groaned, "Do you like that…?"

"Of course…" She started kissing and sliding her teeth along Miranda's neck.

"Did you want me to examine you a bit closer?"

"Please…please examine me all night…"

She slid Iphigenia up so her mouth was positioned near her sex, incidentally, Iphigenia was able to grind up her body as she was dragged. She opened her mouth wide and dove into Iphigenia's womanhood, holding her butt firm and licking wherever she could.

Iphigenia's eyes fluttered closed as she writhed in Miranda's grasp, her nails scraping against the bedsheets as her legs locked around her neck with a shaky grip. She threw her head back and let out a cry as her back arched away from the mattress, the fingers of one hand sliding through Miranda's hair as she pulled her hips up towards Miranda's ministrations.

She gave her butt a few pats further in as she kept exploring. Miranda closed her eyes and let her mouth do all the work, keeping a secure grip on Iphigenia so she wouldn't go anywhere.

Her screams turned to groans as she felt another wave build up inside her, another coil binding tighter and tighter in the pit of her stomach. She sighed Miranda's name a few times in a pleading fashion, begging her to continue, to go deeper or harder.

She peeked an eye open, about to stop, but once she heard Iphigenia begging, she continued for a while longer. When her tongue got tired, she would kiss her sex instead, winding down only when Iphigenia started to.

Iphigenia let go of her grip around Miranda's head, her hand sliding through her buzz cut, "I love you…so much…"

"Come here." She smiled and held her arms out.

Iphigenia crawled to Miranda's arms, squeezing her tightly and resting her head in her chest again, "Thank you…" She kissed one of her arms.

"It's nothing." Her smile grew, "Both of us will rest well, I'm sure."

"Mmm hmm…one can only hope…" Her eyes closed as she held on to Miranda tighter. Her mind, however, was completely split. Half of her was tranquil as ever, a calm wave of peace, she felt like she'd be content forever in Miranda's arms. The other half, however, was uneasy. A little pea-sized thought in the back of her head that nagged away constantly, something telling her this wasn't right. Telling her to get away, to find someone else. But, as she felt Miranda squeeze her back, she submerged the little pea with the wave of peace.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, it's okay, peas can usually be ignored. That's the best way to deal with them. Thanks for reading!


	84. Chapter 84

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-four! Half about pissing off LaCroix, the other about making him the happiest man in L.A. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Sitting at the Prince's desk was much more relaxing without the Prince actually being there. She heard him in the hallway, chatting to someone, she had no clue who. She couldn't pick up their conversation, and had no desire to, anyway. She'd feel scared being alone in his penthouse, if the Sheriff wasn't standing there like a statue.

Three large stacks of paper were on his desk to the left, nice and organized, thanks to Harper's organizational talent. She snatched up the next packet of papers and saw a report, recognizing the font as something the Nosferatu must have typed up.

* * *

SUBJECT NAME: CADMUS VANDERBILT

SUBJECT APPARENT AGE: 23

SUBJECT RELATIVES: N/A

SUBJECT GENDER: MALE

SUBJECT PREV. PROF.: HUNTER

SUBJECT SIRE: GERALD CONSTANTINE

DATE OF EMBRACE: JUNE 5, 1984

SUBJECT REPORT:

Mister Vanderbilt is well built, but not overweight. Subject has dark hair, dark eyes, usually dark clothing including coats. Vanderbilt is reckless, hasty and careless, crass and bitter. No apparent respect for elders. No respect for Kindred. Subject remains neonate due to failure of agoge.

* * *

Harper's eyes quickly skimmed the paper. She knew she really wasn't supposed to be reading it. She wasn't supposed to read any official documents this closely, to harbor information.

But could it really be true? Cadmus was a hunter? Was he Embraced out of spite? Was his Embrace even passed by the Prince? She put that paper down, then glanced at the one underneath it.

* * *

SUBJECT NAME: MIRANDA FROST

SUBJECT APPARENT AGE: 20

SUBJECT RELATIVES: N/A

SUBJECT GENDER: FEMALE

SUBJECT PREV PROF: N/A

SUBJECT SIRE: UNKNOWN

DATE OF EMBRACE: CIRCA 1990

SUBJECT REPORT:

Miss Frost is thin, with generous curves. Subject has dark hair, dark eyes, usually in a kimono. Frost is polite, thinks critically, decisive. Deep care for Camarilla and devotion towards elders. Raised as subject in Society of Leopold. Remains neonate due to illegitimate siring and therefore failure of agoge.

* * *

Miranda wasn't even sired legally? And yet the Prince trusted her so closely! And what was it supposed to mean, subject in Society of Leopold? Was she a hunter too? Harper quickly put that file aside as well. Where did the Nosferatu even come up with this information? The last report was a folded up newspaper, certain words and phrases highlighted, in a fashion a Malkavian would.

The doors opened as LaCroix walked in, his dress shoes sounded sharp against the floors, "Miss Rivers, have you finished sorting the paperwork?"

"Yes, sir." She stood up.

"Excellent." He stepped forwards and looked at the stacks of papers, "Just when I had thought I could catch a break." He chuckled to himself softly, "Any phone calls?"

"None, sir."

"Exemplary." He sat down at his desk, "You've done a superb job. Any breakthroughs with Rush?"

"Rush…sir?" She asked, "You still want me on the case? All evidence has been cleared and discarded as irrelevant."

"Has it?" He mused, sitting back, "I can't say I like the sound of that. Who was responsible for this decision? I can't have this happening again."

"I'm…not sure, sir."

"Very well…you've served your duties. You may return to your room."

"There are no other tasks?"

"Well…if Miss Frost continues to take as long as she has been in retrieving the sarcophagus, perhaps I'll send you after it with a few of my agents."

"Agents…sir?"

"Yes." He met her gaze and chuckled softly, dryly. She was sure he would never really act as relaxed around her again until he cracked the lid of the sarcophagus and saw what was inside, "I can't send you after it alone. I don't want my ghoul to go missing."

"Well…perhaps that's why Miss Frost is taking so much time."

"Oh, I'm sure it is." He mused, "Either that, or she's attending another…photography session with the Nosferatu."

"Photography session?" She asked, "You mean…those photoshopped images Gary produced? He…he has some of me too, sir." Her eyes looked out towards the windows, the glass getting stained with raindrops.

"…pardon?"

"He takes them of every female Kindred who's…in the Jyhad, really." Harper said before looking up at him again, "It isn't Miranda's fault. He…he takes a photo of the face of a woman…or whichever part he needs, the hair, the hat, the coat…and then photoshops it over another image of a random woman…I highly doubt Miss Frost willingly handed him naked photos of herself…he likely took them when she wasn't paying attention."

LaCroix seemed shocked, "I had no idea…" He mused, "When I reprimanded her for it, she failed to defend herself…I suppose she didn't want to argue with a voice of reason. Admirable. I'll send a formal apology. Thank you, Miss Rivers."

She turned away, "Do you at least know where it is? The sarcophagus?"

"No, I haven't been told. I'll send Miss Frost an email as soon as I can."

"I…I would like for you to email me when it is located. And when it arrives. I would like to see it for myself."

He smirked, "Curious, aren't we? Very well."

She started walking towards the door, then paused, "Mister Vanderbilt…and Miss Frost."

The Prince raised a brow, "What about them?"

"Their reports. They were in your pile of…'to do'."

He seemed momentarily confused, before he looked at the stacks of paper and picked up the sheets, "Ah. Yes. It would appear so. This was…this was before Mister Lockwood's Embrace…before the Dane brought the sarcophagus…before…many distractions arose."

"Was…was she even sired legitimately?"

"Miss Frost?" He asked, "I don't see how that's any business of yours."

She turned around, "Were you sired legitimately?"

His brow fell, "Excuse me?"

"Simply curious."

He sat back, "I was sired in a location in which there was no Prince. Where there was no Camarilla, even. Legality wasn't the issue. If you are—"

"Then what was the issue—"

"If you would let me finish." He spat out quickly, the words rolled off his tongue in less than a second. Afterwards, he let a pause sift through the air, "If you are so intrigued in the idea of Embrace, agoge, and approved siring, perhaps you should contact the Tremere Regent. He has texts on the matter."

She couldn't escape from the laugh that left from her lips.

Over the course of time, the Prince had arguably become bitter, hankering for the sarcophagus. Like a starving dog, he only got more and more angry at _everyone_ , even those close to him. So what about his ghoul? His blood was rushing through her veins after all. This change, this shift in his disposition, it was reflected through her, like a mirror.

"I would never play into your hands so easily, Sebastian."

He was stunned in silence. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not going to be your Childe. Never. Do I make myself clear? I was simply curious."

"If you thought I was implying an Embrace…" He shook his head, "My Camarilla is full enough with those who are disloyal to my cause, that much is clear. I do not need more false supporters."

"Then why am I your ghoul?" She demanded. She expected him to scream. He certainly looked like he was going to.

"Because your mind is weak. You do as I say, despite these…occasional bursts of fire that seem to flood through your mind. Even if you could resist my Dominate, I'm sure you would do what I say. It's within your nature." He smiled, then chuckled to himself, "Really, these 'challenges' of yours remind me of myself when I was a fledgling."

He knew just what to say to get her to leave. The doors slammed shut as the Prince laughed quietly to himself. When he spoke, it was impossible to tell if he was speaking to the Sheriff or not, "She'll be an excellent heir. I'll have her in New York." He leaned back in his chair, "Coast to coast, the new world will be mine."

* * *

Cadmus sighed, making sure the table was in order, "Alright…so the room is probably going to get pretty crowded again."

"More guests?" Angelique asked, "Ugh. Yeah, okay." She put her cereal box away, "Thanks for the heads up."

"You can just go upstairs, if you want."

"I like to listen."

Cadmus sat down, hearing a knock on the door, "Shit, didn't think someone would be here so early."

Victor entered the room, "Hello Cadmus, Angelique, how have you two been?"

"Victor?" Cadmus asked, "You were last…the other time…how the hell did you get here first?"

"Ah, what can I say?" Victor asked, "I was eager." He said as he sat down, "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting here? Is it another gathering Slade orchestrated?"

"Yeah…but I feel like it would be better if he did the explaining." Cadmus said.

On cue, Slade and Miranda came in next, the smile on Miranda's face was infallible, "He finally found where the sarcophagus is!"

"Oh…so _that's_ what this is about?" Cadmus's mood sank.

Slade nodded, as he and Miranda took a seat, "It's at the Giovanni mansion."

"The Giovanni." Victor smiled, "Well, I haven't heard about them in ages…" Angelique scrunched her nose up at the mentioning of the Giovanni.

"The sudden craving for spaghetti befuddles me." Dragomir walked in, "Heh, I'm not late this time. Good for me."

"What the hell are the Giovanni?" Cadmus looked at Victor.

"Ah, well, they're a rather pleasant clan who are known to have killed and diablerized themselves to clan status." Victor said, as he pulled out a chair for Dragomir, "To the point where the clan they attacked no longer exists. Their favorite hobbies usually involve Necromancy, and incest."

Slade gave a slow nod, "That checks out, Gary told me all that as well."

"What about incestualized necromancy?" Dragomir raised a hand.

"How are you going to get into their property? I thought they were more or less territorial." Angelique asked quietly.

"That's uh…that's kinda what I came to all of you here for." Slade said, "Gary made it sound like they were pretty dangerous…unless the six of us could just fight our way in…"

"Ah, yes…Starr sports a far point." Victor mused, "Despite their…unholy origins, the Giovanni are not to be underestimated…stealth may be a better option."

"Pfft, fine…" Cadmus said, clearly not being a fan of the idea, "But if shit hits the fan, I'll deal with them."

The door creaked open as Tess walked in, "Apologies, bad traffic." She said as she stepped in, "What did I miss?"

"Your eyes look like fogged glass." Dragomir said, "Why were you crying, hmm? Is it time for number five?" Tess ignored him as she looked up at everyone else.

"You both found out where the sarcophagus was." Miranda smiled at Slade and Tess, "I'm quite proud."

"We're going to try a stealth route first, but…it's probably going to end up a bloodbath like it always does." Cadmus said.

"Well…we're rather…clever people, I think. Perhaps we could…worm our way in?" She asked, then looked at Dragomir, "Well, you might have trouble."

"What, what makes you say that?" Dragomir raised a brow, "I don't stick out at all."

She rolled her eyes, "And if it comes to it…I think we have the firepower to fight back."

"Your words are jumbled from the picture frame. Domestic troubles, hmm?" Dragomir leaned in, "Karma tastes good, doesn't it?"

"Would you shut up?"

"Your skin might have healed, but your mind? No, that will stay. Until the fifth, of course." He grinned and snickered, "At this point, your entire life is one giant shit-show, girlie, isn't it? I find it ever so amusing."

"Well…whatever the case is, we'll get the sarcophagus, and that'll be the end of it." Cadmus said.

"Yes." Miranda said, "LaCroix has been waiting long enough."

"Oh, brother…" He rolled his eyes.

"I'm surprised he hasn't killed anyone over it…" Tess muttered.

"Yet." Angelique added quietly.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Dragomir asked, "Let's give the man something to smile about." He snickered, "I have a feeling it will be fleeting…"

"There remains the question of…what will happen when he opens the sarcophagus?" Victor smiled, "If it is what the rumors are suggesting…our fear may not be so unwarranted."

"Yeah, Tess and I were talking about that." Slade said, "I mean, he probably doesn't have the upper-arm strength to diablerize whatever it is that's in there anyway."

"I'm not sure that will matter. The creature will be asleep. Worse than that. In _torpor_." He said, "Upper-arm strength is hardly concerned when your target in question is sleeping for millennia."

"…uh…" Slade swallowed hard.

Cadmus too, looked fearful, but he hid it a bit better than Slade did. He planned on killing Caesar and ridding Anastasia from those Anarchs before this mission arrived. Was he too late?

Dragomir's eyes flickered between Victor and Slade, "Either way, the man will not be able to lift the sarcophagus's contents."

"Why not…?" Tess asked, "It's going to be a withered body…and he has some supernatural strength."

Dragomir grinned, "To each his own."

"Either way, we're all doomed." Victor said, "That is…and that is to say _if_ …there is an Antediluvian in there at all. We would be doomed no matter what the outcome. If LaCroix fed from the godly being, he would most likely rip the Camarilla in two as we know it. He would go mad and start a crusade of his own, which he would most likely win, due to his newfound powers. Now, there is a chance where the Antediluvian _could_ wake up, either in the midst of LaCroix feeding from him or the second the casket opens up. But in that case, we would still all die just the same. The only difference being is that LaCroix would be killed too. In fact, given how close he is, he would be the _first_ casualty."

There was a silent, eerie pause.

"Of course, there is a _third_ option, in which LaCroix absorbs the Antediluvian, but the Antediluvian reclaims its body by taking over LaCroix's, but it would end in largely the same manner as the second scenario, the Antediluvian would kill us all, and Gehenna would begin."

Slade gulped, "And that…that's _if_ there's an Antediluvian in there?"

"Yes." He said, "It could not even be an Antediluvian, it could be a Methuselah, many of which are quite ancient as well. And even if it were a simple Methuselah, to LaCroix, that would still be an impressive power boost."

Dragomir looked like he was having some sort of heart attack, he wheezed and put his hands over his chest. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Tess snapped.

He pounded his chest and faked a burp, "Indigestion. I suppose…sometimes, things come back. Kick in there."

"That's disgusting."

"New information for me as well."

"And it could be nothing." Angelique said, "Could be some old guy from where, Rome? Right? People put humans in sarcophaguses too."

"Yes, but if it was a human, it wouldn't be so renowned. Surely someone used Auspex and saw a creature in there." Tess said before she looked at Victor, "Right?"

"Auspex isn't the be-all, end-all." Victor said, "I have heard tales of Kindred millennia older than any of us in this room being immune to vampiric abilities. You all know how it works, don't you?" He smiled, "Our Disciplines are deadly to humans, but…to Kindred, age plays a big factor. Thus, it stands to reason that some of these older creatures are _immune_ to Auspex." He said, holding his hands out, "Or, as Starr said, it _could_ just be an old King or something or the sort. I suppose we'll have our answer sooner than we think, won't we?"

Dragomir pounded a fist on the table a bit too enthusiastically, "I concur! Let us go and claim the box from the corpse-bringers!"

"What do the Giovanni even want with the sarcophagus?" Angelique asked.

"You know, Gary never told me that." Slade said, "He just said he sold it to them." He shrugged, "My guess would be so that _they_ could have the Antediluvian all to themselves or something."

"I could see them taking it just for the popularity…"

"Whatever the case may be, I suppose it's time for us to retrieve it." Victor said, as he stood up, "I'll meet you all at the Giovanni mansion." Everyone else nodded and they began to make their way out of Cadmus's room.

Tess lagged behind, rubbing the back of her head like there was a sore spot there.

"You okay?" Slade looked back.

"It's…it's Ash…" She said softly, walking beside him and speaking quiet enough so no one would hear, "I know how much you want to hear about that."

"Well…I mean…it…it kinda sounds like it's… _just_ Ash now…so…that's good…right?"

"It's no one now."

"No one?"

"He got in another car accident. He's doing it on purpose, he has to be."

"Huh…" He said, "I wonder how he keeps getting more…"

"I don't even know…" She laughed bitterly, "I…did some things…said some things…and I'm no longer allowed near him."

"Hmm…sounds like all the shit I was going through with Velvet."

She shook her head, "I don't know why I let him treat me the way he did." She rubbed at one of her eyes, her voice cracking, "Every time I look back on it…I just…I feel humiliated…he didn't treat me like someone he cared about, he didn't treat me like a friend, or even a woman…I was just a _thing_ to him…a thing he'd…push around and shove to the side but take advantage of when it was convenient for him…" She shook her head again, "I deserved all of it…"

"The important thing is you learned from it." He said, "You probably won't enter into something like that again, unless you're cautious."

"Yes…yes, you're…you're right…" She crossed her arms, "Now I want back all the things I lost…I want Julius again to simplify all this…Jyhad business and make it sound like nothing…I want Leo to make me feel like the prettiest woman on the planet…I want Dra—" She almost looked as if she fell short of breath, "I just want to go back in time…"

"So you are jealous."

"Jealous? Of…of what?"

"Genevieve."

"Genevieve? No." She said, "I would be jealous of her if he wasn't a Malkavian. I'm not interested in dragging around a metaphor dictionary with me."

He narrowed his eyes, "You can't blame me for how I've acted towards you then, especially after what you said when we were alive."

"I never said I was upset with the way you acted. You acted logically. Reasonably."

He looked ahead, "Why do you look down on him so much? Like he's trash? Why do you belittle him?"

"Because he's dead. The Dragomir we knew is dead, Slade. That's…" She motioned to Dragomir, who was ahead of them, laughing and chatting with Victor, "Some other man in his body."

"That's him."

"No it isn't. Tell me where in the world there's a resemblance to him. Besides his memories, which I wouldn't be surprised if he completely erased from his mind."

"He remembers. I can see my friend Dragomir inside him, even if you can't."

She sighed and crossed her arms, "I don't see it." She said softly, "He's…he's detached…he's cold…he doesn't give a damn about anyone. _Anyone_. Maybe he cares about you, and Genevieve. But…but that's it. He's asking to die."

"That sounds like every vampire in the Jyhad." Slade said, "Even you. All that stuff you said, it described how you justified what you were doing when we argued in the Red Dragon."

"No, you don't see. I'm taking my life away from…from humanity. I'm going to be part of Jyhad, a Camarilla tool, a gear in the machine. He's…he's doing the opposite. He's giving the middle finger to Jyhad and jumping off a cliff."

"He's happier than both of us right now." He said, "Or are you going to tell me that happiness doesn't matter either?"

"I don't think I need to answer that. I think you know the answer to that yourself."

"You get the point though, he's not stuck with Ash like you are, or stuck with VV, like I am. All he has to worry about is Genevieve's happiness. I say he made out better than either of us."

She snickered, "He's _insane_. He has to deal with voices in his head, prophecies he can't interpret rattling around in there, insight that's probably all garbage…clearly he's got it the worst. At least we can _think_. Have opinions without our own self telling us we're wrong. Who the hell knows what's going on in his head right now…"

He clenched his fists, "You never _really_ were our friend, were you?"

"I was. When we were alive. We're dead now, in case you haven't noticed. My life depended on…on my life. On living. It's over now that I'm dead. Maybe you're right, maybe Dragomir is the same. And maybe you're the same, hey, maybe April's the same, wherever she is. But mine isn't. It never will, not after this. You might not have been Embraced legally, neither was he, but you two seem to have your lives together. I'm gone." She said bitterly as she walked ahead of him.

* * *

 **A/N:** And down the hill she tumbles…Tess should get an award for this.


	85. Chapter 85

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-five! Finally, the group get down to business. Let's see how it unfolds. Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines.

* * *

There was a massive assortment of vehicles in front of the esteemed Giovanni mansion. Most of the people who stepped out of them were party guests, dressed in the most immaculate of clothing, most likely to impress all their family at the reunion. But deep in the back of the gaggle of people, were the two Toreador, the Tremere, the Malkavian, and the two Ventrue.

"Shit…" Slade looked around, "We…we probably should've dressed up for this, or something…"

"Yeah." Cadmus said, "The way I see it, only Victor is actually dressed for this…maybe Tess…"

Victor squinted ahead, "It seems there's a lone doorman checking for invitations…interesting…" He paused, apparently thinking about something, "Ah, I have an idea!"

"What is it?" Miranda asked.

"Getting in will be fairly simple."

"What makes you so sure?" Cadmus asked.

"Well, four of us have mind altering Disciplines." Victor said, trying to wrap his arms around Cadmus, Miranda, and Dragomir at once. He then looked at Slade and Tess, "You two, may have a more difficult time. But…I'm sure…given your clan, it won't be that much of a difficulty." The four of them split off from the two Toreador.

"You have…invitation?" The doorman asked.

Victor dismissively raised a hand, "You already got my invitation." He said, Cadmus and Miranda repeated the process and they were let in.

Dragomir smiled at the guard, "Your shoe is untied." A purple glow surrounded the man's head.

The guard looked down, bending over and trying to tie his shoe, giving Dragomir plenty of time to walk on in.

"Great…they left us by ourselves…" Slade said.

Meanwhile, Tess sighed, her eyes darting around, "That couple. There." She motioned to a pair who were getting out of their limo, "Let's try and take their invitations."

"We're just going to steal from them?"

"Mmm hmm." She walked forward towards them, "Follow your nose." She said to him before she faced them, "Good evening, how are you both? I'm not sure if you remember me from last time, Miss Perry ring a bell?"

The man cocked an eyebrow, honestly he didn't recognize Tess at all, but he lied to keep up appearances, "Yes? What is it?"

"Well, I just was going to…" She trailed off and looked at the wife, "Uh…is she alright?"

"She'll be fine…after I get a pot of coffee in her."

Slade finally picked up what Tess was intending, "You sure coffee's gonna do the trick? I mean…she looks…like a ticking time bomb of embarrassment, but that could only be me…"

"Well…she did cause the last function to come to a screeching halt. Ugh, that woman has the self-control of a pubescent chimpanzee…"

Tess chuckled softly, "If you'd like, I could email you on the events that take place this evening. Tell them you were caught up in traffic."

The man thought about it, then they were both interrupted by the sound of his wife throwing up, "Come on, Maria! We're going home!" He grabbed her arm and yanked her off. In the process a pair of invitation slips hit the ground.

"Not a hair touched." Tess said as she picked up the man's slip and handed it to Slade with a smile, "Vincent." Slade snatched the paper out of her hand and walked off, by his pace alone, it seemed that he didn't really care if he lost her or not.

"You have…invitation…?" The doorman asked.

Slade tossed his paper at him and walked in, "Yup, right here…"

"Hmm…please have a…wonderful…time…"

"Thank you, sweetheart." Tess said as they walked in, "Interesting choice of doorman…" She mused as she looked around, "Interesting…all of it…very marble…"

Slade looked around, not seeing any of their immediate group with them, "I guess their plan is to split up so we can find this damn thing."

"That seems logical. I think snooping around and eavesdropping will be our best bet."

"Yeah…" Slade sighed, eventually he heard a muffled voice through a grand set of doors to a meeting hall. He crossed his arms and stood against a wall, facing the party, but his head was down, as he was trying to overhear what was being said.

"I appreciate everyone's attendance here this night. It has been several years since I saw some of you. In that brief period of time several events have seen this family fall from the good graces of the head of the family back in Italy. The American Giovanni have been through hard times, this is true! The fall of the stock market, poor investments in several once tried and true industries. The loss of many old and dear friends in Washington who served our best interests. But I promise you, that after tonight these unfortunate mishaps will all be forgiven! The Ankaran Sarcophagus, you well may have heard about its theft on the news. The truth of the matter is it was taken on my orders, why? It bears a great resemblance to an artifact said to contain the spirits of an entire kingdom wiped out during the time of the pharaohs. As I speak the most accomplished of our family are preparing to harvest this bounty of souls. Bringing the Giovanni family one step closer to the endless night we have toiled to bring about all these centuries! Once again, the American Giovanni are poised to make a grand return to a position of esteem. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, I have decided to Embrace two of you, and to allow you to choose one person at this party to bestow the proxy kiss upon. When the others return, we shall inform Italy about our accomplishments and commence with the Embrace. Let this night be the beginning of a prosperous new century! And let us not forget to thank God for this opportunity He's provided to regain face with our honored elders. Amen!"

"Amen indeed…" Tess mused, "That's something LaCroix will need to know about."

"…what do you mean…?" Slade asked.

"Their incentive. The fact that Gary gave them the sarcophagus. I feel like he's behind in so much of this."

"And what would telling him do? Give us more work to do?"

"Of course. That's my point at least. I'm sure you could stray away and become independent with the right support when you decide to do so, but for now, that's my purpose. I can't speak for both of us."

"Pfft…you wanna know what I think? You need to stop _pretending_ you know so much about all of this, and keep your mouth shut for once."

"Yes. Sorry."

Slade glared at her, if looks could kill, Tess would most likely be on the floor right now, but they were interrupted by a woman in a white and red gown, seeming disgusted with something.

"Might as well be a costume party…" She said, "Everyone smiling, pretending this isn't a pageant put on by the patriarch of this family. Fine. But this is a contest, and I came to win."

"Hmm…?" Tess looked over, "What do you mean?"

"If you don't even know about the contest, then you don't have to worry about winning it."

"Mmm hmm…I don't think we've met." She said as she held out a hand, "Maria."

"Hmm…Mira. Mira Giovanni." She shook her hand.

"So…this contest…?"

"They gather us up here to decide just who the best and brightest of this generation is. The lucky few are given the real power in this family. But some of us need to win more than others. Oh, forget it. You wouldn't understand."

She smiled, "Not sure how wise it is to underestimate me. I'm merely interested. I could help you."

She looked hesitant, "…Uncle Bruno…Since I was a kid, he's been the patriarch of this family, except he hasn't aged a day. I met with a Senator from Massachusetts who asked me if I was related to Bruno Giovanni…he said Uncle Bruno helped him with his first campaign…back in nineteen-fifty. We've all heard the rumors. The core of our family, they never age. They're secretive…whispers of blood magic and a kiss. Whatever it is, they pick the very best of us for it. I'd do anything to be picked. I've made some errors in judgement, but I've lobbied hard for this family's interests."

Although looking bored out of his mind at first, Slade began to pay attention at the mention of Bruno Giovanni.

"Mistakes are just that. You can always come back, you know." Tess said.

"I just met you…I like you, but I can't tell anyone…it's too personal. Sometimes, you do things you regret…and if someone here found out, they'd use it to destroy my chances of the family ever letting me into their inner circle."

"Mmm, I can understand." Tess muttered, "I've been claiming responsibility for work my coworkers did…I've been taking their paychecks, taking their credit. It would definitely ruin me, I'd be over if I got caught…"

Mira mulled it over, it was clear now that Tess revealed her dirt, that she was a bit more willing to talk, "I did something…because it made me feel alive. If you've never tasted it, you wouldn't understand. But a few months ago, I shared a hit with somebody I thought was clean…I tested positive last week."

"Oh, what a shame…" Tess's shoulders dropped, "But I can understand."

"I won't have to worry about this disease if the family accepts me into the inner circle. I won't have to worry about a thing ever. I'm on a lot of politicians' Christmas card lists and this family knows I've swung a lot of votes for it." She said, "But, there are two people at this party I know they've had their eye on for a long time. One's Chris, my cousin." She nodded to a man in the other corner of the room, "The other's Adam." She nodded to a man a bit closer, it was strange that the three 'contestants' formed a triangle of sorts in the party, "Who made Bruno a huge amount of money on tech investments a few years back. With them out of the running, they'd choose me."

"What's in it for us?" Slade asked.

"I'll spare no expenses for a lock. I want to be in that circle of power, and I won't let blood get in the way. And of course, when the time comes, I'll pay back the favor."

"We'll see what we can do." Tess nodded, muttering to Slade as they walked off, "I think we'll get a lot of money out of this if we see it through."

"I like how when _I_ or someone else want to do something that doesn't have to do with the sarcophagus, you get all up in arms about it. But now that we're finally at the destination, you want to screw-around with these stuck-up bimbos."

She chose to ignore him as she approached the man closer, "Hi, Adam, right? Maria. I heard all about you." She shook his hand, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Maria, pleasure to meet you. What line of work are you in?" Adam smiled, then he looked at Slade, "Or…should I say what line of work are you and your husband in?"

Slade blinked, rolling his eyes and going along with it, "Museum curator."

Tess smiled, "He does the curating, I do the management. Few signatures here and there, few paychecks doled out. Behind the scenes." Her smile grew, "I hear you do some fascinating work yourself."

"Myself, I'm an investment banker. Great business…lot of potential. For example, I got the inside track on this company right now, and let me tell you, when this company goes public, everyone's going to wish they had a piece of it."

"Really?" She asked, Slade recognized her tone as the sort of flirtatious inflection she used to trick people, "Tell me more."

"Well, it's a biotech firm. You know, they're working on growing replacement organs…really fascinating technology. In a couple of years, I'd bet everyone will be going to them for parts. I figure an investment of fifty-thousand dollars could be easily tripled in five years."

"Ah, so you really have a lot of experience then." She said, "How much did your last investments return?"

To this he looked a little nervous, "You take risks in this game. Sometimes you make a million, sometimes you lose a million. The economy changes…it's had some problems lately, but it's bound to rocket back any week now."

She gave a soft smile, an understanding smile, "You haven't been making much recently, have you? Oh, you poor thing. It's the determination that matters, you know. As you said, it's bound to bounce back."

"Most people here, they've got cash they don't know what to do with. And if one of us falls on hard times, don't you think, as family, they're obligated to help him out? Besides, I get the Kiss tonight! Everyone will be investing with me. In fact, if I could ensure my place at the grown-ups' table, by say, drawing some attention away from my financial shortcomings, I'd be guaranteed the Kiss. Know any dirt about the others I could use? I can't pay you, but I got this watch…and this ring."

"We'll let you know, alright? Do some digging." Tess said as she turned around, "Mira will pay us more." She muttered as she glanced around and approached another man, catching the way he stood rather solemnly in the corner, "Hello there." She crossed her arms, pushing her chest up a bit, "And your name is…?"

"Oh." He looked a combination of attracted and spooked, "I'm Christopher…Giovanni. And…you are?"

"Maria Rosselini." Her firm face cracked with a smile, Slade could tell she was genuinely attracted to him, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." She shook his hand firmly.

Christopher smiled, "Another person at the party who's not a Giovanni. I mean…forget it."

Slade raised a brow, "What'd you say, there?"

"Call me paranoid, but how can I trust you?"

Tess looked over her shoulder, "I'll let you in on a little secret, if you'd like." She said lowly, keeping her voice smooth as glass.

"If it's anything like mine, I'll tell you what's bothering me."

"I'm in the closet."

"Really? In this family, that's…that kind of thing can get you excommunicated if you're not careful. Well…alright. You want to know what's on my mind? I'll tell you. I found out a few months ago…my mother had an affair before I was born. Turns out my father isn't a Giovanni at all. My real father's this writer named Michael Avellone. If anyone found out…well, I might never rise up in this family."

"I see…would you appreciate some dirt on the others?"

"Yeah, I guess I would."

Slade rolled his eyes as they walked away from him, "That's it? 'I guess'? Alright, screw it, even the broke guy at least offered us a watch and a ring, let's just blab to Mira about this and get this shit over with."

Tess sighed. He reminded her of Ash. He was bitter, brooding, and had a dark look to his eye, and yet, he actually seemed to show an interest in her. She needed the attention. But, then she said, "Very well. We can look around for the others afterwards." She approached Mira, "We've done some snooping for you, dear."

"Yes?" Mira asked.

"Adam. He's completely broke."

"Adam broke? A few years ago they did an article on him in the business section. Hmm. Money's practically more important than God to this family. I'll make sure Uncle Bruno somehow overhears this. Take this. It's more than Adam's worth." She handed them some big bills.

Tess snickered, she didn't have the guts to mention anything about Chris, so Slade did, "And Chris isn't even a Giovanni…his mother had an affair…" He said.

"Aunt Cecelia had an affair? If Chris isn't really a Giovanni, it won't sit well at all with Bruno. So sorry, cousin. Here, these bills represent Chris' entire future. Spend them wisely. For your assistance, you can be certain that, when I have my way, I'll bring you into the fold…if you wish. All I have to do is set the rumor mill in motion and I'm as good as in…excuse me…" She handed them a few more large bills and started walking off.

"Ooh…jeez…being brought into the fold…" Slade muttered, "Yeah, I'll take being a Toreador over a scummy Giovanni any day…"

"Yes, at least our clan isn't involved in incest…I almost pity this Aunt Cecelia, she was probably trying to invite some diversity into the genepool…" She muttered as they started walking around, "I have no idea where they could have gone…"

"Pfft, it's your own fault…they probably found it by now."

"It is likely, but I think we made some good cash from it, at least. For more weapons, more blood."

"You like tagging along at the end of the line?" He asked, "Hmm, I can't for him to send you on a mission on your own, one day. That'll be something."

"I'll die. He'll replace me." She shrugged, "It's bound to happen one day."

"Ah, the great Tess philosophy graces me with its presence again. Run away, hide, and die, right?"

"Mmm hmm. I think you've just about got it down. I estimate a few more months of life. Especially with Ash gone. Now I'm completely alone." She stated it like a fact, like she was talking about someone else.

There was a huge, ghastly silence in the manor, caused by none other than Miranda. Mira glared at her, "Who…who let this dyke in here?"

Slade looked over at the commotion, once everyone else did, "Yeah…I had a feeling Miranda's…uh…clothes…would cause a bit of a ruckus…"

"I mean no quarrel with you or the other guests." Miranda said, "My name is Miranda Giovanni."

Mira spat something to her in Italian. Cadmus would've been able to translate, had he been there, although the onlookers could tell that whatever she said was horridly nasty. Miranda rolled her eyes, she pulled out her sword with a hiss, and she sliced Mira's neck. Her head slowly slid off her shoulders and splatted on the ground.

"Jesus Christ!" Slade shouted as all the guards started shooting at Miranda, "Well, I guess stealth is out the damn window!" He starting speeding around, "Fuck it! Fuck everything! Fuck this rotten family to the core!" He first drove his swords through Christopher, giving him a long, agonizing death that was anything but pretty. It was a sadistic sword technique that involved boring a hole into his neck so he could gradually choke to death. Once he was finished, Slade killed Adam next, only then did he start working on the guards. Tess looked horrified as she watched Slade deal with Christopher, she looked like she'd faint.

The doors to the meeting room burst down, revealing Bruno Giovanni himself, as well as a considerable amount of his fellow family members, armed to the teeth. Most of them were armed with either Uzis or high-grade pistols.

"Keep fighting!" Miranda urged, slicing more of them down, "It'll make it easier for us to reach our goal!" She said, sure enough, the men she started slicing down now turned to ash when they died.

Slade looked around, speeding around and fighting with any Giovanni nearby. Miranda sort of had a point, with all the Giovanni dead, they could go anywhere they please, and eventually they would find the sarcophagus.

Bruno held his free hand out, and a purple mist of skulls surrounded it. He concentrated deeply for a moment or two, during the skirmish, and eventually zombies rose from the ground, all hobbling towards Miranda, Slade, and Tess.

"Holy shit…" Slade said, "Looks like Gary wasn't kidding around…"

"Kill him!" Tess pointed as she got out her pistol and started firing at Bruno's head, dashing around to avoid the zombies.

Slade rolled his eyes, "Gee, really Tess? I was thinking about keeping him alive…" He sped towards Bruno and cut through him a few times. Bruno stumbled back, summoning more zombies to battle at his aid, "Christ…" Slade muttered, "These are…kinda tight corners…"

Miranda sliced through the zombies like they were nothing, looking at the other two, "You two focus on him, I'll take care of the zombies!"

Tess dashed up to his level and tried to kick him to the ground, then fire some bullets through him. Slade attacked him from a different angle, and he eventually perished into ash, Miranda since having destroyed the zombies.

"Jeez…" Slade panted, "That…that took a lot out of me…"

"I concur." Miranda said.

Tess put her gun back in her skirt, "We need to find the others…I looked around briefly and couldn't find another doorway anywhere…"

* * *

Cadmus's face looked more and more disgusted as they headed down into the catacombs, "This place is gross…"

Victor had that same, curious, scientific smile that he always had, "This place looks like…like an embalming room…of sorts…"

"So…basically, this is where they go fuck the corpses?"

"Yes…yes…something like that." Victor said, as he picked up a small black book resting on a counter.

"It smells like death. I quite like it." Dragomir peered around, "But they wouldn't put the big box in here. It has to be somewhere even safer, I just know it."

"Knowing our luck, it's in the deepest part of this shithole." Cadmus muttered.

"Yes, of course." Victor said, looking around, "Try and see if you can find an…apparatus to open the door…"

Cadmus banged on the door a few times, "This is stupid…the entire _reason_ the Giovanni have the sarcophagus is dumb. They think they're souls…or ghosts in their or something…least that's what that Bruno guy said…"

"Ah, yes, it doesn't surprise me." Victor said, "The Giovanni are more often concentrated with their necromantic pursuits than with Kindred folklore."

Dragomir paced around an embalming table in the center of the room, then pulled a switch that unlocked a doorway, "My father was quite good with puzzles like these."

They headed further down, a bit disturbed when they heard noises at first. Those noises belonged to a mad pack of zombies, all inching their way closer to the trio.

"Jesus…" Cadmus's eyes shrunk, "How is shit like this _not_ a huge Masquerade Violation?"

"Well…the Giovanni and the Camarilla have an…interesting relationship with one another." Victor said as he drew his pistol.

"At least they're locked away under here." Dragomir said as one approached him. He grabbed it by the face and smashed its skull into the wall, "They could be very apparent with it if they wanted to."

"I suppose killing them is our only way of moving forward." Victor said, shooting the zombie Dragomir stunned a few times until it was dead. He started firing off at the rest of the pack too.

Cadmus drew his axe, slicing some of the zombies to ribbons, "Huh…" He said, "This is…easier…than I expected…"

"Don't let them bite you!" Victor warned, no matter how many zombies the trio defeated, more seemed to rise.

"Why, will we catch their plague? I don't think my other half at home would appreciate that." He muttered as he got his shotgun out to add some knockback.

"It's not so much as that…it's the…damage potential…behind their bite…" Victor said.

"Ah. Well, let them try, I'm enjoying the show. We can tell the Prince later we played games in their catacombs, I think he'd like that."

"Uh…guys…these things keep coming…" Cadmus said, hacking another one to pieces, "We might just have to keep running past them."

"Yes, of course." Victor said, "I should have expected as much." He said, he and Dragomir running behind Cadmus, he paused, only to pick up a tiny green piece of rock, "Childe of Malkav, catch!" He tossed it at Dragomir.

Dragomir caught it and took a quick look at it before stuffing it in his oversized pockets and running alongside them, "What is it?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will be a very big help for you, my friend."

Dragomir grinned, "Why thank you. I'll keep it on me at all times, as with the other occult piece."

Cadmus was stopped cold by another pack of zombies, "Damn…where do these guys keep coming from?"

"A master necromancer?" Dragomir guessed, "Or maybe it's just very cold under there."

"They probably just…stashed these damn things under here…to discourage us from looking for the sarcophagus." He said, as he cut up more zombies with his axe.

Victor shot the last few zombies, reloading, "Continue."

"Where? Every room looks the same…"

"Then we'll have to try every one." Dragomir said, "If only my insight was as sharp as it should be, I'd be much more helpful, wouldn't I?" He whacked a zombie over the head with the barrel of his gun.

"Now, now, we mustn't rely on a Malkavian's insight for _everything_." Victor said.

"Let's try this way." Cadmus bolted to the nearest room.

Evidently, this was a poor choice for him, as the room was completely dark, aside from a few torches. As a result they could only _hear_ the zombies, rather than see them.

"Shit…" Cadmus said, "Uh…guys…I know you have guns…just…just don't shoot me…" He said as he ran ahead and started slashing at the zombies.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Victor said, as his eyes glowed red with Auspex. Not only could he see, but his shots were much more accurate.

Dragomir had the sudden urge to hide in a cold and dark hole somewhere, but he too lit up Auspex and fired at the zombies, "If you had a big box with a dead thing inside that the whole world wanted their hands on, where would you store it? It's going to have to be hidden, at least, perhaps in plain sight? Blindly hunting in every room with all these walking corpses is going to wear us thin."

"We don't really have much of a better choice." Cadmus said, "We have no idea what the layout of this place is, and we don't even know even know if the sarcophagus is down here. Ugh…it's the goddamn warrens all over again…"

"Well, at least there aren't big hungry spider-women." Dragomir laughed, "If we're going to consider the positives."

"I doubt the Giovanni would hold the sarcophagus up at the surface where the party is." Victor said, "For starters, Miranda and the others surely would have told us by now. No, my instincts are telling me it's down here."

"I sure hope you're right…" Cadmus said. They wormed their way through a few corridors, of course, being beset by even more zombies.

"There's too many of them!" Victor shouted, shooting at the ones nearby by him, he squinted ahead, "There's light up ahead. You two go towards that light. I'll stay back here and hold back the zombies."

"Very well, magic-man." Dragomir ran alongside Cadmus, "All my life, I thought I'd be running away from the light." He snickered.

"Hopefully the sarcophagus is close by so we can finally be done with this mess." Cadmus said.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to the feeling of a pillow under my head and my other half draped on top of me."

"Uh…yeah…" He said slowly, "Unless of course LaCroix sends us on another suicide mission…"

"Sends _you_." He said, "He doesn't like me. He doesn't give me much work, he likes to pretend I don't exist."

"You're lucky. I'd rather be in your spot."

"I am the bishop in this game, with my clown nose and blind eyes. He underestimates me, but I'll be behind his back the entire game, waiting and watching, pulling the strings here and there…"

"What strings could you be pulling?"

He gave a wide grin, "Why, his little ghouls' strings, of course."

"You're doing something to his ghouls?"

"You didn't hear it from this one."

They both stopped walking, seeing a grand crypt with the Ankaran Sarcophagus in the back. Cadmus held a hand in front of Dragomir, as he heard voices and he wanted to listen in. But it was too late. The two men by the sarcophagus noticed them quickly. Cadmus moved his hand away from Dragomir and held his axe firm.

"Kindred!" One of the men shrieked, "Your presence here violates the agreement between our leaders! Leave now, or face the consequences, or your actions!"

Cadmus squinted, seeing the Chinese tattoos, the katana, and the impressive physiques, "Kuei-Jin?" He asked himself.

Dragomir looked perplexed, "These people don't have the same smell as the Giovanni…" He stepped closer, "So where does all this hostility stem from, hmm? Your father, perhaps?"

The two Kuei-Jin exchanged a glance, confused out of their minds, "There is an alliance between your leader LaCroix, and Mistress, Ming-Xiao! You violate the agreement! If you do not leave, we are not responsible for your death!"

Cadmus's eyes shrunk, he looked shocked, "What…? The hell does that even mean? He's _with_ the Kuei-Jin?"

"We'll give you one last chance to leave this place and keep your life. You will go?"

"No, we want that stone coffin." Dragomir said, "I want to see him dance."

"The Chang Brothers graciously accept your life." Both brothers bowed, one of them had a pair of impressive claws, the other had a sword.

Cadmus gave a bloodthirsty smirk, "Hear that, Dragomir? Looks like there are only two more idiots left before we can finally get this stupid sarcophagus everyone's so riled up about." He jumped into the arena, immediately coating himself in a green mist. Dragomir jumped into the pit as well, grabbing his shotgun and keeping his aim towards the Claw Brother.

The Claw Brother teleported away, avoiding Dragomir's shot. Cadmus, who was meanwhile locked in combat with the Blade Brother, stumbled forward as he vanished too, "Shit!" He looked around, "Where the hell did they go?"

"Seems they're very quick on their feet." Dragomir mused, tempted himself to use Celerity, but deciding he wouldn't raise red flags everywhere, "Keep your green-shield raised, they might attack from behind."

Cadmus nodded, he gulped when he saw a good number of fireballs rain from above. He was pelted by a few, if it weren't for Fortitude, he would've taken massive damage. He flinched, patting the flames out on his jacket as best as he could.

Dragomir held an arm up, yelping as his coat caught fire. He hit the ground and tried to quell the flames, "No, not the jacket!"

"Damn it…these guys can make fire?" Cadmus asked, as both Chang brothers reappeared to fight Cadmus at once.

"We have to be fast then…" Dragomir got back to his feet, rearing back to slam the barrel of the gun into one of their heads.

The Claw Brother caught the gun, slashing Dragomir with his claws before letting go. Dragomir felt a wave of aggravated damage course through his body.

"Dragomir!" Cadmus held a hand out, but he was too busy with the Blade Brother to help him.

Dragomir snarled as he put his gun away, fed up with the results of this, "Keep your focus on that one." He called, activating Potence and Celerity to rear back and punch the Claw Brother's face. The Claw brother flew back, being overwhelmed by Dragomir's lightning punches. He teleported away, as did his brother, leaving the fight at a standstill once again.

Dragomir quickly put his disciplines down, "I'm going to need a body when this is said and done…"

"We'll have time to think about that later." Cadmus said, "Jeez…warping…fire…these…these guys don't make any damn sense. Where the hell did they go now?"

"No clue." He looked around, "I'm not sure if my true sight will work or not…should I try?"

"Uh…yeah…that sounds like a good—"

They were both attacked from behind. Cadmus was skewered by the Blade Brother, while Dragomir was slashed by the Claw Brother. Dragomir growled as he whirled around with Potence to slug him in the face again, right in the same spot. The Claw Brother flew back, running back at Dragomir for another attack.

Cadmus frowned, his eyes boiled with rage, as there was a moderately sized hole in him now. An orange glow surrounded him, making his jacket flap around in the wind it created. He turned around and clobbered the Blade Brother, slashing him a few times with his axe. The Blade Brother was surprised, as his defense positions were usually immovable, but once Cadmus broke through, he hit him with a volley of attacks. The Blade Brother screamed in pain, Cadmus knocked him into the ground. Cadmus snarled and reared his axe back, swinging it down into the Kuei-Jin's torso. The Blade Brother screamed in pain, teleporting away. "Aw, what's the matter?" Cadmus cackled, "I was just getting to know ya!"

Dragomir gave him a rather ego-boosting laugh, "Hit them like lumber!"

Cadmus snickered back, running over and hitting the Claw Brother from behind. The Claw Brother screamed and fell over, teleporting away. Cadmus held a hand over his injury, "They'll be back…"

Dragomir nodded as he peered around, "They must be plotting…I feel them thinking about taking you out first."

"Me?"

"You are the one with the big axe."

Cadmus tried to ponder it, but he was attacked. Instead of the Chang brothers attacking both Kindred from behind, both brothers stabbed Cadmus. Cadmus coughed up blood and fell over. Both brothers then ran forward to attack Dragomir at once.

He held out both fists with Potence, rearing back to punch both of them in the face and send them to the floor. They both fell back, groaning in pain as they tried to get up.

A black axe coated in blood swung down, carving through the Claw Brother's flesh and killing him, as Cadmus got up. "Glad you buttered him up for me so easily." He snickered. The Blade Brother swallowed hard, teleporting away.

"Oh good, I thought I was going to be alone." Dragomir said.

"Ha, ha, kid, don't forget, I have Fortitude up." He smiled, "Not many people have Fortitude better than mine."

Dragomir snickered, "Like a brick wall!"

His smile grew, then it faded, "Shit." He said, "It's fire!" He dove forward and tackled Dragomir to the ground, the rain of fireballs missed them. So instead, the Blade Brother tried a frontal assault.

After the fireballs fell, Dragomir took the hit for Cadmus, reaching out and catching his blade. His hands looked like they would need some serious medical care, but it stopped the momentum of the attack. He reared his head back to bash it into the Blade Brother's with an extreme amount of force.

The Blade Brother stumbled back, feeling his forehead in pain. Cadmus ran forward while he was stunned, and killed him in one slice, though it was most likely that Blood Buff was in play in addition to Presence for that attack.

Dragomir panted and kicked his body aside, "We…we did it…they're dead…hurrah…"

Cadmus's disciplines faded, "Alright, I guess we'll tell Miranda and the others that we have the sarcophagus now."

Dragomir walked forward and started lifting it, "Oh…" He grunted through clenched teeth, "Heavy little rock."

"Let me help you with that." Cadmus picked up the other end. They made it to the front yard, since the entire Giovanni family in the state was now killed thanks to Miranda's group. The sarcophagus was loaded into a large truck. Cadmus took the wheel, Miranda sat in the passenger's seat, while the rest of them took the cab to Venture Tower.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, let's see what LaCroix has to say about this! Thanks for reading!


	86. Chapter 86

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-six! Ever wonder what happens when you get a group of people with very different opinions to deliver the sarcophagus to LaCroix? Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Yes. Very well. Thank you. Good evening." LaCroix hung up the phone before he paced over towards the sarcophagus. He was about to speak before there was a knock on the door. He looked up, "Come in."

The room was soon flooded with those who went to the Giovanni mansion. LaCroix seemed pleased at first to see Cadmus and Miranda, but seeing the others, he grew a bit confused, "Miss Frost, Mister Vanderbilt, you've brought company."

"Yes, sir." Miranda smiled, "This is the team I've assembled to retrieve it. It took a lot of effort, but I'm glad it's finally in our possession." Her smile grew, as Cadmus did his trademarked bow on one knee, which caused mostly everyone aside from Miranda and LaCroix to do a double-take.

"Ah I see." He said, before he smiled, "Well, there is no room to hold judgement over your decisions, because it appears the sarcophagus is finally ours. I had faith you would locate it without a hitch."

"There were quite a few hitches, if I may." Dragomir said, "But, but, that's alright, you don't need to know about all the bumps in the road we smoothed out for you. I'm sure the pay you'll give us will cover that."

LaCroix raised a brow, "…yes…well, I've granted Beckett's request to observe and study the markings on the sarcophagus. I'm sure you've all met him, or at least heard of him. You all deserve to see what's inside, what with all the effort you've put in to acquiring it."

Dragomir snickered, "Your dirty little secrets keep piling up, Princey." He walked forward, away from the group and closer to LaCroix, "I know."

He raised a brow and took a step back to give himself some personal space, "Know…what?"

"The life-eaters. You've been dealing dirty business with them, haven't you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"There were Kuei-Jin agents sent to steal the sarcophagus at the same time we were." Cadmus explained from his bow, "They mentioned that you had an alliance with their leader, Ming-Xiao."

"What?" Slade asked, "You're with Xiao? But I thought the Kuei-Jin and Kindred were at war. That they hated each other…"

"An…an interesting observation…that's for sure…" Miranda said quietly.

"Yes, interesting indeed." Victor said, of course, with a smile on his face. "The Kuei-Jin have only recently arrived to America, perhaps they are struggling in their tangle with the Anarchs. I do _wonder_ what sort of games or tricks they set into motion to…even the playing field…hmm? What sort of devil's contract or alliance they've so apparently signed…"

"This is preposterous." The Prince insisted, a firm look on his face, "Merely a fabrication on their behalf. A shame, really, you believed whatever story they've told you to pit us against each other. Kindred have no reason to trust them, likewise, they have no reason to trust us. An alliance would be impossible by any means."

"Of course." Miranda said, "They are liars by nature. I won't satisfy the thought any longer."

LaCroix nodded, glancing at the others who still looked dubious, "They've been trying to take over L.A. for years. It's a ruse, a falsehood, spread to undermine my rule and turn Kindred against each other, thin our ranks. They are duplicitous, evil creatures. Did they not try to kill you?"

"They did." Cadmus said.

He gave a short chuckle, "Then that is exactly why they said it. In case you lived through the encounter, they needed to ensure our demise. A trick older than even I am."

LaCroix seemed about ready to move on to the Ankaran Sarcophagus with Beckett, but Slade held a hand out, "Sir…if I may…" He said, "While…while getting the sarcophagus back was a grand ordeal for our cooperation, it…was an arduous one too. We had to go through the Hollywood sewers and through Chinatown itself to get the leads we did. If…if we could…if we could just have some funds…to…to restock…so to speak…it'll yield…more positive outcomes in future endeavors you send us on."

He paused for a beat, "Yes, of course. However, I did not expect so many agents to handle the task." He approached his desk and took out two envelopes, "After this meeting, I will fetch more for the rest of you. I don't exactly keep hordes of cash in my desk."

"Well, you should." Dragomir said.

LaCroix ignored him, as always, "Beckett, what have you assessed so far?" He asked as he and the others approached the sarcophagus.

"Unfortunately for the heralds of doom, it appears we won't be opening Pandora's Box." Beckett said, "The markings, as far as I can tell, are of Assyrian origin. An extraordinary piece, but nothing earth-shattering."

"I see. Well, I see no reason why we shouldn't open it." LaCroix said, clearly he hadn't listened to a word Beckett said. He put his hands on the lid and started pushing, but, seeing as it was a bit heavier than expected, he really had to try. As the extra amount of strength seemed to do nothing, he cast aside his appearance to the others and put everything he could into opening it.

Dragomir snickered loudly, "Don't throw your back out, sweetheart." Cadmus, meanwhile, had to hold his face tight to prevent himself from losing it to a combination of what he was watching and what Dragomir said.

"It won't budge…" LaCroix mused as he stood tall again, "Beckett, is there a mechanism for the lid?"

"I haven't as of yet had a chance to pore over it with my fine tooth comb. I think I have one in my bag." Beckett said.

"Why won't it…" He growled as he tried again before he gave up and threw his hands in the air, shouting, "Why won't it open, Beckett?" He turned to the others, "I thought you said it looked as if it had been opened on the Dane…I want it open! You and Beckett, figure out a way to open it." He gave a quick and impatient hand gesture, "I need to know what's inside. I have other matters to attend to. Find me when the solution has been found." He said before he left the penthouse with the Sheriff.

A silence filled the air for just a moment as the heavy wooden doors closed.

"Ah, the depths to which I'll sink to prove others wrong." Beckett said, "The young ones get so temperamental. Fortunately for…Sebastian, is it? I'd already made up my mind to open the sarcophagus…if only to show this city that Gehenna, contrary to popular belief, has not yet begun."

Slade looked surprised, the way Beckett so confidently said 'young ones' must have meant he was old. Even older than the self-elder proclaimed LaCroix. In fact, the whole lot of them gathered around the sarcophagus with Beckett in LaCroix's absence made him feel like he was in detention in high school, crowded up with all the naughty kids who are badmouthing the teacher behind his back.

"Ah, yes, the noddist scholar, Beckett. It's a pleasure to meet you finally." Victor outstretched a hand, "Victor Madison, Tremere Magister, charmed."

Beckett nodded, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He shook his hand.

"What do you think is inside?" Tess asked, "Any hypotheses?"

"Put your ear to it…I'll shake it and you tell me what you think's inside." Beckett smirked.

Everyone tried to hold back their laughter. Cadmus eventually calmed down, "So…basically…what you're saying is that there isn't a way to open it?"

"In the last few seconds, I've had very few epiphanies." Beckett crossed his arms, "I may be old, but I didn't _build_ it. How knowledgeable are _you_ on ancient Assyrian constructs?"

"Not very."

"Hmm…fortunately, for us, I know of someone who has distinguished himself in the field."

"Who?"

"His name is Doctor Johansen, a professor of archeology from Norway. He was the one responsible for finding the sarcophagus in the first place, and as far as I know, the only authority on its origin and design."

Miranda perked up, this is the third time she had heard that name. The first two times was when she read it from the Dane's computer logs and the Museum records, respectively. "So where can we find him?"

"Until yesterday, he could've been found in his suite at the Empire hotel, downtown. But when I stopped by earlier this evening, all I found was spilt coffee on a morning paper. Appears he's been abducted."

"Abducted?" Slade asked, "By who?"

"I detected the smell of myrrh incense, which is usually burned in monasteries. Also, I found beach sand in part of a muddy footprint. Putting two and two together, I located a monastery near a beach in Malibu, where I believe hunters are holding Johansen captive."

"You found all of that out from sniffing around his room?" Cadmus asked.

"Actually, there were two hunters on the roof of the building opposite the hotel who were positively _delighted_ to tell me everything they knew, provided I stopped dangling them head first over the side." His smug smirk grew.

Dragomir gave a good laugh, "You sure know the best interrogation tactics…"

"What would hunters want with an archeologist?" Tess asked.

"The hunters abducted Doctor Johansen for his own protection. Or at least, that's how they've justified it. He's being held by the Society of Leopold and used, quite ingeniously, as bait for Prince LaCroix's minions." Beckett said.

"What…what's the Society of Leopold again?" Slade asked.

"Sebastian mentioned you ran into one of the hunters from the Society of Leopold some time ago. They're so secret a church organization, I don't even think _they_ know they exist, but essentially they're murderers for Christ or some such deity."

Miranda's brows furrowed, "Yes…I know well the institution of the Society of Leopold…we'll have to take Johansen back…"

"You'll have to go to the monastery and find a way into the tunnels beneath where the hunters are holding Johansen. I'm afraid I can't accompany you, but then, it's best you go in the group you've already assembled for yourself. You probably all mesh fairly well by now, besides, too many of us might set them off, like fundamentalists on contrary opinion."

Slade nodded, "How do we get there?"

"I wouldn't recommend walking. Certainly, Sebastian has already provided cab fare…I'm sure he spares no expenses when archeology is at stake."

Victor laughed, "Yes, when _archeology_ is at stake…yes, our boy cannot go minutes without his… _archeology_ …" Dragomir had a good laugh.

"So what else do you know about the Society of Leopold?" Slade asked.

"The Society, for the most part, knows very little about us, but they do know how to kill and torture us and that's enough. Also, some of them exhibit powers that can make them quite formidable. Best not to announce yourself." Beckett cautioned.

There was a pause, as the group knew that stealth was _none_ of their strong suits.

"Do you think this sarcophagus is truly a portent of Gehenna?" Miranda asked, adding nervously with a smile, "I…I know you haven't been able to do much research on it yet…but…from…from just seeing it in this room…the outside…do you have any assumptions?"

"Well…if we open it up and the world ends, then yes. If we open it up and the world does not end, then no. I'd wager the latter."

"Right." She smiled, "Have you learned anything else about Thin Bloods?"

"How _any_ sane Kindred could think these poor unfortunates are an immediate threat to us is absurd. Most were afraid, or at the very least uneasy around me. Tragic. Their desperation _could_ very well hold the spark of revolution, however."

"Let us cut away these formalities." Victor said, "I'd like to learn a little more about you, now that I've finally met you after so long. Tell us about yourself."

"Hmm…I've said quite a lot about myself already. I know even less about you than you do me. Why don't _you_ tell me about yourself?" Beckett asked.

Victor blinked, being put on the spot so suddenly, "Well…I was raised in the Great Depression…culminating my way through the Tremere pyramid into the position everyone sees me in today. My biggest fear is the small, yet growing number of Tremere Antitribu that we have to deal with…I have close ties to both of them…and I haven't seen them in years." He paused to think, "Oh, and I have a burning hatred of Nines Rodriguez…we were both raised at the same time…with very different…ideologies…at hand. I will kill him, one day or another."

"If the Blood Hunt doesn't…" Cadmus said quietly.

"Tremere Antitribu…" Beckett mused, "I had thought that they were all but extinct, in these times. It's interesting to see their movement make a comeback…"

Slade blinked, seeing Beckett look at him next, "I…uh…well…I was just a dumb college kid when this all started. I was sired only a few months ago, but someone in Hollywood…a half-Anarch…half-Independent…woman. We were all friends…actually." He nodded to Tess and Dragomir, "We were all friends and roommates who were going to college…before we were all Embraced."

"I needed money." Tess said, "I met the former Toreador Primogen, he told me about a job opening…I was going into politics, it seemed right. Now I faithfully serve the Camarilla."

"She's also a whore." Dragomir said, "Just…in case you were interested."

"It's funny…how short her story is without all the bad shit in there." Slade said.

Dragomir snickered afterwards, taking the silence to mean it was his turn, "I was sired by Mister Grout when I stumbled upon his mansion to do a bit of…inquisition. My goal was to aid him in his research before his ever-so-mysterious assassination. Instead, I've taken up the passing time throwing sticks and stones in the churning gears of Jyhad."

"An intriguing pastime, if not a wonderful one." Beckett smiled.

"My early childhood was normal…but…then hunters abducted me…I have every reason to believe that my father was turned at some point between when I was five to ten." Miranda said, "Once I hit ten, the hunters killed my parents and abducted me. I insisted that I was human, but they wouldn't believe me. So I was held in captivity…for years…until a band of Kindred killed them all and I escaped the chaos. I was an adult by the time I escaped." There was a long pause after her story.

"Holy shit…" Cadmus said.

"That seriously happened to you?" Slade asked.

Miranda nodded.

Beckett smiled, "So this little rendezvous will be an interesting reunion for you, hmm?"

"A bloody one." She said, Beckett chuckled.

Cadmus looked around at all the stares, "And I'm Cadmus." He said. There was a pause, then Miranda elbowed him in the ribs, "Ow!" He snapped, "Alright, alright…uh…look…my wife was…uh…was killed by the Sabbat, when I was human…so…so I became a hunter…to try and kill the bastard who killed my wife…but…then I was Embraced and…here I am. Her killer still lives…but…I'm going to put a stop to that…"

Beckett smiled, as if he were satisfied by their story time, "Then I'll let you in on a little secret…" He said, "Beckett may not be the name I was born with. Events always seem to unfold wherever I go, like Chicago a few years ago…oh, it's a bother to explain. Either I'm pursuing fate, or it's got a bone to pick with me."

"Yes, Chicago was a rather interesting time for Kindred a decade or two ago." Victor mused.

"Unless you've got further questions, I'd really like to get back to looking at the sarcophagus."

"Yes, of course…" Tess said quietly, looking at Miranda as if she were a different woman.

"Do you know her killer?" Dragomir asked Cadmus. "Something about him makes me think of salad."

"Caesar." Cadmus looked at Dragomir, "That guy we fought in King's Way. Andrei's right hand man."

"Ah, right…I recall now, yes." He said, "I'll do what I can to aid you in his death."

Cadmus gave a small smile, after their work against the Chang brothers, he wouldn't turn the help away.

"Remember, Doctor Johansen is an innocent." Beckett said, "He has _no_ idea we actually exist…try not to put the idea in his head…"

"Yes, of course. Our fangs will remain hidden." Dragomir ensured.

* * *

"Ugh, you really know what to say to piss me off, you jackass." Damsel closed her phone and put it in her pocket, "Skelter!"

"Skelter's not here." Killian came downstairs, "Where's the blood?"

"In the fridge in the back." She moved out of the way, "You wanna do me a favor?"

"Yeah, what is it?" He called.

"Kent got out of prison. Busted out, broke out, killed someone, I don't know. I don't care. I'm not bothering to ask. He needs a ride."

"Ugh…when I said yes, you thought you'd just want me to grab your keys or something…" He came around the corner and tore a blood back open, drinking the whole thing and handing her a few singles, "Don't make me deal with him."

"Five hundred."

"Huh?"

"I'll give you five hundred for it."

"Seriously?"

"Uh huh. He said he'll pay me back, so…"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Fine. I'll head out tomorrow night. Too late now, I don't wanna get caught by sunrise."

"Yeah, alright. I'll tell him to call you later." She got her phone out and started texting.

"Ugh. Yeah, fine." He said as he went back upstairs.

The doors swung open, Damsel looked up to see Skelter and Anastasia enter, "Oh, you came just in time."

Skelter raised a brow, looking almost nervous, "In time for what?"

"I was gonna ask you to pick up Kent, but I got Killian to do it."

"Oh, sweet." He laughed, "Miss anything else?"

"Not really. Where the hell were you two?"

"The Sabbat found a new little nest down the street from where I moved in." His lies were smooth, "We took care of 'em."

"Oh, good. Cool. Jack and Killian are upstairs. I got some new blood too."

"In the back?"

"Uh huh." Skelter went behind Anastasia into the stockroom in the back. Damsel smiled at Anastasia, "How've you been?"

Anastasia smiled back, being a little shorter since she ditched her black heels for black moccasins with plenty of fluff lining on the inside, "I've been fine." She reached out and squeezed her. (And she made sure close to no one was looking, just the way Damsel liked it). "How about you?"

Damsel hugged her back briefly, then her arms went back to her side and she stiffened up when Skelter walked by again, "Fine. I've just been hoping Kent doesn't decide to come back here as his new hiding spot."

"Like we need the attention." Skelter stuffed a blood back in his back pocket, heading upstairs.

"You hear about the sarcophagus?" Damsel asked, "I heard Jack talking about it upstairs…I was gonna peek my head in and listen in but I just…I don't want to risk our security about it. Sounds like a big deal."

"It is a big deal." Anastasia said as she headed upstairs, "Yeah, I saw it. LaCroix has the sarcophagus, how are we not fucked here?"

Jack was sitting by the windows, Killian was leaning against the wall and Skelter was sitting up against the railings. "Well, he hasn't opened it yet." Jack said, "That's the weird part."

"When did he get it?" Skelter asked after a pause from the change in conversation.

"Got it last night. Hasn't opened it. At least, I'm assuming. I think the world ending would at least be on the radio."

Anastasia sat down at the same table she always sat and crossed her legs, "That is weird. I thought he would suck the damn thing down for everything it had…or…or _it_ would kill _him_. Either way, Gehenna would start."

"I was expecting _something_ to happen. I mean, we'd hear something, wouldn't we? Either…'hey, the world's ending!' Or, 'hey, there was a mummy in a box!' Or…'hey, the Prince killed himself _and_ the world's ending!'" Killian said, "Not…not _this_."

"I wonder what the hell is going on up there…"

"We should send someone up there. You know, a spy. Skelter?"

"No way in hell." Skelter said, "Since when did we send spies? That's something the Cam does. Not us."

"A spy wouldn't hurt." Anastasia said, "If we _had_ people with Obfuscate lying around…"

"So we need to find a Nosferatu…I know Isaac mentioned their warrens under his domain before." Killian said, "Maybe I can…can do some digging."

"We might not need to." Jack said. Everyone stopped and paid attention to him, waiting for his wise advice, "Jeanette has Obfuscate."

"That's gotta be the dumbest thing that's ever come from your mouth." Skelter said.

"Oh, what? C'mon…"

"First of all, she'd blow every mission we'd send her on cause she'd put her Obfuscate down to look at herself in the shiny polished floors. Second of all, she'd probably get insulted from something someone says in another room and put her Obfuscate down to argue with them. And besides, the only reason she's an 'Anarch' is cause her sister's in the Camarilla. She wouldn't be able to do a mission for us. She has no real incentive." Skelter crossed his arms.

Jack crossed his legs and looked out the windows, "If I asked, she'd probably do it."

"Yeah, I get that. That ain't exactly rocket science. She wouldn't do a good job. We need someone who knows what the hell they're doing." He looked back at Killian, "I liked your idea about finding a Nosferatu, but any of them in Hollywood are gonna be part of LaCroix's Camarilla."

"Maybe not. Might be a few outliers."

"I think we're better off just checking the sewers. Sending a few boys out to look around. I'll ask Damsel about it later."

Anastasia leaned her head on her fist, "Barking up Gary's tree has its risks."

"That's why I think Killian should be the one who goes." Skelter said.

"Hey, c'mon!" He exclaimed, "I'm already gonna go pick Kent's ass up. Why can't you do it?"

"I have other shit I gotta take care of."

"Oh, yeah, sure, like what? You don't do shit."

"I have seniority over you."

"That's a load of bullshit. I've done more work than you have in your entire life."

Skelter snickered, "Yeah, alright. You want spies? You get them yourself. I can work around it without spies."

Killian sighed through his nose, "Fine. I'll be careful about it. Voerman didn't know I was an Anarch until I told her. I'll be fine."

"I dunno, Gary's a little different. Can't say I've ever met him." Jack said, "Kinda plan on keeping it that way."

"My point is, no matter how much of an Anarch a Nosferatu is or may be…they're still about clan first." Anastasia said, "So Gary's going to know everything that goes down. Damn, I might as well just say Gary knows everything…because it's probably true at this point."

Skelter nodded, "They're better off coming to us than anything else."

Jack got out a cigar, "Anyone know if Nines is still kickin'?"

"From last I heard." Skelter said, "I think Damsel's keeping tabs on him."

"Daw. Missus Rodriguez. Hope he picks me as the best man."

Skelter rolled his eyes and shook his head, "You better home Damsel can't hear you down there."

As Skelter and Jack talked, Killian smiled and turned to Anastasia, "Did you wanna hang out at my place?"

"Uh…I…I'm not sure…" She said, "I…uh…that Sabbat thing…with Skelter really wore me out." She said, carrying on with Skelter's lie, and then she quickly added to change the subject (or rather return to the one at hand), "Maybe I can ask Cadmus about the sarcophagus. I mean, he doesn't really love LaCroix, so I doubt he would want to keep his secrets. Besides, he and his little friend Miranda were probably the ones who hauled it up into his office in the first place."

"You…weren't thinking about leaving us, right?" Killian asked.

"No…I…I'm here to stay." She said, "But I really wish I could help Cadmus out of what he got himself into…he…he wouldn't be _that_ bad an Anarch…"

"Yeah…yeah, you're right."

"You kidding?" Jack asked, "You better be kidding. You're high right? He's a Ventrue."

"Get over it, you old coot." Skelter said.

Jack looked irritated, "He's a _Ventrue_ …"

"He's her sister. He's not gonna stab us in the back."

"But he's a _Ventrue_ …"

"I'm just gonna wait til you develop an actual argument."

"That's the only argument I need."

"Guys, don't argue about it…" Anastasia said, "It's not like he's ever gonna be like 'ooh, let me drop everything and be an Anarch'…so…there's no point in debating it. He'll probably just…" She took a shaky sigh, "Keep working for LaCroix until he dies. I mean, if LaCroix has his way, we'll all die anyway…because Gehenna…"

There was a morbid silence. Jack sat back, "Yup."

"He's not…cause we're gonna get the sarcophagus before that, right?" Killian asked.

"He already has it." Skelter said, "We're gonna have to…" He shook his head, he couldn't even think of an idea.

"Get Nines back." Killian said, "He'll have a plan."

"We can't just…get Nines back…"

"We'll figure something out." Killian said, before he sat across from Anastasia and smiled, "Hey, don't worry, alright? We'll be fine. So will he."

Skelter raised a brow as Killian reached over to put a hand over one of hers, Jack watched on like an entertained old cat.

Anastasia pulled her hand away and stood up quickly, "Yeah…so…so, uh…" She paced, "Getting Nines back…that…the only way I can see us doing that, is killing LaCroix…and that _might_ fix it…or not…"

Killian looked confused, he lifted an arm and smelled his underarm, then looked back at her, "What the hell did I do to piss you off?"

She stopped walking, turning to face him, "What are you talking about?"

"Why are you acting like I have some sort of plague?"

"…I'm not…"

"Bullshit. You don't wanna hang out anymore, you won't let me hold your hand…what the hell happened?"

"I don't know, Killian. When you attempt to rape a girl in an alley, it kinda takes them more than a night or two to shake that off…" Jack slapped his knee as he laughed and laughed.

"I…I thought you forgave me…"

"I…I did…" She said, clearly having trouble with trying to choose between hurting his feelings, yet standing her ground for herself, "I…I just…I don't want to be anything more than friends with you…or…or _acquaintances_ …or something…"

"What the fuck, _acquaintances!?_ " He sat back, astounded, "What happened to you being the only person I could trust? You're just gonna shit on me like that?"

"Shit." Jack sat back, "You sure you're not a Toreador? You diablerize one er somethin'?"

"Enough." Skelter said, "Leave her alone."

"Like you have any say in this." He spat, "You're half the reason she's pissed at me. You know, we could have had something. If Lark didn't die, and if I didn't fucking break it off, we could have had something great. And now, what, just cause he fought me in a back alley _one_ time, you want nothing to do with me?"

"No…I…uh…" Anastasia stuttered, "I…you can still trust me…just…I don't want anything romantic…behind it…"

He sat back, his eyes looked empty as he stared at nothing ahead of him, "Unbelievable…un-fucking-believable. It's him, isn't it?"

Skelter had enough of Anastasia fumbling around for the right answer, "So what if it is? What the hell's your deal? Stop acting like a goddamn toddler throwing a tantrum and grow up already."

Killian looked from Skelter to Anastasia, "Fuck me." He stood up to leave.

"Huh." Jack puffed some smoke into the air, "Now that, that was good. Hell of a good show. Oughta pay you three."

Anastasia collapsed into the nearest chair, burying her face into her hands, "Oh my god…"

"He'll be fine." Skelter muttered, "He's got Isaac. Or…Isaac's got him, I should say."

"He was a good kid while he lasted." Jack shrugged.

"Don't say shit like that, you old fleabag." Skelter said.

Jack shrugged, "Who else does he got?"

"…he'll be fine, alright?"

"I need to take a walk…" Anastasia stood up, leaving next.

Skelter watched as she left, then looked back at the floor. "So, 'Stasia the Mediator, huh?" Jack asked. He didn't respond, so Jack just snickered, "Figured as much. White chicks dig black dudes."

"That's got nothing to do with it." Skelter said, "You keep your nose out of our shit."

"You better take care of her good." Jack said, "Cause she's going through more than any of us put together."

Skelter pushed himself away from the railing to go after her, before Jack said, "Just let her take the walk. Let her think it through. Women are complicated creatures, man. One day you call 'em hot and they kiss ya, the next day they slap ya across the face and call you a bastard. And that's a lot more likely when they're as pissed as she is."

He sighed, then continued downstairs, only to lean up against the counter and stare out one of the tiny windows.

Damsel crossed her arms, "What the hell happened to Killian and Anastasia?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Is she okay?"

"They're both fine." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Just…going through a lot of heavy shit…that's all…something we just have to give her some space with."

* * *

 **A/N:** When it's okay for Jack to know but not Damsel. Tee hee. Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!


	87. Chapter 87

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-seven! What happens when Skeltstasia's shorter than you thought it would be? You get a bonus scene. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Cadmus closed the door behind him as he entered his room, "Angelique!" He called.

Angelique walked in with an old band tee shirt and a pair of shorts. Or at least, he assumed she had shorts on. The shirt was so big, it almost went down to her knees, the sleeves to her elbows. She had a toothbrush in her mouth, "Huh?"

He sat down at the table, "We got the sarcophagus now. LaCroix has it. Hooray…"

She pulled the toothbrush from her mouth and spit in the sink, "I thought I heard a lot of commotion. Did he open it?"

"No…he wasn't able to. Oh, but he tried. A lot. I almost died laughing at watching his pathetic arms trying to move it…but if I made a peep he would've probably put a Blood Hunt on me."

"Probably. So what, is there like a key or something?" She asked as she sat down next to him.

"Maybe…uh…" He closed his eyes trying to remember, then he opened them, "Long story short is Beckett said the guy who discovered the sarcophagus is being held captive by the Society of Leopold, to draw out vampires like us, and our best bet is going in there and freeing him."

"Did you need any help?"

"I'm not sure…it…it sounds dangerous…Beckett made it sound like they'd be wielding flamethrowers or something at every turn." He said, "Slade's been freaking out too, cause Victor said he wouldn't be able to help us. Said he had something 'of the upmost importance' to attend to." He said, "I…I can't imitate his voice…"

She giggled, "Okay…well…if you ever need anything, let me know. I'll gladly help."

"Eh, I don't know…I'd rather have a Kindred fill in the sixth slot…no offense…but I'm sure if we can't find anyone, no one will care if I have you tag along."

She nodded, crossing her legs, "Okay, that sounds good. You must be tired."

He smiled, "Not as tired as you." He squeezed her into his lap, "What have you been up to all day?"

Her cheeks flushed a bit, then she hugged him and rested her head on his chest, "I got a new sniper."

"Good." He squeezed her, "Anything else?"

"No, not really." She said, closing her eyes, "It was fairly calm today. No fighting."

He sighed, "Man, it's gonna be hard replacing Victor…he as a pretty good backbone to our team." He said, "It was nice to have someone able to blow things up just by boiling their blood…" He sighed, it was silent for a moment or two, "That Dragomir kid is pretty cool…"

"He's a Tremere, right? Victor? Maybe you could see if there's another Tremere who could help."

"I could try…although I don't know any of the other Tremere that well…well, there is that Iphigenia chick…I talked to her for about five seconds…"

"I'm sure you can find someone to do it."

He nodded, "Jeez…we had to have fought, like, a _billion_ zombies to get that stupid thing…"

"Really? Where were you?"

"Uh…underground…somewhere…turns out the Giovanni mansion had a shit-ton of these underground tunnels and embalming rooms…probably to…play with themselves down there or something…but basically finding the sarcophagus wasn't exactly easy…"

"How'd you figure it out?"

"It wasn't really us figuring anything out…we just had to go through each room…and check…and kill zombies…and go into another room…and check…and kill zombies…Jesus…it was annoying…or…or maybe Dragomir's insight kicked in and then we found it…because it wasn't really _that_ long. We could have been stumbling around down there for a bit more. Then Dragomir and I had to fight these two Kuei-Jin jerks who wanted the sarcophagus for themselves. Jeez, that was one hell of a fight. It was pretty fun though. I liked it. That Dragomir really kicks ass. I like Slade and Dragomir."

"He's the noisy one right? The Malkavian?"

"Yeah, but he makes more sense than most. He's pretty chill."

"Yeah…sometimes you'll get a Malkavian that's a little…scary." She said, "I never really met many. Besides Voerman."

"I haven't really talked with her much." He said, trying to think of who else was on the team that he hadn't spoke about yet, "Then there's Tess…she's…uh…"

"I didn't get the best impression from her."

"There isn't one to get." He said, "Jeez…I tried giving her a chance, but…she's kinda…useless. At first I thought it was just Slade being a Toreador drama queen about her, but…now that I've worked with her for a few months…god…it's infuriating. I mean, Miranda is…flirtatious…but she at least _gets the work done_. Tess…she…I don't know…imagine Miranda…but without any talent whatsoever. Then you get Tess. She just…follows us around like a ditz…and can't do anything, she can't fight her way out of a paper bag…and she's useless by herself. Yet, when LaCroix asks us for a status report about recent missions, _she's_ the first one to pipe up. Jeez, suck-up…pretends that she did anything, what a bitch."

She giggled, "Want me to kill her off?"

"Nah, nah, nature will do that soon enough." He said, "Hell, Slade almost killed her in the warrens. That was pretty damn entertaining…"

She smiled, then sat up a bit to kiss him on the lips. He kissed her back, her minty breath only prolonged the duration of the kiss. He gradually held her face, running his fingers through her hair. Her cheeks were pink as she backed away, her lips a little pink too, "You seem so happy."

"I don't know about that." He said, "I mean…all this work I'm doing…it's for freaking LaCroix's benefit, and I still don't know what the hell to do with Caesar…"

"But…I don't know, telling me all these stories, you seemed so happy."

"Well, I don't want you to fall behind." He squeezed her, "You deserve to know." He said, then he blinked, "It's pretty sad that Slade, Tess, and Dragomir used to be great friends…then they got Embraced and shit hit the fan…"

"I feel like the world of darkness changes anyone."

"Yeah, it does…" He squeezed her again, "Apparently Miranda was raised in a cage because of it…jeez…I learned a lot about people today…"

"Raised in a cage?"

He nodded, "Her dad was Kindred…but I guess he was a fledgling, and didn't know much about the Masquerade, because he and her mom were killed, and then Miranda was taken and imprisoned, experimented on, burned." He said, "Needless to say, this whole Society of Leopold mission is going to be very personal to her."

"That must have been terrible…" She said, "It might be nice to get some justice."

He nodded, "Alright, I'll be quiet now. That's enough stories." He said, "Wait, I forgot to tell you. Victor told me what Caesar is. He's a LaSombra…apparently they're big-shot Sabbat leaders, like a foil to the Ventrue. And his Discipline, Obtenebration, at high levels, it's called Tenebrous Form, and he's immune to everything other than fire, sunlight, or magic."

"…so I guess I'll get a flamethrower."

"I doubt they're that easy to come by, or I would have done it by now."

"I know…I'll find one. Somewhere. I'll spend all night and day if I have to."

That sounded like her blood bond talking, "Look, don't, kill yourself over it, alright? I…I worry about you. I…I don't know what I'd do with myself if something happened to you…"

Her big pink eyes met his before she kissed him again, "I will."

"Why don't we get some shut eye?"

"Because…I missed you…"

"I know, I missed you too…but aren't you beat?"

"A little."

"Me too." He said, "Don't worry, Angelique…we won't be doing this mission for a night or two, I'll be able to spend time with you tomorrow night…after we sleep."

"Can we cuddle?"

He smiled and squeezed her, "Sure." He carried her upstairs and set her on his bed, taking off all his jackets his boots, and his pants, then he slipped under the covers, patting the spot next to him for her.

She looked hesitant at first, then she got into bed beside him, "It's cold…"

He chuckled, "How about this, then?" He squeezed her close, trying wrap the blankets around the both of them as best as he could, "That better?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, squeezing him back, "I worry a lot what would happen if you died."

"I won't die." He kissed her forehead, "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Okay…thanks." She smiled as she rested her head in his chest, "I wish I wasn't so small…"

"It's okay…being small has its advantages." He said, "Like in a fight. You're probably pretty hard to hit."

"Yeah, but I'm not very intimidating."

"But you're a badass anyway, so what's it matter?"

She blushed, "Thanks. You're a badass too."

He laughed, "Thanks, Fleance." She turned even redder before she kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back, giving her a gentle squeeze.

Angelique hugged him back, "Goodnight Cadmus."

"Goodnight, Angelique."

* * *

Victor pushed some of the hospital debris aside as he entered Pisha's lair, "Hello there." He smiled, pulling out a little black book, "I believe this is yours."

She stepped forward and took the book slowly, opening it and flipping through the pages. He noticed the bone pile to the left had grown a bit since his last visit, "The Voce de Morte…" She looked up at him, "The Giovanni never willingly share their secrets, and I've had little success infiltrating their strongholds…how did you obtain this?" The look on her face was usually always stoic, those bright white eyes always seemed so intense, but now she almost looked shocked.

"You see, a gathering of comrades and I were tasked to rid the state of their…uniqueness, shall we call it? So they were cleansed, rather easily by my allies, while I had time to slip in and take this." He smiled, "Let me summarize to say that there are no more Giovanni in California anymore."

"It will take some time to translate and unlock the secrets of this. I will have to move on from this city to evade any Giovanni seeking it." She closed the book and set it down on the table, approaching a canvas bag thrown in the corner. Inside, there seemed to be a handful of artifacts, she pulled one out and brought it to Victor, gently handing it to him, "Take this. This will complete the terms we agreed to, and I think it is adequate compensation. It is the Key of Alamut. It instills dread in those that would harm you and makes it harder for them to strike you."

Victor looked at the tiny wand given to him, "Where…Miss Pisha, did you get an Assamite treasure like this one, hmm?"

"Oh…some time two hundred years ago, perhaps more. When secrecy was not my primary concern."

"How very amusing." Victor said as he tucked the treasure in his pocket, "I appreciate the gesture."

Pisha turned her gaze to the ceiling, as if she sensed something in the air, before she turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, "I've not yet met a Tremere like yourself. If not for the dissent from my origins, we would not see eye to eye." She opened her eyes and faced him again, "If indeed we meet again, do not ask me for any favors. I say this for security. I will give you this final advice, however. Leave this city. These are its final nights. Discord looms heavy, I've felt this before."

"Have you now?"

"Though, the feeling weighed much less than this, in November of nineteen-thirty-eight, I was translating documents in Leipzig, Germany, written by a purported Crusades-era necromancer. There also, I felt a sense of impending chaos. Soon after was the Kristallnacht, the wellspring of a new World War."

"I see…children of Malkav should be jealous of your clairvoyance…"

She chuckled softly, "I do hope we may meet again, provided this end does not consume us all."

"I will take your words into consideration, for now, farewell, Pisha."

* * *

"You're gonna get a headache standing around out here." Anastasia heard Skelter's voice from a little distance to her left, walking up the sidewalk, she assumed, "All this noise'll drive you crazy."

She ran over to him and hugged him, sniffing over his shoulder.

He hugged her back, gently rubbing her back and petting her hair, "Hey, it'll be alright. He'll be fine."

"…you didn't have to tell him that we were together…I…I thought you wanted it to be a secret…" She started sobbing.

He flinched as a car blared its horn at them, "Let's talk somewhere quieter."

She moved away from him, crying into her hands.

"Stasia…" He gave her space, "He was gonna figure out eventually. They all are…there's nothing we can do to stop it. He was gonna get real pissed without an excuse, he just wants to get in your pants!"

She brushed her tears away, "I…I just wish…everyone could be happy…"

"I know…he's…he's still upset about his sister. He's not gonna be happy for a while, but he'll get there. You can't compromise your happiness for his, he'll get back on track by himself just fine."

"Okay…" She sniffed.

"Come here." He held an arm out and squeezed her, kissing her forehead, "You wanna go to my place? Or I could give you a ride to yours."

"Yeah…I'll just…go home…"

"Alright, c'mon." He took her to the parking garage and opened the door for her, then got in himself and started driving, "When was the last time you saw Cadmus?"

"The last time we all saw him, at that rundown Sabbat library."

"You have his number?"

She shook her head, "The Nosferatu will probably trace it…or something…then LaCroix would figure out that I'm his Anarch sister…that…that'll make things too complicated…"

"Yeah…I didn't think about that…damn Cammy sewer rats…" He sighed, "Maybe you could write him a letter?"

She shook her head, "It could get intercepted."

"Yeah…" He rubbed a temple, "I just want you to see him…to talk to him without…some sort of aggression. Without the Anarchs behind you chiming in every five minutes."

"That'll never happen…" She sighed, "There's always gonna be this…Jyhad…bullshit in the background…unless we kill LaCroix or something…"

"We're trying." Skelter said, "Swear to god, he sets foot outside that tower, he's mine. I don't even think there'd be a single investigation about it. I don't even think the Cam likes him."

She nodded, giving a weak smile, "Sorry our little secret was only about a day long…"

He smiled back, "Only Jack and Killian know. And Jack wasn't…as much of an ass about it as I thought he'd be."

"I didn't think anyone would care that much."

"Nah. He just told me to take care of you. Which reminds me, you didn't want this, did you?" He reached in his back pocket and held out a blood bag.

She shook her head, "Unlike what you told the others, I didn't actually fight anything today."

He snickered, "I know. Wasn't sure if it'd make you feel any better." He stuck it back and kept driving, turning on metal music for her. They were pretty quiet until they got there and he turned the truck off, getting out and opening the door for her again, holding a hand out to help her down, "Those shoes look nice." He said with a smile.

She kissed his cheek, "I wouldn't have bought them if it wasn't for you."

He held her face and met her gaze, "They comfortable?"

She giggled, "Have you seen how fluffy they are?"

"I'll take that as a yes." He kissed her lips, "Alright…I'll get out of your hair."

"Alright." She kissed him back, "See you tomorrow, James."

He snickered and wiped a tearstain from her cheek, "Yeah, I'll see you."

* * *

"Oh, thank you for meeting me here, dear." May walked out from a rather considerable sized building, she was in some sort of bikini with her hair pinned up, makeup on her face, "I didn't want to think about taking my walk with Angel alone."

Prospero raised a brow, "Really? That dog could probably take half the armed forces on."

"Well, April made a good point, dogs aren't very good against guns." She said as she walked to her car, "Check for bombs, please."

"Wow, she said please." Prospero said, briefly checking for bombs in a more civil manner than last time, "She must be learning."

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, look at that." She got in the driver's seat and sat down, taking a deep sigh as she opened the center console and took out a bag of makeup wipes, scrubbing the grime off her face. "We just have to drive home…" She said tiredly, "Then we can pick up Angel and go for a quick run."

"You're gonna drive in a bikini?" He got in the passenger's seat.

"What's so bad about that?" She asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Nothing." He smiled and faced forward.

She closed her wipes and put them away, then started driving, "Did you want me to play any music?"

"I could go either way." He said, "It's your car, do what you want."

She kept the music off, "So, how have you been, dear?"

"Eh, I've been fine." He said, about to add 'we got the sarcophagus', but she wouldn't understand what he was talking about at all, "How about you?"

She let out a little grunt, "Fine."

"Fine, huh?"

"Yeah. Fine. What?"

"Doesn't sound that way."

She shook her head, "Just a long day…whatever." She took a deep sigh, "It's done now. It's over. I'll get paid for it all…it's fine…" She said, then she gasped and slammed on the breaks, mashing her fist in the horn, "Oh, what a little bastard….my light is green, sir…" She sighed and proceeded with caution. "Don't let me drive angry."

"Huh…I could have sworn you said your job and life were perfect…or something to that effect. Who would've thought?"

She laughed dryly, sighing as they got caught in traffic, "I hope you're ready for…many hours of driving." She looked over at him, "We're going to Arizona."

"Shit…what? Arizona?" He asked.

"It's where I live."

"God damn it…if I knew that…I would've…" He looked nervous, "I…uh…alright…it's fine…LaCroix…probably won't need me…if anything happens, Chamberlain will vouch for me…"

"I have a computer at home. You can email him if it's a big deal. I'll pay extra."

"It's fine…he…he's got a lot of his plate." He said, "Me being in Arizona is going to be the _least_ of his problems."

"Good." She said, "So, you might as well tell me some sort of story to pass the time."

"Once upon a time, there was this crazy model chick who asked a depressing, bigwig to LaCroix out on a date…"

Her eyes slid over to him, "Mmm hmm…?"

"Watch the road." He said, "Well…so yeah, they went on a date, only for the bigwig to figure that the model has killed people. But it was like, her abusive dad…and former lover…or something…so she's like a black widow basically…"

"Black widow, what? I was never married…" She insisted.

"Whatever. You get the point. You killed someone just because they broke up with you. Alright? Come on…that doesn't come across as you having a few screws loose?"

"I killed Marcel because he told me he was gay. The son of a bitch slept with me, what, three times? Always nitpicked. Told me something was too big, something was too small, I was too loud or too quiet. I should have seen it coming. Ugh, and I told him everything!" She slammed on the horn again, "Everything! I told him about April, about Mom and Dad, I trusted that bastard with everything….he said he'd take care of me for the rest of my life. And then he just…comes out of the…goddamn glass closet he's been in! Ugh, he just needed an excuse to ditch me, that son of a bitch!" She sighed and sat back in her seat, "Yes, I drugged his wine. It was clean. He didn't feel any pain. I'm not merciless."

"So…I'm Marcel two-point-oh."

"What? No. You're different. You're…" She threw a hand in the air, "You're just different."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

"Mmm hmm. Tell me another story."

He rolled his eyes, "Once upon a time, two crazy people were locked into a car headed for Arizona for too damn long. The end."

Her head was drooping above her chest, her eyes slowly fluttering closed before she looked up, "That was a terrible story…tell another…"

"Pull over. Let me drive."

"What?" She sat up, "You don't know where to go…"

"Well, I mean, you're about to fall asleep and kill us both, so it's your car."

She sighed, then parked the car in the middle of the highway. It was standstill traffic, after all. She got out, "Fine. Just wake me up when you don't know where to go." She hustled around the car.

"Sounds good to me." He smiled and switched places with her, "Sweet dreams, sunshine."

She sat in the passenger's seat, crossing her arms bitterly for a while before she finally seemed to drift off. The traffic dispersed after about two hours, before they all started moving again. The movement and engine seemed to wake her, she sat up and rubbed one of her eyes, "Good morning…" She grumbled.

"Shit…is it actually morning?" He looked outside, "Ah…good…it's still dark out…"

"We just have like…another half hour." She said, yawning and pressing a cheek up against the window, "You're a good driver."

"Say, thanks." He smiled, he almost felt it weird for her to give him a genuine compliment with no strings attached whatsoever.

"Mmm hmm…" The time seemed to pass by quickly, she dozed off occasionally, stopping now and then to give directions, before the area began to look more city-like. She directed him to a rather sizeable house, a modern house, with a bit of property too. "Right there." She pointed, "Park it in the garage, please, in case it rains. Not…like it ever does."

He snickered, doing as he was told, then he stepped out of the car with her, "Nice place you got, here."

"Oh, thank you." She said as she got out, barking was heard inside, "Angel missed you." She said as she grabbed her purse and walked him towards the front door, walking inside, "April?"

"May?" A gentle voice said from another room.

"I'm home. I brought a friend."

"Marcel?"

"No…no, I brought my bodyguard."

April walked in, she was in a light blue sweater with gray sweatpants and bunny slippers, "Since when did you get a bodyguard?"

"Since people started wanting me dead." Angel walked over from his spot by the door. "Hello dear." She pet his head, then he spotted Prospero and started growling, "Oh, please don't be that way."

April nervously looked at Prospero, "Hello, mister…can I make you something to eat?"

"What? No, don't worry about me. You must be exhausted." Prospero smiled.

"I'm…I'm okay." She said as she sat at the counter, "May, are you eating?"

"No." She said, "No, now I have to go four days, apparently, because my cup size increased. Son of a bitch."

"Were you going to go running?"

"I don't feel like it. At all. But…I should…Angel's going to be antsy if I don't." She said, looking around for the leash, "So is Damian."

April looked away, then looked back up at Prospero, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"It's fine, sweetheart, relax." Prospero waved a hand, looking back at May, "So were you serious about _us_ running with the dog?"

"Well, I could go alone. I could get shot."

"Please don't say that…" April whimpered.

"Well, you were the one who brought it up." May said, then rubbed her forehead, "Ugh…I have the worst migraine…get me something, April…"

"But you haven't…okay." She got up and went into the bathroom.

May stood beside Prospero, "Alright…we'll go when she comes back…." Her eyes drooped closed, then opened again, "Ugh…" She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

April came rushing in with a pill and a little cup of water, "Here."

May grabbed the pill and downed it with the cup of water, "You ready?" She looked at Prospero as she grabbed the leash.

He gave a slow nod, "All ready."

"Angel, come." Angel turned from the door and sauntered over, sitting before his master. He looked at Prospero and growled, giving a sharp bark. "Quiet, you." She latched his leash on, "He really doesn't like you. I don't get it." She said as she walked over to the door and left with him, "He usually tolerates someone if I keep them around for a few days."

"I'll try not to take it personally." He said.

Angel turned his head away as they left and started walking, the cool air on their backs, "Ugh…I should have put on a jacket or something…" May muttered, Prospero could see goosebumps on her skin, "I'll get sick out here…then Damian will _really_ kill me…"

"You wanna go back inside for a second?" He crossed his arms.

"Why?" She asked as she picked up the pace and started jogging, "What good will that do?"

"To get a jacket."

"No, I just need to work up a sweat." She said, "You have any family back in England?"

"None." He said, running alongside her, using half the effort to catch up.

"None?" She asked, "They're all dead?"

"Eh, something like that."

She rolled her eyes, "You must be part of the government or something. A spy, maybe. Your American accent is very good, whoever you are."

"That's because I was born in America."

"A likely alibi." She mused as Angel slowed down to pee by the side of the road. She turned to face him, "Your secrets are safe with me, for now."

"No, see? That's the funny part. I haven't told you anything, you're still in the dark, so we're all good."

"In the dark, hmm?" She asked, "So there _is_ something. You aren't just…completely boring."

"Nah…I'm pretty boring…you might as well cast me aside after this little date."

"Mmm hmm. Too bad you're staying for the night." She looked up at the stars. "The sun rises in like, half an hour. I don't know why it was such a big deal to you, but it does." She started jogging again.

"Shit…alright, let's hurry this up…"

"Well, Angel's emptied himself, we might as well go back before I fall asleep in the middle of the street…" She muttered as they turned back and jogged home, "That was a good two minute run." She said as she opened the door for him and let him in, unclipping Angel's leash. He panted heavily and slumped over by the door again.

April was sitting at the counter, eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream, "That was fast. Did something happen?"

May smiled as she walked by and pinched April's cheek, "I need to change." She went into her bedroom, "No peeking!" She sang from her room.

April looked back at Prospero, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" He repeated, "Look, I know your sister is a little…much…but I've dealt with worse…"

She took another spoonful of ice cream and stared at the counter. He couldn't really see much of her figure in the baggy clothes she wore, but there were striking resemblances. The hair, the nose, the hands even looked the same. But April's eyes were much bigger, much brighter. They were a darker color too, a warm brown color, like thick honey. She didn't smell like perfume, either. She smelled more like antidepressants, "I'm glad you've started taking care of her. You know, she just goes out in the streets by herself like that…in whatever clothes she was in before she left work…she's asking for something to happen." She looked back up at him, "I know she can be a pain. She's been that way ever since we started moving."

"Eh…she's a good kid. She just has…a lot of trouble to deal with…"

She nodded, "I'm…I'm going to have to get a job…we're not going to be able to afford the place in a few years…"

He looked concerned. Part of him was at least happy that _this_ sibling was a bit more realistic, "I could help you out."

"You could?" She asked, "No, no, I couldn't ask you to do that…you've already done so much…besides, I'm sure you're busy…"

"Eh, its kinda long shot anyway…but…you girls are in a tough place…I don't want anything to happen to you two."

"Why…?"

May walked in wearing a white silk bath robe that was rather transparent, her hair down. "You're sleeping over. Who's room do you want to sleep in? Unless you want to sleep on the couch, I don't care."

"I'll sleep in the basement." Prospero said.

"Basement?" She asked, "There's nothing down there but crickets…"

"Yeah, sounds great."

May sighed and rubbed one of her temples, "I feel a migraine coming on. I'll name it Prospero."

"Let me get you some blankets then." April stood up, leaving her half-finished bowl of ice cream.

"April, your ice cream, what do you want me to do with it?" May called.

"It gives me a tummy ache." She called from the other room.

"Well, you are lactose intolerant…" May muttered as she scooped some on her finger and let Angel lick it up, "I guess my sister will be making your bed downstairs." She looked at Prospero, "I don't know why." April walked by with an armful of blanket and pillows, quickly opening a little door that looked like a closet door, but actually went down to the basement.

"I didn't think dogs should have ice cream." Prospero said.

"He's fine." She said, putting the bowl in the sink, "So, what's your deal then?" She walked closer to him and eyed him over, "Why are you so strange?"

"I don't think I like how you're asking me that."

She smirked, "What, am I not giving you enough personal space?" She leaned in even closer, he could practically feel her breath on his chest.

April came upstairs, then as she spotted them, she slunk by silently and skittered off to her room, a door closing was heard. Angel whined and paced over towards her room.

"Right…so…I'm going to bed now…" He pat May's head, "Have someone wake me up when the sun goes down, sweetheart."

She followed him down the basement, "Just one time."

"Pardon?" He asked, admiring April's handiwork in creating a makeshift bed for him.

"Just one fuck. Quickie, if you want. I'll pay. I need something."

"When did I become your prostitute?" He asked as he sat on the stack of blankets, "I thought I was your bodyguard."

"You are. You'd be guarding my body from…feeling pointless."

"You're not pointless."

"Yes, whatever. You've teased me enough with your mister-mysterious act."

"What? That was serious. I don't think you're pointless."

She crossed her arms, "Why don't you show me why?"

"I am showing you why." He said, "That's why I'm your bodyguard. I could've just said 'no' and ended it right there." She groaned and turned around towards the door, stomping up the stairs. "Sweet dreams to you too." He said, getting under the covers.

* * *

 **A/N:** I like Prospero. Thanks for reading! Let us know what you thought with a review!


	88. Chapter 88

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-eight! Started reading through the Fairy Tail fic again, but don't worry, as ideas simmer for that on the backburner, this one will keep running! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also there is some citrus in this chapter, if you don't like that much lemon in your tea, skim over it.

* * *

"You know what? I don't think I've been happier…"

"Happier?"

"You know…she just…" He took another shot back, "Made me think of Michelle. Even looking at her. It's…it's quiet now, you know? You ever had kids?"

"Kids?" Venus handed him another couple of shots, "No."

"Good. Don't." He shook his head, "And Jesus, I hope you're using protection."

She giggled, "I'm flattered. But really, it isn't as if I need to."

"Oh, don't tell me you don't get boned every night by…some drunk guy like me…"

"No, can't say that I do." She smiled at another group of customers that came in, "Oi! You realize I'm closing in like, half an hour, right? Don't make a mess I have to clean up." She turned back to the man sitting across from her, "Why, should I be? Is that a requirement to owning a club?"

"I mean…usually you see a lot of club owners…getting busy all the time with the clients…"

"No. Not me. Not anymore, at least."

He smiled, "Put that behind ya?"

"Yeah, you could say that. It caught up with me."

"You get pregnant?"

"No, I went bankrupt."

"Oh." He laughed, "Guess that'll happen too. Bankrupt, huh? Even with the club?"

"Especially with the club. The lights cost more than it would if I broke my arm."

He laughed and downed the other two shots, "I like you, Venus. You're cute. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"So long as you stop by."

"You'll keep it under the rug?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. You're my girl." He called as he left.

Venus scrubbed the spot where he was sitting, then she looked up, "Victor? I almost didn't recognize you in this lighting."

"Well, this is where we first met, after all." Victor smiled, his hands in his jacket pockets, "I would hope you would be able to recognize me."

"I said almost. You been busy?"

"Very. I always am." He took his gloved hands out and folded them together, "Did I arrive at an…opportune time…or are you still open for a while?"

"I can close early. I don't like those kids." She muttered as she looked over at a group that walked in, "They're quite noisy."

"Well, I could try and get rid of them, if you like."

"Hey, Victor!" A voice called as the doors opened.

Victor gave a small gasp and held his chest, whirling around, "Slade, my boy, do be careful, your frightened me."

"Oh, sorry." Slade said.

"How did you find me here, anyway? The building's about to be closed."

"I followed you." Slade said, "Look, are you sure you can't come with us to the Society of Leopold?"

"I'm sorry son, but I'll be busy with other troubles that night." He said, then he smiled, "I'm sure the five of you alone can topple their organization. They're just fragile humans, after all."

"…I'm not above begging…okay, I am…but still."

"Now, now, you won't need me. I'm sure you'll all do fine on your own."

"I don't know…I kinda liked having six of us in the group at once…I'll have to find someone to replace you…"

"Yes, but do remember. Once my business is finished, I would be happy to aid you in future endeavors."

He nodded, "Jeez…having someone being able to blow people up sure was helpful…"

"The Ventrue have access to Dominate as well, you must know."

"Yeah, but not blood magic." He said, then he swallowed hard when he looked at Venus, "I'm uh…interrupting something, aren't I?"

"It's quite alright." Victor said, "We'll keep in touch, Slade."

He nodded, "See ya." He headed out.

"He was cute. Coworker?" She asked.

"Um…yes…" Victor said, "Not of my clan…"

"He seemed different. Younger."

"Ah, yes, he was only Embraced…or…turned a few months ago. When was it? The trial was November…it's March…so that's…five months. The Embrace was illegal. Prince LaCroix almost executed him."

"Prince LaCroix? What, from England? The name doesn't sound familiar."

"A 'Prince' in our society is used to denote the vampiric leader of our government in a certain plot of land. The Prince of Los Angeles is LaCroix, for the time being."

"Prince of Los Angeles? Sounds terrible." She threw her rag over a bar, "Oi." She called to the kids who were dancing, "Get out."

"C'mon, bitch, 'nother half hour."

"You pay for the bills then, I'm leaving." She said, "Have fun dancing in the dark." She grabbed her bag, "Did you want to go back to my apartment?" She asked Victor.

Victor cast a glare at the teenagers, then he smiled at Venus, "Yes, that sounds marvelous."

"Just let me get the things from my room, turn off the lights." She said as she kissed his cheek and left the booth to go upstairs. One of the teenagers sat down next to Victor, he was likely the head-honcho.

"Hey, man, convince your girlfriend to keep the lights on."

"You should leave now." Victor said.

"I just got off work, alright? I earned this."

"I shall grant you three minutes to leave. Should you not adhere to those guidelines, the results will be…disastrous…"

"Oh yeah?" He looked over Victor, then laughed, "You must be loaded or something. I don't know what the fuck that chick sees in you besides a fat stack of cash."  
The room went dark.

"Shit. Fine, whatever. We're out of here. She can keep the money." He muttered as him and his group left.

Venus's boots were heard as she ran down the stairs, the only lights in the place were provided from the streetlights outside the window, "It's almost sunrise, you know, you'll have to sleep in my closet." She laughed as she stood next to him.

"I'm going to murder some children in the near future."

"You wouldn't be the only one. Though, I shouldn't say anything." She walked with him to the parking garage.

Victor got in the passenger seat of her blue coup, "Who was that bloke you were speaking to as I was walking in?"

"His father was the priest who…owned the church…or…however it works. When his father passed away, he offered it to me. Nice man. Has a few screws loose, but don't we all?"

"Some more than others."

"Mmm hmm. Yes, I agree."

He tapped his fingers on his knees, merely letting the drive pass him by, "I…I wanted to…tell you…more about myself…as per…what we said…the last time we spoke…" He said, this wasn't exactly _easy_ for him, given his nature as a Tremere to guard his secrets closely, "I…I do apologize for taking so long…with work…to come see you…"

"I understand." She said, "You don't have to feel obligated to visit me every chance of free time you get. I'll call or something if I need you that badly. I do need some blood, though."

"Yes." He said, "I'll give you some when we arrive at your apartment."

"Wonderful." She said, "You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to."

"I…I've recently…well…it's not _recent_ …" He said, "It…it happened over five years ago…one could say I'm…rather slow on the uptake…you see…I've had two friends…nearly all my life as a vampire…I've known them both since the fifties…but…but they've since been Antitribu…"

"Been…what?"

"They've…defected from our Chantry…they're traitors…our enemies now…"

"Why is that?"

"Well…" He took a shaky sigh, "Neo became…obsessed with power…he began learning our magic in…in an erratic order. Not the one we were taught. He…he may have also been jealous of my promotion. That could have been what really set him up. You see, he was sired illegally…and I was sired within the pyramid…so…from the start, it was always believed that…I was treated better…so, once he defected to the Sabbat, a…rival vampire faction, I can only imagine that he persuaded his lover Ebony into doing the same. I haven't seen either of them since."

"You're worried they're still out there?"

"Oh, they're still out there, I know it." He said, "I…I could never bring myself to kill them…I…I see them as friends…"

"Do you think they feel the same?"

He shook his head, "Neo tried to burn me alive on the night he defected…sometimes I still have nightmares about that night. It was right before the new millennium…"

"Mmm…happy two-thousand…"

He took a heavy, shaky sigh, "I…as a result I have trouble communicating with the newer apprentices. My Regent and I have trouble trusting them very well…"

"What, do they act the same?"

"For a few of them, it's uncanny…I stay away from them…" He said.

"I know you're not going to want to hear this…but…perhaps you should do the opposite. They're apprentices, yes? Young? You give them the impression that you dislike them, it's going to give them the incentive to leave and rebel…."

"You're right, I know, Strauss warns me of the very same thing." He said, "It's a rather good thing I have him to balance this out."

"And when am I going to be brought to the table, hmm? I'd rather be mentioned nice and calmly then be found and killed."

He snickered, "You won't be found."

"If you say so." She pulled the car into the parking lot and got out, grabbing her bag and walking towards the door, "Are you thirsty?"

"Not particularly." He said as they entered the apartment. He took his knife out, and slit his wrist, holding it out for her, "But _you_ are."

"Yes I am." She smiled and held his tie with one hand, drinking his wrist and holding it with the other. When she finished, she licked her lips, "You've turned me into such a goth, Victor." She pulled him down to her level and kissed him, he could taste his blood on her lips.

"I believe you were already headed down that path yourself." He snickered in between kisses.

"No…impossible." She put her arm around his back and held him close, kissing him harder and wrapping a leg around him.

"There was…something else I wanted to tell you."

"Mmm?"

"The…business…I was telling Slade about…I…feel as though I should tell you what it involves in detail…in case…I'm gone for a bit _longer_ than expected…"

"Mmm hmm…?"

"You see, the two main factions of the vampire world are the Camarilla and the Anarchs…I am part of the former. I'm going to visit the Anarch leader, and I'm going to try and kill him."

"You think you can do it?"

"Well, either that or he'll kill me…" He said, "I…it's more of…just a Camarilla and Anarch idea…that's just a bonus. No…I've know this man since I was a child, and it's also where my hatred for him started…"

She kissed his neck and pulled tighter on his tie, "Mmm hmm…"

"Because well…we both grew up in the Depression…so…we were both worked to the bone just to make simple money…and well…he and his friends…always used to…used to tease me…and bully me…for…my size…or stature…I…it was a horrible life…back then…"

"Boil his blood 'til he pops…"

He sighed, "Yes…I'll…I'll try…" He sat on the couch, she of course was still glued to him.

She straddled him and glued her lips to his, taking off his coat and unintentionally choking him with his tie. It was a good thing he didn't need to breathe. He gently moved her hands away and took his tie off, "Alright, let's see if I can settle you down."

"Please…" She said through a breath as she kept kissing his neck. Her fingers disjointed the buttons from his shirt and that got peeled back so she could kiss his chest.

He took his gloves off, "You'll have to forgive me…speaking about being burned alive and being hit by rocks from errant fools is hardly an attractive topic for me…it may take me a bit longer to be…amused…"

She took her top off, "Is this a little better?"

"It certainly helps." He smiled, tossing his shirt off and hugging her close, kissing her on the lips. She kissed him back, taking one of his hands and putting it on her breast. He sighed, giving her breast a gentle squeeze and kissing her harder.

"Victor…tell me more…about killing that Anarch…"

He smiled and rolled his eyes, "He'll die a bloody death, if I have anything to say about it."

"I need a little more than that…"

"Parts of his entrails and limbs will be smeared in blood on the ground, with just one wave of a hand." She groaned and bit on his neck, quickly reaching down and pulling her shorts and boots off. "Yes, I was hoping you would take those off. They probably squeeze you something terrible." He laid back with her on top of him, rubbing and massaging her waistline.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on top of his chest, "Yes…more of…more of that…"

He took his boots and pants off first, then he repositioned himself with her on top of him. He rubbed her waistline gently, as well as her bum, as it was most likely squeezed by those shorts all night.

"Oh…thank god…you're a saint…" She sighed.

"Sorry…I'm going to trouble you with…more…questions…do…are you only…drawn to me…due to finances?"

"Victor…" She whimpered his name, "No…no…please don't say that…and please don't stop, either…"

"It…it's certainly a possibility…isn't it?" He asked, still massaging her rear and the small of her back.

She bit her bottom lip and shook beneath his hands, "Victor…please don't…I love you…alright?" She reached out and held his face, "I just…don't see you often…I miss this…"

"I do too." He smiled, "I dream of you every night…fantasize…the whole nine yards…" He said, "Forgive me…for…creating so much dissent…"

"Fantasize inside me, Victor…"

"Can't I enjoy you a bit longer?" He gave her a squeeze, "Don't tell me _that's_ as wet as you can get…I know you want me more then you're letting on…"

"You shouldn't have said that…challenging me isn't a wise idea…"

"Well then, maybe I'm not so wise tonight." He pat her bum.

"Tell me about those teenagers you're going to kill…"

"I'm going to delete their minds and let them kill each other. Less blood on my hands that way."

"You can do that…?"

"With ease."

"Where…? Right in the middle of the club?"

He cupped his hands around her breasts, "If that is your wish."

She sighed and closed her eyes, "Oh…but I don't want to lose business…"

"Well, then it sure is a good thing they come in when you're about to close." They kissed.

"I can't believe you killed the Russian mafia…"

"Oh, yes, they were rather pesky. Not really, but entertaining, at the very least."

"They're like weeds…they'll come back…you'll kill them again?"

"So long as I'm bound to you."

She smirked, "You make it sound like we're going to be temporary."

"Why don't you lie on your back and I'll show you how 'temporary' we're going to be."

"If you take me upstairs, maybe you won't have to worry about breaking my back on the couch…"

"Fair point." He scooped her up and went up to her bedroom with her. Once he laid her on the bed, he started kissing her lower abdomen, eventually sucking on it as cupped both hands around her butt cheeks and squeezed.

She wrapped her legs around him immediately, squeezing him closer and moaning his name, clearly she was at her end, a pressure building up inside her.

"Venus…" He sighed her name occasionally, biting down onto her stomach and groaning. Her groans grew louder as she scratched the sheets and squeezed him closer, her hands grabbing his shoulders instead and digging her nails in. "I…I want you…so badly…"

"Then take me…please god, take me already…"

He snickered, "But I enjoy teasing you." He took his underwear off, revealing a throbbing erection, he then used his front two fingers to massage her inner thighs, "Make a bit more noise, dear…then I shall finish you off."

She closed her eyes and screamed shamelessly, gasping afterwards, "Oh, I want a noise complaint more than anything right now…"

It was clear her scream got him off, given how quickly he went in to penetrate her afterwards. "Keep making noise…my love…" He whispered, plunging into her deeper, "Keep making noise…" He put both his thumbs over her nipples, pressing on them gently as he kept humping her. She screamed his name and threw her head back and forth, gasping loudly so she could scream even more. Her legs kept him closer, her nails kept him in place and her lips locked onto his neck when she wasn't screaming.

He began to rest on top of her, "Now… _that_ …was good…I…I enjoyed that…" He said, "Apologies…if…you did not enjoy it…"

"What? No…I love a good teasing…you should do that more…"

"I eventually gave in…what…with your flawless form…and charming voice…and sexy screams."

"You like them? I do too…"

"Did I clean you out sufficiently?"

"Yes…yes you have…" She kissed his lips, "Thanks for staying…" She held onto him tightly.

"Of course, dear." He squeezed her back, "I love you."

She smiled, "I love you too."

* * *

Foam fizzled around the surface of the stainless sink, eventually slinking into the drain and disappearing to god-knows-where. The other pill in the palm of her hand didn't go to waste, and found itself in her mouth, down her throat, and into her bloodstream.

Harper's footsteps were quiet without her heels. She was lethargic, her ankles were swollen, too, but those were side effects from the pills. It had been months, _years_ , when she was last given 'attention', but even if it was a baby, it'd be dead in the next few weeks from the pills. She sat on the couch and combed her fingers through her hair, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, just trying to enjoy the peace.

No jobs. No tasks. No reports, assignments, stalking, interviews, nothing. Just free time.

She hated it. It burned in her chest. The shadow of looming jobs, the thought of her boss sitting just floors above her, tapping a dress shoe against the floor boards interminably as he thought, schemed about _her_. Peace wasn't fathomable, quiet was frightening, the future was dead to her.

She reached forward and snatched an empty shot glass from the table, observing the way the light shone through it. Shined through the golden stains inside, through the layers of glass. Maybe she should go to Mercurio's. She envied him, he could sit back with a beer in front of the TV and relax, that was all that he needed. Maybe a nice back support pillow and a couch. And just like that, he could forget he was property, he could forget he was a nut or bolt in the machine LaCroix designed, the malicious, devastating machine that seemed like it would just grow and grow until something went wrong and the whole thing came tumbling apart.

Nothing is worse than nothing, she decided. These spells of nothing the Prince had her in, these periods of just waiting, sitting around her room, moping in the little living-room-kitchenette-bathroom-bedroom confine she was locked in. Like prison. But where else would she go? Mercurio was likely asleep, like he should be. Any bar had Anarchs in it. And, as she recalled, Anarchs and the Prince's ghoul don't exactly mix.

She slid an arm up her shoulder and hugged herself closer subconsciously. The scars on the back of her shoulder told a story. The same story told by the ones on her lower back, the ones on her right thigh and arm. Don't fight back against the Anarchs.

Occasionally, she'd find herself in a bar, when she just didn't care. When it got to be too much. But the whale sedatives that her boss put her on, (no, not really whale sedatives. But they likely would have worked on a whale), kept her from really finding her out in alcohol. They succeeded, she supposed. But they were absolutely terrible for her. As a ghoul, it wasn't a huge deal to drink or smoke or do drugs. The vampire blood usually patched up the damages done. But the drugs she was on worked…quite well. It didn't take a neuroscientist to know wherever her boss got these drugs, they were definitely not tested all the way through.

But if they made her too tired to drink, then they did what he wanted.

She hated them. She'd take one a day, like the label said. And, with that, another one left the bottle and found its way down her drain. She had to make it at least a little inconspicuous. She had two more pills left, so one more day of exhaustion before she could return to her normal life. As normal as it would get.

A little ding rang out right across from her, she didn't even realize she had started to nod off. She sat up and looked at her laptop, a new email there from LaCroix about a new assignment. She skimmed the details and got up from the couch, combing her fingers through her hair as she stood in front of the picture her boss had once stared down. She looked at the glass, not the photo, and saw the reflection of herself. Her hair was lackluster, her eyes not as blue. More gray, like the polluted shores of Santa Monica. The deep purple bags under her eyes, her colorless lips.

She was already undead. Maybe being Embraced wouldn't change a thing.

Her boots came back on with a bit of a struggle, then she went into the elevator and waited. And waited. Her mind was numb, no thoughts came across until the doors opened and she stepped into the penthouse.

It smelled muskier. It was likely the giant centerpiece to the right of the entrance, taking up a bit more space than anticipated, as all the furniture there had to be completely removed. She turned back to the desk and saw the Prince there.

No paperwork, no phone calls, no computer. He was looking right at her with a smile on his face, a smug one, nonetheless, "You requested an email."

She nodded and walked closer to it, resting her fingers on the lid with the upmost delicacy. "It's closed."

"Yes, it is…" He mused, "We were unable to open it without some sort of…mechanism."

"Of course." She said softly, "I can't exactly imagine a civilization crafting an immortal resting place for their leader in a box with a lid. They would likely craft it so no grave robbers could get in…either seal the lid shut or…" She turned to him, "Is there any reports of a mechanism?"

"On the Dane, there was a report of a small box accompanying the sarcophagus. But…the location of the box was not recorded."

"So that box might have the answer…" She mused, "And the Dane was checked?"

"Yes, every nook and cranny." He said, "It must have been stolen. I've sent the same group of Kindred who retrieved the sarcophagus off on a bit of a hunt to search for some sort of lead…either a mechanism or the box…I have no doubts that they will return with success."

"It's just a matter of time."

"Ideally." He said, "However, a matter of time, it's really something we don't have. Now that the sarcophagus is in our possession, those that fear Gehenna are going to try to take it away…and those who would rather open it themselves will likely try any means to get their hands on it. I've increased the amount of security personnel within the Tower. I was also looking into acquiring a personal escort for you."

"For me?" She looked over at him, away from the sarcophagus, "I don't need an escort…I'll be fine."

He shook his head, "I refuse to take any chances. Besides, I've already assigned another task for you." He said, "This will be the last task you will accomplish singlehandedly. After this day, a guard will accompany you on every task I assign you."

She gave a feeble nod, "Very well."

"I've been hearing complaints of sounds by the abandoned hospital just down the road."

"Sounds?" She asked, "Of…what sort?" _Yes, sir, there are these curious things called teenagers. They like to have sex in places they shouldn't. Apparently that's entertaining. Why is this your responsibility? Oh, yes, because you don't budget for police officers, of course…_

"Sounds that have been coincidentally linked to the disappearance of various persons. Health regulators, custodians sent to clean the place, a few careless kine who's curiosity seems to outweigh their sense of reason."

"You'd like me to…go in there?"

"No." He chuckled softly, "You assume the worst of me, don't you? No, I would never send you on a death mission. The being inside is dangerous, and there is no evidence of its existence. I need you to scope the area. Do not enter the hospital. You are one of my best investigators. Any sort of evidence you can find of classification…if we know what this creature is, we can exterminate it."

Her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She looked from her pocket to him.

He seemed irritated, but not as much as he would have been if the sarcophagus wasn't sitting there in his line of view, "Go ahead."

She grabbed her phone and flipped it open, "Hello?"

"Miss Harper Rivers?" She recognized the voice, "This is Zoey Volk, a nurse from Palomar Medical Center. Your father suffered a stroke, and was treated with tPA. He is in stable condition for now, but may suffer more in the future. We are contacting you so you may see him again in case something else happens."

She felt her heartrate skyrocket, "Yes….yes, thank you very much. I'll be right there." She hung up, "Sir…I…" Her mouth felt dry, "I have to go."

"Go…?" He asked, "Where? To the abandoned hospital?"

"No…no, I don't have time…" She backed away, "I have to see my father." She ran before he could even say anything.

LaCroix sat back in his desk, "Father…?" He reached forward and dialed a number on his phone. The line rang twice, "Yes. I'd like Miss River's files. Thank you."

* * *

The hospital made California seem clean. Like it was a safe place. Harper felt out of place there, she always did. It had been at least a year since she visited, in reality, and she didn't even notice. She remembered when she was living in New York, the prospect of moving to L.A. sounded so perfect, she'd be closer to him. And since she moved in, she had completely forgotten about him.

Well, not completely. More like, she didn't want to get killed by her boss.

The room smelled bitterer than she remembered. A dark smell she didn't like, the lights a little dimmer than she was used to, "Dad…?" She asked softly.

"…hmm?" An elderly man in a hospital bed sat up. He was gaunt, had graying hair and icy blue eyes. One of those eyes was fogged over, which was new to her as well, "Harper?"

"Hi Daddy." She said softly as she gently closed the door, "Are you okay…?"

"Harper, I haven't seen you in…in years…" He said softly, reaching out to take her hand, "Look how much you've grown…"

She was not going to correct him and tell him that she physically remained exactly the same as a year ago. And the year before that. And the year before that. She reached out and held his hand with both of hers, feeling every sin she had ever committed flood her heart. His warm smile, his weary eyes. Even on his deathbed, the man always had a smile, he always was bright, had a joke or a saying, something inspirational on his mind.

He'd always tell her how much he couldn't wait to go home with her when he got better.

They weren't blood related at all. He was adoptive, but he was all she could have asked for. A single father in life who wanted more. He was divorced three times when they figured out he couldn't have kids. It was as if that made him a monster. But to Harper, he was quite literally a hero.

His eyes narrowed, "You know, dear, I'm not seeing too well anymore…but I don't need to see at all to say you look sick…"

"I'm fine." She said with a gentle smile, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit, Daddy."

"Oh, that's alright…you live all the way on the other side of the planet! I'm not going to expect you to come running at the drop of a pin!"

She sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand, it was warmer than hers, "So…what happened?"

"Well…" He licked his lips before he wove the story together, "It was a stroke. A little one." He added when he saw how terrified Harper looked, "Nothing that's going to knock me down!" He gently rubbed her back, "I'm not leaving you yet, missy. Not until after I have grandkids. Great grandkids."

"Oh, please don't say that…" She muttered as she held her head down and smiled.

"Well, who's gonna walk you down the aisle?" He asked, holding a hand in the air, "My ghost? No, no, I'll be damned if I don't get to hold your hand and bring you to the perfect man."

"I already met the perfect man." She said softly.

"Oh…Harper…" He reached out and held her cheek as a tear ran down the side, "Dalton was a wonderful boy…" He said softly, "And I don't mean that because he always brought me a good bottle of rum every New Year's." She chuckled softly, "He took good care of you. He loved you. I really think he did. And I know you loved him too. But I want you to look up in the sky for a minute." He held out a hand, "Look up and see him here, at your side. Go on. Close your eyes."

She sighed and closed her eyes as he continued, "Do you see him? He's there, isn't he? With the angels? Well, I want you to take his hands. Go on. Go on, take them." She reached her hands out as more tears ran down her cheeks, "I want you to look him in the eye, and tell me he doesn't want you to be as happy as possible."

"Daddy…" She whimpered.

"He loves you, doesn't he? Don't you want the person you love to be happy? He won't be upset with you if you move on."

She nodded quickly and opened her eyes, dropping her hands to her sides, "Okay Daddy."

He reached out and held one of her hands again, "Work must be really taking a toll on you…" She gave a big nod, maybe too exaggerated, "You didn't even stop by for Christmas…or New Years…I thought something had happened…"

"I…" She swallowed hard, _I was locked in my room because I went out and got shitfaced._ "I lost track of time. I'm so sorry…"

"I didn't think a secretary was such a big job…but I guess with all this…all this new technology and economy business going on, you really must be treated like…like a computer!"

She gave a little smile, "My…my boss's standards are…a little unapproachable…"

"Where are you working now?"

"Downtown L.A."

His eyes grew with worry, "Downtown L.A….? Do you have a bodyguard? That area's so dangerous…"

"I'm fine, Daddy. I don't leave the building often. I live there. When I do leave, my boss has a taxi for me parked right outside."

"Alright…" He said wearily, rubbing his forehead, "And I thought New York was bad." He chuckled, "I'll get a call one day telling me my little girl's gone and got her head blown off by hooligans…"

"That isn't going to happen." She squeezed his hand, "Promise."

He smiled and kissed the back of her hand, "You look so pale…are you sure you aren't sick?"

"Yes…" She said softly, "Just…a little overbooked…"

"That boss of yours ought to give you a little time to yourself."

"He's…doing what he can." She muttered, "Times are tight right now." _There's a giant box he's willing to kill people over. Including me._

"What was his name again?" He scratched the back of his head, "Sean?"

"Sebastian LaCroix." She said.

"That's right. Lot of money in that name, you know. How old is he?"

"Daddy, there is no way in hell I am ever dating my boss."

He had a good laugh and pat her back, putting a hand on his chest, "There's my little girl! I was wondering if your personality's been worked out of ya!"

She smiled as she watched him laugh. Maybe he _would_ get better. He was in his sixties. Cancer wasn't a death-sentence.

He wiped a tear away, "You know, missy, you get married and you won't have to work as hard. Then you can have all the kids you want."

"I don't want kids…" She said, "That…that was just a silly dream."

His smile faded, "You…you don't want kids? Who are you and what did you do to my bubbly little girl?"

"I just…" She sighed, "I wouldn't be able to afford them. And now that I see how…how…" She closed her eyes, "How terrible life is…I couldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. I'd be a terrible mother. The worst…" Her voice cracked, "I can't."

His eyes looked over to the window, "You know, Harper, I thought that way too, when I was about your age. I didn't want kids either, even if I could have them. The money, the work, the fact that I was alone. But when you see those big eyes…that smile…oh, that smile lights up a room. That smile makes all the bad things in life go away. You make life out to be this…this living nightmare! But what about the good things, huh?" He shook her shoulder, "You can't forget all the good things in life! You can't ignore them!" He smiled warmly, "You always forget that pain is temporary. It always is. Time moves on and on, change is inevitable. Good will happen to you. It might be hard now, but it will be good soon. You have to believe me. Don't give up your dreams because it's too cold out right now. Wait for the sun to shine, wait just a little bit longer, and the door will open up. You were born to be the best mother on the damn planet."

She sniffed and nodded, "Thanks Daddy…"

He wearily sat up and wrapped frail arms around her, "I love you, Harper. I know things are hard now, but I'll be here cheering for you, alright?" He said with a smile, "You just need to keep going."

 _Just keep going._ She nodded and hugged him back, "I've been…feeling so alone…I can't believe I forgot to visit you…you always make me feel so much better…"

He smiled and pet her hair, "So the next thing on that to-do list of yours should be to get a good man."

"Daddy…"

"Oh, is it a woman? That's okay too!"

"No, Daddy, it's just…" She chuckled and shook her head, "I'll worry about work. That…that stuff comes later."

"Mmm hmm." He crossed his arms, "Well, I'll be sitting here waiting for the wedding. Maternity leave is a good excuse to come visit your old man too, you know."

For a fleeting moment, Harper imagined her boss's face if she handed him a letter asking his permission for a maternity leave. "I'll keep it in mind. I'll come back tomorrow, okay? The nurses are taking care of you?"

"Of course." He said, "It was a little stroke, sweetheart. I remembered I couldn't leave you and snapped right back into it. They said I've made a miraculous recovery."

She smiled and hugged him again, "I love you, Daddy. More than anyone on the planet."

"Oh, I love you too, sweetheart." He hugged her back, "You take care of yourself, now, you hear? Sometimes you gotta turn down that pesky boss for _you_. You got enough brownie points saved up."

"I'll remember that." She said, holding his hand, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"And I'll be right here." He smiled, "Love you, Harper. Keep kicking, sweetheart!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

chopperlover14: I don't think LaCroix has been evil enough.

SigmaFang: What? *deep sigh* Fine. Whatever.

Chopperlover14: tee hee.

Thanks for reading!


	89. Chapter 89

**A/N:** Here's chapter eighty-nine! Both of us have been waiting for this chapter for a long time…let's just say that. Please, enjoy, and leave a review of what you think! Oh yeah, and happy Easter. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my (daredevil) OCs.

* * *

"My garden is growing…I feel it." Dragomir sat down on the couch and took his glasses off, tossing them on the table, "It feels good."

Genevieve was playing with her sniper, lying on her back on the couch, "I like gardens."

"They are nice, aren't they?" He picked up one of her legs and draped it over his lap, "How have you been?"

"I've been content, how was your mission to retrieve the box?"

"Successful. If not for the help of the Cadbury Bunny. He's taken a bit of a darker turn since I last saw him in my Easter basket."

"Ominous troubling's in the baskets of Easter are all far too commonplace. What was wrong with Obsidian Thunder?"

"Oh, nothing…" He pet her leg like a cat, "He's a bit dampened from his wife being taken by the salad dressing."

"The lady of spiders…killed…by the ravenous salad…sadly poetic…" She said, "What of Blood Frost?"

"I didn't see her much. She seemed to be operating fine."

"She's going to kill the Pope."

He raised a brow, "The Pope? What did he do?"

"Many things…to Kindred…" She started, then the door opened.

Dragomir at first feared it was Killian, the fabled 'yellow monkey', but it was Slade who entered, "Dragomir, we're in trouble."

"Trouble, you say?" He asked, "Is it the yellow monkey?"

"Uh…no…" Slade said, "It's Victor…he's dropping out of the group. Said he has business to attend to…"

"Oh…oh, I don't like that. He knows about my dessert, you know. Hasn't said a thing. My mind tells me to speak of it, to ensure he won't spread the myth, but my heart tells me not to. What if he spreads it?"

"Your…your secret…" Slade said, "What do you mean?"

"The little bird I ate."

He shuddered, "How…how did he even figure that out? I…damn, I should've been nicer to him early on…"

"The true sight. Use it, go ahead, tell me what makes me different than my solace."

He cocked an eyebrow, his eyes turned red, then they faded, "Oh my god…so…so _anyone_ with Auspex…could just…figure it out?"

"Yes."

He swallowed hard and leaned against the wall, "Damn it…I…I don't even know what clans _have_ Auspex and which ones don't. You're constantly in danger…"

"I've just been assuming everyone has it, then I move on."

"I…I don't think every clan has it…" Slade said, then he blinked a few times at Genevieve, "Is…is that a sniper?"

"Ding-ding." Genevieve fiddled with it, pretending to shoot Slade, "Boom! My boomstick."

"Really? Huh…I thought all these guns were Dragomir's…"

"No, only the Utica. Which reminds me." Dragomir sat up, "I need to talk to the Mercury man."

"Mercurio?" Slade asked.

"Yes. He has ammo. And he will have the little zombie-ghoul. You'll see."

"Zombie-ghoul…what?" Slade asked, then he looked at Genevieve again, "You a good shot?"

"Yes, she is." Dragomir answered, "She's got the best true sight."

"…I think we found someone to replace Victor."

"Ooh." Genevieve giggled, "I accept, Greenhorn."

"She's coming, she's coming?" Dragomir looked excited, then he squeezed Slade, "This will be fun!"

Slade chuckled, "I'm sure the rest of the group will be fine with it. Malkavians are just as good as Tremere in combat."

Dragomir ruffled his hair, "What a flatterer. We'll do our best."

"Alright, I'll uh…I'll give you guys some time to yourself." He said, leaving.

Dragomir sat back down next to Genevieve again, "What an honor, telling us that we have the same strength as the blood-magic clan."

"It could be true." Genevieve found her way into his lap, "We can rewrite people's souls."

"Yes we can." He rubbed her back up and down, "That is true, that is true." He kissed her nose, "Well, I'd best get the two ghouls together. Chisel away at the pillar the Prince has built himself up onto."

"You're going to group the ghouls into a gaggle of gangster gambits?"

He laughed, "Perhaps." He patted her thighs, "I'll be quick. And I'll buy you more ammunition."

She got cozy on his lap, closing her eyes, "I have an errand of my own. But it shall be quick as yours."

He pet her hair and kissed her temple, "And then after these errands, I can spend all night and day with you in bed."

"Making love."

"Yes, that too." He snickered and kissed her lips, "Let's run the errands before the night dies."

"Yes, my love." She held his face and kissed him.

* * *

"Since when did you watch the news?"

"I always watch da news."

"You do not. Who are you trying to impress?"

"Nobody." Mercurio stood up, "You hungry?"

Harper looked up at him, she was on his couch, her legs crossed up on his coffee table. She didn't get out often, but when she did, she went as many places as she could. "Yes."

"Alright, I'll be right back." He went into the kitchen, depositing an empty beer bottle there.

Harper watched statistics dance across the screen, then looked up at the clock, "Must be interesting having me here sober."

"Did I make it that obvious?"

She rolled her eyes, "He gave me antidepressants."

"What?"

"He gave me antidepressants!"

"What, no, I heard ya, I'm askin' _why_."

"Because…my personality started showing."

He walked in and handed her a sandwich, it looked like it was pretty much slapped together in a few seconds, "What I don't get is why he's doin' this _now_."

"Doing what now?" She asked, "Getting upset with me for breathing? It's because that damn sarcophagus. He sees power over the horizon and wants it. So when I start acting temperamental, he gets frustrated. I remind him just how pointless he is. He can't even get control over his own ghoul, a little stinking human."

"You tink so?" He asked, waiting a beat, "I tink he's a pretty good guy."

"Mmm hmm…blood bond." She looked at the sandwich, then put it down, "I lost my appetite…"

"Well, you got a blood bond with him too, dontcha?" He looked confused when she was quiet, "It's March…ain't it? You can't just go…breaking the blood bond…he'll get pissed…"

"I suppose I…should be careful…" She combed her fingers through her hair, "I'm still going to work for him. With the pay he gives, I'd be an idiot not to. I'm already stuck in his web."

He leaned back the same degree she was, "You don' look so good."

She looked over at him, "Excuse me? Are you my Prom date? Does my appearance matter to you?"

He rolled his eyes, "You look like you're gonna vomit on my floors, dat matters, at least, if your wellbein' doesn't."

She faced forward, "It's the pills. They're killing me slowly."

"Then why are you takin' them?"

"Because if I don't, I'll drink."

The concern on his face grew, "Then drink. I don' like this. You don' look good at all."

"Should I stop taking them…? Another order's coming in for more…"

"I'd rather deal wit ya drunk then deal wit ya dead."

She faced him again, she didn't realize how close they were. Her eyes met his, they were a bright blue, the same shade as hers, just about, if she was feeling better, "You don't look well either." She said softly.

He raised a brow, "What makes you say that?"

"There are bags under your eyes…you haven't been sleeping, have you?"

He faced away and chuckled softly, "When do you want me to sleep, Harper? Eh? When I'm workin' or when I'm livin'?"

"You'll get sicker sooner than I will." She said, then she sighed, "Never mind."

"I'll be fine." He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tight.

Something so casual, so absent-mindedly trivial, and it felt so comforting to her. When was the last time she had been hugged by someone who wasn't her father?

"What was the last job you went on?" She asked.

"Last job? I've been hanging around here a lot, he hasn't been asking me to do much. Think it was a hit."

"A hit? Jesus…" She looked away, "So casual, so peaceful, just killed a man, is all…"

He snickered, "What, too scary for ya?"

"I would never be able to…he tried to get me to recently…I guess he was testing my abilities…"

"What were you armed with, a knife?"

"A Brokk. That you gave me." She met his gaze again, "I'd like my money back."

He snickered, "Sweetheart, a little pea-shooter ain't gonna do nothing when it comes to killin' someone. Hurtin' them, yeah, sure. It's more for the scare-factor."

 _Sweetheart…_ "Did he hurt you?"

"She. No. Didn't even see us comin'. Guess that Gangrel schnozzle really ain't the best thing in the world, huh?"

"What did he have you killing a Gangrel for?"

"Dey were suspected to have top-secret information."

"Information? Where did they get that?"

"Who knows? Gary?"

She looked to her left, where his hand was. Lots of rings on. Not even bland ones either, they had bright gemstones and embellishments. He sure got enough pay to take care of himself. How much blood was really on those hands, though?

"Sorry." He moved his arm away and laughed, "Didn't even know I did that."

"You had a wife, didn't you?" She asked.

He did a double take, "Wife? What? Never."

"Fiancé?"

"Yeah…" He said slowly, "Why?"

"So…you didn't have to act like I was completely wrong when I asked if you had a wife…"

"Whatever. What does it matter?"

She paused, "What happened to her?"

"I moved to L.A."

She turned to him, "She left you because you moved to L.A.?"

"No. She left me cause I was married to my work, 'parently."

She turned back to the floor, "What was her name?"

"What does it matter?"

"I don't know…you just…never talk about yourself…"

"Cuz dere ain't much to talk about."

"Your fiancé, maybe? That's an interesting part of your life."

"Nah…Cheryl was kinda nuts anyway…"

"Aw…Cheryl…"

He rolled his eyes, "She was one 'a dose crazy cat ladies…ugh…she'd bring her goddamn cats over…"

She laughed, "Oh, I've never liked cats much…"

"Somethin' about dem's just freaky, right? I'm not losin' it? They're like the Malks of the animal Kingdom."

She laughed even more, "I don't think they can see prophecies, Mercurio…"

"They damn well might. Gonna take over the country if we let 'em."

She kept laughing, "So I take it you're a dog person?"

"Yeah. Had one when I was growin' up. Lucy."

"Lucy? Aw…" She smiled, "My father was allergic…"

"Damn, that sucks. Lucy was a good girl, 'cept when she got into my shit."

"Hmm?"

"Well, ya know, dogs are nosy."

"What did she get into?"

He crossed his legs, "Doesn't really matter what she got into…she just…got into stuff." She raised a brow at him. "Okay, what do ya want from me, Harper?"

She laughed, "Oh, it's good to hear you aren't perfect…"

"Of course I ain't perfect…" He muttered, "The hell gave you that impression?"

"I don't know…you never seem…sad, or angry, or embarrassed…"

"Harper, I almost died cause I got my ass tied into the mafia. I got plenty to be embarrassed about."

"But you don't show it." She said, "You seem so at peace."

"Cause I am. I sell guns to neurotic vamps so they can go fill each other with lead. 'Casionally I'll go out and take a few down myself, wit some help. Make fortunes. I got nothing to be upset about."

"Aren't you bored?"

"Bored? Not really…customers that stop by make it interestin'. And then dere's you."

"Oh…" She turned away, "I didn't know I was such a burden to you." She scoffed.

He laughed, "Hey, it ain't like that. Jeez, beatin' yourself up over nothing."

She giggled, then something on the TV made her look up and quiet down. Mercurio saw her get quiet and watched too.

"And in other news, philanthropist Travis Rivers dies in Palomar Medical Center." The news anchor tapped some papers to their desk as it showed a picture of a thin man in a suit with a long coat, top hat and cane, holding the hand of a little girl with brunette curls and a bright smile. "After a mix-up in the staff's records, he was given the wrong blood type, and died quietly overnight. His donations were able to save thousands of orphans and get them the foster care and homes that they needed.

"Given the wrong blood type, how does that just happen, Janet?"

"I don't know, they must have lost place of his records."

"Well, all the money he had left has been given out to hundreds of adoption centers in California. Even in death, he seemed to care only about the lives of others."

"Yes, indeed. No funeral service is being held."

"You know that guy?" Mercurio asked.

Harper's face went pale as she stood up, tears welling in her eyes, "Yes…" She choked out, "That…that is my father…"

"Your…your father? I thought you were…oh…"

She shuddered, then started sobbing into her hands. It all overwhelmed her in a heartbeat. There was nothing she hated more than crying in front of people, especially friends.

Mercurio stood up and hugged her as she wept into his shoulder, "It's alright…" He rubbed her back, "Just take it easy." He tried to think of something to say, something to maybe cheer her up, but when all the people she loved were dead, he really couldn't think of much to say. He felt the same way, really, all his relatives were likely dead, he probably outlived them all. But this was different. Harper loved her father, she loved her fiancé too. What did she really have left? "You're gonna be alright. He wouldn't want you to be this upset, would he?"

She shook her head, "No…you're right…I'm sorry…" She sniffed, "Don't…don't try to cheer me up…I'm sorry…" She wiped her tears away, but more replaced them, "How…" She sniffed, "How does that happen? How do they get his blood type wrong…?"

"Were they really busy? Some new nurse stick it in, maybe?"

"No…they wouldn't have…unless…oh my god…" She stiffened in his arms.

"You alright?" He held her shoulders, "Don't go havin' a heart attack on me now…"

She looked up at him, her eyes puffy and wet, "He killed him…LaCroix…LaCroix killed my father…"

"…the hell are you getting that from?"

"Because…because I left during our meeting when he had a stroke…I…I…." She shook her head, "I have to go."

"You gonna be alright?" Mercurio asked nervously.

She nodded as she grabbed her phone from the table, "Thank you so much for having me over." She sniffed and dabbed her eyes.

"Hey, you have my number if you need someone to talk to, alright?"

She nodded, "Yes…thank you…" She stepped out the door, "It was a pleasure working with you…really."

* * *

Genevieve looked around the discreet clientele of the Last Round, until she saw Damsel near the bottom of the staircase, "Excuse me." She said as she walked up to her, "I need to see the demon."

Damsel looked up from the pistol she was holding, a small screwdriver sticking out from her teeth. She took out the screwdriver and eyed over Genevieve, "What?"

"Your demon. I need to see him."

"My demon? I don't have a demon…the fuck are you on, Cammy? Get the hell out of here!"

"He smiles a lot and he's with the father."

She crossed her arms, "Jack? Who the hell is the father?"

"Yes. Him. I need to exchange worlds with him."

"Uh…right…okay…Jack's upstairs…don't pull any funny shit, you hear me?" She said bitterly, her fangs showing as she spoke, "He'll kick your ass harder than you can believe."

"He has a small hourglass, Damn Sail."

She raised a brow, "The fuck you call me?"

"You minus nine equals zero." She brushed past her, heading up the stairs.

"Huh?" Anastasia asked from where she was sitting, "Who the hell is this?"

Genevieve completely ignored Skelter and Anastasia, walking up to Jack, "Hey."

Jack smothered his cigarette into the table, shamelessly eyeing her figure before he met her gaze, "Hey."

"Tell me how you did it."

"Did what?"

"The box."

A grin slowly spread on his face, "Well, aren't you a special little thing. What's your name? Do I know you?"

"You tricked oldie into digging it up for you…then it crossed the blood sea over here."

"How come I've never heard of you before?" He crossed his legs and sat back, "You look young."

"Four."

"Cute." He reached in his back pocket for another cigar, "Want one?"

She shook her head, "I come for business." She said, "You plan to explode the jester." She said. Every so often Skelter and Anastasia exchanged a hopelessly confused glance.

"Can't say that was the plan, but…" He asked as he grabbed his lighter, "You gonna try to stop me or somethin'?"

"How would I do that?"

"Dunno. You'd have to be pretty dumb, if you ask me. Either that, or a fuckin' genius."

She walked up a bit closer to him, having _no_ concept of personal space, she most likely lost it along with her sanity. She sniffed him a few times, then she walked around, paced. She eventually ripped a chair leg from one of the chairs and started drawing a diagram in the window, "So…that's where the fire comes from. _That's_ where the fire comes from."

Jack turned and watched her, "You have a name? Should I just call you Peggy?"

"Peggy or Genevieve. Pick your favorite."

"Genevieve, huh? Hot. So, what's up with that?" He motioned to the diagram.

It was just a picture of fire, as it was. Something made her stop and hold her head, "Hmm…um…the life-eaters…they have the baby right now…"

"The baby? Who's baby?"

"The box's…" She whispered, "The life-eaters have the baby…someone…will need to take it from them…"

"Heh. Cool. Kid, if you think I give a damn about any of this, then you're wrong. I'm just goin' along for the ride."

"A ride that you started."

"Yup." He took a puff from his cigar, "So what? You mad at me or something? Why are you here?"

"Because I figured the game out."

"Oh yeah?"

She gave a sinister smile, "My prophecy is finished." She put the chair leg down on a table and started walking off, "Bye-bye."

Anastasia blinked a few times, "This…this makes me miss my pot days…"

"I'll say…" Skelter muttered, "The hell was that?"

"That was Malkavian, Skelter." Jack said, "What, do I gotta explain everything to you kids?"

"Why the hell was she here? She didn't say anything…"

"She said a lot. Lotta shit. She's a genius. Oracle. She'll make it places so long as she keeps her head down and her mouth quiet."

"None of it made any sense."

"Made complete sense. Most of it."

"Then what the hell was she going off about?"

"I dunno. Stuff. Wasn't that important."

Skelter shook his head, "Malks are just bad news…freaky as hell…"

"I wonder who the hell that was…" Anastasia said, "I've _never_ seen her before…"

"Neither have I." Jack said, "Genevieve, her name was. Never heard of it. That's the miracle of 'em, really. The smart ones. She's been around four years. Just think of that. She's been around as long as Killian has, and she's got it all figured out. She's one of the smartest things I've seen in years, and she stumbles out of the crevice she's been hiding in for four years. Jesus. Miracles, I'll tell ya."

"…it is kind of hard to believe that she and Killian are the same age…"

"Killian might be older. What's he, like forty in kine years?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I forgot about that…she looked like she was Embraced pretty young…"

"Hope she comes back."

"You hope she's single, you mean." Skelter muttered.

"Hey. Watch it, you." Jack said, "Don't even get me started. I was generous before. Get me pissed off and you'll regret it."

Skelter rolled his eyes, "So what, did she just come in here to prattle on about some nonsense and leave?"

"I mean, that's what it sounded like to you." Jack said.

"You're not gonna tell us what any of it meant?"

"Doesn't matter. Wasn't for your ears."

"Bet if I wasn't here, you'd tell 'Stasia."

"Prolly."

"Christ…" He shook his head.

"It's okay, I'm sure if it were important, Jack would tell us." Anastasia smiled.

"Yeah, I bet. Probably told him Gehenna was gonna happen tomorrow."

Jack had a good laugh from that, "Man, fuck, this is great…"

Anastasia swallowed hard, "I mean…the fire…the jesters…and the explosions didn't sound too promising…" She said, "Life-eaters…there was some of that too…"

"Oh yeah, big part."

Skelter sighed, "Let's just go downstairs."

Jack laughed even more, "Have fun fucking. Oh, yeah, Anastasia, meant to ask. Who's bigger, Killian or Skelter?"

"Please don't give him the luxury of answering that…" Skelter muttered as Anastasia silently followed him downstairs.

Damsel sighed as she put the pistol down on the counter, "Skelter, I can't fix it, get someone else to."

"Fine, I'll do it myself." He grabbed it and started futzing with the screwdriver, "Nines would be able to fix it."

"Nines would be able to fix it." She mocked his voice, "We get it, he's fucking superman."

"What the hell pissed you off?"

"That chick coming in here…" She muttered, "Who the hell was she?"

"I have no idea." Anastasia said, making a face as she tried to uncomfortably sit on a barstool, "She didn't tell us jack-shit about herself. All she did was tell us some doom and gloom and then really hit it off with Jack."

"Ew."

"Yeah, it was like, totally weird…"

"I just hope that was a one-time thing. Smelled familiar to me. I don't know what it was, but something about her wasn't right." Skelter said.

"I can't blame you…considering what happened the _last_ time a Malkavian walked in here." Anastasia said.

"Let's…hope she doesn't do something just as bad if she does decide to come back."

* * *

Cougars don't taste the same as people.

Nines decided the taste was somewhere between a prostitute and a stoner. Thicker blood too, less water in it, at least. Damsel was always asking him where he got his blood. If he told her he got it from squirrels or rabbits, coyotes or cougars, he figured she'd wring his neck. So, he just told her he had connections.

Connections to basic hunting skills, at least. He didn't like to stray from the Observatory too much. People could come and go, sure. And they did. So during the day, he hid somewhere dark and quiet where no one would find him.

Blood Hunts were rather humiliating. They brought out the survivalist, and the survivalist acts on just that, the will to survive. No shame, no pride, no fear. Just willpower. So if he had to sleep in the bathroom all night, that's what he did. That's usually where he found himself.

He was surprised no one had found him yet. He was even more surprised the Nosferatu haven't tapped into their phone calls yet. Or, maybe they have. Maybe they just don't give a damn anymore, he figured.

Damsel told him LaCroix got the sarcophagus. She told him he didn't open it, either. If he was pissed before, he had to be more pissed now. One of the things Nines missed the most about this Blood Hunt was the fact that he couldn't sit on top of buildings anymore and watch Ventrue Tower. Watch the king cobra in there strike at everything that moved.

The cougar's body dropped to the ground with a thud as he plodded back to the observatory. Twelve thirty, if there were kids around, they were bound to be intoxicated, anyhow. A quick flash of Presence would spook them off, they'd forget anything ever happened. Luckily, there was no one there. The only thing left on his agenda for the night was waiting for Damsel's call.

He wanted a vacation, sure, but not like this. This was likely the best he'd ever get.

"You've made yourself scarce, Armando."

His blood didn't run cold, no. It didn't burn hot either. It felt like it turned to stone. "Yeah, you bet." He called out before he turned around, "Been a while, hasn't it?"

Victor held his arms out, "Yes, if you define a 'while' as, when we were mortal."

He crossed his arms, their icy blue gazes locked, "The hell you doing out here? If you were looking for me, really, I gotta say, I'm flattered."

"I thought you'd be clasped betwixt the jaws of a werewolf when I was told where you were."

"Yeah, well, looks like it's either that, or get assaulted by Cams in the streets. Like the atmosphere out here a little better."

"I cannot say I'm surprised." He said, "You'll _wish_ it was one of the wolves once I'm finished with you."

"That so?" He asked, "All the times I've seen Blood Boil, it's been pretty quick. Same with Dominate. I mean, I don't doubt the fact that you could draw it out, if you wanted to. Make it last all night. Make it last to the damn sunrise, if you wanted to. Bet you would still do it, wouldn't you? Kill me and get dusted yourself? Worth the sacrifice, huh."

He gave a chuckle, "I always found it rather symbolic, that, as Kindred, we joined the factions that couldn't be more _opposite_."

"Yeah, guess that's how it works. No way in hell I'd join the Cam, like how you wouldn't dream of spending a night as an Anarch. Least we're not dumb enough for Sabbat."

He folded his hands, "I have business with them. Bloody business, that I'll have to deal with sooner or later. Hmm, perhaps I will use it as training to better be equipped to oust you and your Anarchs. I mean." He held his hands out in a grandiose fashion, "You're not exactly going anywhere!" He laughed.

"That's the plan, then? Kill me right here, right now? Why? You need a stamp of approval from LaCroix that badly?"

He chuckled again, rarely had there been a moment in this conversation where he _wasn't_ laughing, or snickering, "I expected naiveté, Armando…but _this?_ " He shook his head, "I owe no allegiance to LaCroix."

"Then why beat a dead horse? Your pride really that fucked up?"

"What do you mean?"

Nines chuckled as he crossed his arms, "What, you think you're the only one who's got my name at the top of their burn list? So what, you wait for the Blood Hunt to strike? Wait for me to be cornered by Prince LaCroix? Who you, supposedly share no alliance with. Seems logical to me. At least give credit where it's due, jackass."

"I'm not foolish enough to believe a Blood Hunt from the flimsy LaCroix will kill you."

"No, it won't. But it's the Blood Hunt that put me here. The Blood Hunt that pinned me here without support. You can't take a shotgun to a chained dog and call it a fair fight. Not without his pack. Not without his turf, not if you want to say _you_ killed Nines Rodriguez. You just fired the bullet. He's the one who tied me up here. You wouldn't be able to kill me if there was no Blood Hunt."

"Nor did I ever say I _would_ kill you out here." He said, "That would be a foolish gambit on multiple levels. Then it would be warped, distorted, with no one watching to story-tell, it wouldn't be quite as grand. It would turn into Victor _and_ a werewolf killed Nines. Then it would turn into Victor and Nines fought a pack of werewolves but only Victor came out unscathed. Then I would eventually be cut from the story entirely. No, no, you see. I need you surrounded by your group." He smiled, "I need to kill you with them watching. So their morale can sink. Or…better yet, their morale goes up, and they come rushing for me…for the dastardly crook I am." His smile grew, "Then they would be sacrificed to my blood magic in their blind rage. They would run into the jaws of fire."

"You think you can take all the Anarchs?" He asked, "One Tremere, against all the Anarchs? If that was the case, why the hell aren't Tremere ruling the entire world? Your clan isn't any better than the others. You can't just singlehandedly take down all of us. That isn't how it works, even if I _was_ dead. Even if our moral was shit, you're up against what, two-hundred? Our numbers look scarce until you piss us off. LaCroix sits in a little office, but this is still our city. This is still the Anarch-Free State."

"It hasn't been for two years." He said, "And it won't be any longer." His smile grew, "You cannot possibly be this slow in getting the uptake on my plan, can you?"

He felt his phone in his back pocket buzz and buzz, "Maybe I got more going on in my head than you do. What, without a Regent to pour shit in my head, without apprentices to do my shit for me, yeah, I got responsibilities. So go ahead, tell me your plan then, maybe I'll think about listening."

"Doing it for me?" He asked, "I've been doing more work in the past _week_ than you've likely been doing for a while now. All you can do is roll in the mud with the werewolves!"

"That's what happens when you get framed, kid. No, but I got my connections. I'm not completely useless out here. You wouldn't get it. You got your hierarchy bullshit, you got your money and your status, you keep building the walls higher for yourself. I'd just love to see where it gets you, especially when we're the ones who knock it down."

"Oh, yes, because you and you're Anarchs are really knocking things down, aren't they?" He asked, "I staked one, terrorized another, and my comrades are dealing with the rest of them quite nicely, especially with their Prince stuck in the woods." He narrowed his eyes, "Remind me why I'm supposed to be frightened of you animals?"

"Never said you had to be afraid. Was Hoover afraid before the stocks ate shit?"

"Oh yes, here it comes…your…pointless tirade against…law and order…and money…and cleanliness…or…manners…or…anything…please, enlighten me as if I'm some sort of out-of-the-bag fledgling." He said, "You really prefer Caitiff roaming the streets and hunters picking you off instead?"

His brow furrowed, "Who the hell said just because we don't like the Cam, we don't follow the Masquerade? I can think of a few hundred Cams who don't follow the Masquerade, your Prince for one. We were fine before the Camarilla came here, if you haven't noticed. Life was great. Hardly as much crime, less Sabbat, less gang fights…what can I say? The Camarilla is its own problem."

"I disagree. _LaCroix_ is the problem." He said, "But I can kill him just as easily as I can kill you."

"That so?" He raised a brow, "Then what the hell are you waiting for?"

He snickered for a long time, "I will make Strauss the Prince." He said, "Or die trying." He gave a dramatic silence, "Ooh… _now_ you're scared."

"You'll make Strauss the Prince? Maximilian Strauss? How old is he? Old enough to have…I dunno, diablerized half the Kindred he's ever met? Pretty sure that flies in the face of the Masquerade. There's a reason there aren't many Tremere Princes, kid, even if I did bother to care."

"Oh, and Smiling Jack is more of a saint?"

"Who the hell said Jack is a reputable Anarch?" He asked, "Jack has nothing to do with this."

"If Jack were to fight with Strauss, who would win?"

"Strauss. Blood magic. Thought we talked about this, slick, you take a blood mage up against a cornered dog, the mage wins. Without his pack, he's nothing."

"And if you and I were to fight, who would be victorious?"

"Right here, right now? You would, kid. What, you fail outta math or something? I didn't even _go_ to school and I know that shit."

"And if one of your greatest 'brethren' fought against one of my _weakest_ apprentices?"

"If they knew how to Blood Boil. If they knew how to use Suicide. We gonna sit here all night?"

"Good. So you know the outcome of any conflict just as well as I."

He crossed his arms, "Let's say you walked into the Last Round. Who's gonna win, you think?"

"Best case scenario would be me. Worst case would be the Anarchs, but they would lose a huge chunk of their forces. Especially if the quarters are tight enough. Because it seems you have forgotten that our technique of Blood Boil is devastating to those around the explosion as well."

"Uh huh. And you seem to forget a good half of us have Celerity. And lots of guns. You know how to use a machine gun? What about a computer?"

"I mean, there's Purge, which would freeze everyone in their tracks while they would both take damage, _and_ lose fuel. And there's also Blood Shield, which could negate some of the bullet damage." He said, "Nonetheless it would be a bloody skirmish…and that's with _just me_."

"If that was the case, then tell me why there's, what, three of you in L.A.? And over a-hundred of us in this area alone?"

"Then I'll shrink those numbers when I get back, I promise…I'll make it a little more even for you."

He snickered, "Yeah, sure. I'd love to watch it happen."

"Doubting my ability is about the most foolish thing you can do."

"I'd hope you'd think the same of me. I really do. You've made it this far." He laughed, "Then again, _you_ didn't make it this far. Your money did."

"Oh, was I supposed to be pelted by rocks instead? Keep living that life? Was I supposed to enjoy their harassment? Stay poor and miserable? Die to the neglectful conditions? If I was given a choice… _any_ other choice…than that…why on Earth would I _not_ take it?"

"You ever even _think_ about fighting back? You just give up, that easy? And you think you'd win in a fight against me?"

"I'm fighting back now, aren't I?"

"Pfft, sure. Fighting yourself too, while you're at it. Making things a little too hard for yourself, don't you think?"

"If you're trying to _pretend_ you have my best interests at heart…"

"I'm not."

He smiled, "Just think about it Armando, your cause, is a cause for _children_. Why else would you be the oldest member of the Anarchs in this state?" He asked, "I mean, I would include Jack, but you disowned him previously. Seriously, name me a prominent Anarch _Elder_. You can't. No one can. Because your lifespan is only slightly longer than the Sabbat. All the Elders and so on, they're in the Camarilla. So if the most veteran soldier on the battlefield is a neonate, then…I shudder to think what would happen if this were to blow into full-scale war…"

"Who says age has a thing to do with any of this?" He asked, "LaCroix's older than both of us, you wanna tell me all about how great he is?"

"Not older than us by much." He said, "Besides, he relies on his Sheriff to do his fighting. He would be an inaccurate and improper statistic. _None of you_ , on the other hand, could defeat Strauss, which is why I'm going to make _him_ the new Prince."

"Go ahead. He'll fall too. This is our city, Victor. He's not going to want it for long. He's a lot smarter than LaCroix, I'll give him that. He should be smart enough to leave himself."

"Pfft…" He laughed, "So that's your great plan, he _leaves!_ " He laughed more and more, "You're so scared of him, you're hoping he leaves!"

"Scared? No. He can fight us, if he wants. But I know he won't. He wouldn't want a mess in this city. A mess he'd have to explain to his elders."

"It would be getting rid of the Anarchs. Not too much justification needed."

Nines chuckled softly, "Yeah, sure. Jeez, I thought the Tremere were smarter than that. Guess you haven't been playing Jyhad long enough."

"You won't be laughing when the Anarch Free State becomes and _Anarch-free_ state."

"You done?" He asked, looking for a cigarette in his back pocket, "You come here to screw around or what? If you think this is my only hiding place, you're dead wrong."

"Do you want to retreat to your shelter and sob, is that it?"

Nines chuckled to himself, "Just wondering when you're gonna make your way home, considering the taxi ride back is, what, an hour?" He eyed the horizon.

"Your phone." He held a hand out, "I'd like it."

He raised a brow, "We can exchange numbers when you decide to fuck your little Camarilla in the asshole, alright? Until then, you're gonna have to wait."

"Wrong answer." Victor held a hand up, and Nines fell to the ground, vomiting up blood.

He wheezed and held his chest, "Shit…" He reached in his holster and grabbed his gun, firing for Victor's feet with lightning speed. He flinched and grit his teeth, holding a hand out again as Nines threw up a bit more.

Nines wiped the blood on the back of his arm, then stumbled to his feet as he grabbed his grenade, "Use it again, I dare you."

"It'd kill both of us, we're too close."

"Shame I have Celerity, isn't it?"

"You don't have the blood to use it for long."

"If you use Purge again, I won't."

Victor's eyes glowed red, he took his Colt Anaconda out and fired twice, one for Nines's wrist, and the other for his eyes.

Nines ducked his head so it grazed the top of his head, his wrist meanwhile, splattered with blood as the grenade fell to the ground. He grabbed it and stuck it in his belt, "You're right. I'll save it for the werewolves." He looked at the hole in his arm and chuckled, "A pistol, huh? That's your contribution without any of your blood magic?" He asked, then he dashed forward with unquestionable speed and reared back to slam a fist into Victor's gut, his fists lit up with Potence. Victor caught him, coughing out quite a bit of blood, he let out another bout of purge before he screamed and fell back.

Nines too, fell to his knees to throw up again, "Goddamn…just got that blood too, you bastard…" He weakly stood to his feet, taking out his Desert Eagle and firing. Victor applied a Blood Shield, that, mixed with Auspex, seemed to give him pretty good defenses. He fired off at Nines with his Colt, it was a wonder the gun-slinging wasn't attracting the attention of the wolves.

Nines stepped back as the bullets shredded through him, for a while, the two of them kept up with the shooting game, until Nines ran out of ammo. A curse slipped from his lips before he turned his gun into a blunt weapon. Paired with Celerity, he aimed to smash the butt of his pistol into Victor's temple. Victor yelled, tumbling back in the grass. He kept shooting at Nines, occasionally throwing a blood bolt in there as well, each time Nines was hit by the later, he felt a searing, magical pain.

There was a pause between them both, the silence interrupted by unneeded panting, and by Victor reloading his gun. A standstill, both opponents coated in blood, (especially Victor, but most of that was the blood shield). Nines stuck his gun back in his belt, "Thought you didn't want to kill me here."

"Well, if you simply handed your phone over, this fight wouldn't have even happened." He said, his Auspex fading, "Throwing in the towel already, I see."

"You're not getting the phone. I don't need them thinking I'm dead when I'm not."

Victor held a hand out and Nines threw up again. He shot at him while he was on the ground, inching closer to take the phone from him.

Like clockwork, Nines closed his eyes and felt another pair of glowing dark eyes, shining within his psyche. _Not today, you sick son of a bitch. Not today, not ever._ He'd never once let the Beast take over. Something he prided himself on. That wasn't going to change. He reached in his back pocket and grabbed his phone, seeing a call from Damsel, a voicemail from her, about a dozen texts. He got to his feet wearily and snapped the phone in half, stomping it to the dust, "There."

"See, now was that so hard?" Victor asked, his Blood Shield and any other passive Disciplines fading, "Cannot have you go running around telling all your silly Anarchs about my plan. Don't worry, Armando, they'll all have their time too. Their time to die in the limelight. Once the Tremere run California."

Nines spit a mouthful of blood to the ground, "Get the hell out of my turf, you son of a bitch."

"I wonder which Anarch I'll kill first when I return to the city."

"What did I say?" His voice was booming, Victor heard it echo from the mountains to the needles of the pine trees.

"Ta-ta, Armando." He started walking off, giving a sarcastic wave, "I do hope you survive the Blood Hunt, so that I may kill you." He snickered, then he laughed. His sinister laugh echoed almost as much as Nines shout did.

Nines panted wearily, hanging his head low as he looked at the phone, caked in mud and dirt. Part of him was glad it was Victor who found him. A Tremere. The clan of secrets. Who would, very well likely, keep his location a mystery.

* * *

The penthouse doors swung open, the sound of heels smacking against the floors rang out in quick succession until they suddenly stopped. The percussive sound of a manila folder slapped down on the polished desk surface rattled from the windows.

The Prince looked up, a scowl on his face, "Miss Rivers…I didn't schedule a—"

"This won't take long." She said bluntly. Her voice was low, her gaze was burning. Her eyes were brighter, her hair bouncier. To her boss, she smelled different. She didn't smell like the medication, or even alcohol. She didn't smell like him either. She smelled like herself.

"It is March third…" He sat back, "I've given you blood, if that's what this is a—"

"Read."

His brow fell before he picked up the manila envelope, "So you've decided to investigate the hospital." He opened the folder and started skimming, then paused and pulled the papers out of the folder, reading over them much more carefully.

She pulled a pen from her coat, "Sign." She slapped it down on his desk.

"…a resignation…?" When she crossed his arms he put the packet down, "Under what conditions?"

"Keep reading." She spat out.

He turned a page in the packet and saw a report, "…the death of your adoptive father…?" He asked, "I don't see what this has to do with our company."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh…oh, is that so?" She asked, "Maybe the fact that you've killed him?" She asked, "That might include our _company_."

"You're accusing me of killing your father? It says here he died from the wrong blood type substituted into his IV…" He read right off the report, "This was not my doing."

"You knew he was being given tPA." She said, "Because he had a stroke. That is inserted through an IV. You have connections in Palomar. I know you got them to switch his blood. You didn't want me to get distracted. You didn't want your little ghoul to have any sort of access to humanity. Any sort of access to her own life, hmm? She's all yours, now, hmm? No. I'd rather die. So here. My two weeks' notice. Put the date on your little calendar. Mount my head on the wall. I don't give a damn. I'm done playing. I have no reason to live any more, if you're going to take everything I've ever had and lock it away from me."

He sat back slowly, "An execution date is written in stone."

"Yes, I know. I have been working here for fifteen years."

"Very well." His voice remained light, "If that is your wish, then I will make note of it. You've always been the most tactful investigator…I was wondering when the evidence you've gathered would mislead you. Seems the day has come." He took his own pen and signed her form, handing it back, "In these last two weeks, you will find yourself dealing with the same amount of work you always have. There will be no changes until your execution, which will likely be private."

"Private?" She asked, "No. No, I insist it must be public."

"I am not obligated to accept or deny those requests." He said, "It is my execution, I have all rights to organize it how I see fit."

"But it's my death." She said, before she shook her head, "Fine, whatever. It's fine. I'll go…do the abandoned hospital research."

"Very well." He said, "I will see you when you finish." The doors closed and he sat back, completely stunned. He grabbed the resignation and flipped through the pages, "Two weeks….it's plenty of time." He crossed his legs and rubbed one of his temples, "She wants an execution…she wishes for death…? Very well. Arrangements will be made."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this one's so long. Lots of…stuff to get through, as I'm sure you noticed. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it! Let us know what you think of these twists and turns! :)


	90. Chapter 90

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety! (whoop!) Time for the Pope to fall! (you'll see)… Also, special thanks go out to Sagnus for the lovely review! Our secret is witchcraft, btw.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

The gusty winds of the beach air still hit their backs even as they were headed to the monastery surrounded by jagged rocks. No holy building had even looked more daunting to the lot of them.

"So…uh…who's this…replacement member for Victor, now?" Cadmus asked.

"She's coming." Slade said.

Sure enough, they heard Genevieve's voice as she ran over, "Hello Greenhorn! Hello Blood Frost! Hello Obsidian Thunder! Hello Dragomir!" Genevieve hugged Dragomir and kissed him.

"Oh, so it's Dragomir's girlfriend." Cadmus said, "Wait…am I _Obsidian Thunder_ …?"

"Oh no…" Miranda muttered.

"I have the best name ever."

"There goes his ego."

"Mine is better than yours."

"It's not a contest."

"Yes it is…" Dragomir whispered to Cadmus after he gave Genevieve a good squeeze.

"Am I invisible or something?" Tess muttered, "Whatever, let's just come up with a plan. Clearly storming in blindly will get us killed."

Dragomir raised a brow, "I thought that _was_ the plan. We all storm in blindly, then run away and leave Tess there as a distraction. Then we sneak around when they're not paying any attention."

"Juice Pouch." Genevieve finally gave Tess her short, curt greeting.

Cadmus badly hid a snicker, "Juice Pouch…even the Malkavian doesn't like Tess…"

"Let's try this, Tess. If you can think of a brilliant idea in the next…" Dragomir looked at the position of the moon, "Five minutes." He looked back at her, "Then we'll do it, and you don't have to worry about doing a single thing."

She crossed her arms and eyed the building, "We sneak in, eavesdrop. Or find any sort of information we can about where he could be, instead of stirring everything up and possibly losing him."

"That's boring, can't we just kill these idiots?" Cadmus asked.

Miranda shushed them all, holding a hand out and motioning for them to get down behind the rocks. Once they all did, they heard a conversation between two of the society's members.

"Greetings commander." One of them said.

"Greetings soldier." The other said in a deeper voice.

"Anything to report? The Gladius Dei has told us to keep a sharp eye! He thinks we may have some visitors this evening."

"Of course, sir. My duty as always is to protect the brotherhood! All seems quiet for now."

"Good, good."

"Did he mention…uh, what _kind_ of visitors, sir?"

"The only kind that matters, soldier."

"Yes sir, of course, sir. Carry on!"

"So…they know we're coming." Cadmus said quietly.

"That would explain why like…eighty of them are walking around the yard." Slade said, "Who knows how many more are inside?"

"Is my idea that bad now, hmm?" Tess turned to Dragomir.

"Let us think back to a time where you pinned me to my own bed and begged me like some sort of animal. That's how I see you, in case you were wondering."

Dragomir's voice was difficult to keep quiet, so she put a hand over his mouth. "For the sake of everyone, please don't talk." He chuckled lowly and licked her hand slowly and pronouncedly. She shuddered and wiped it off on a rock.

Miranda growled and stood up, possessing the first solider, he emptied his entire machine gun's magazine into the commander and he died. He then ran forth and began to take on the entire Society of Leopold by himself.

Confused curses and swears ensued as war broke out with their own members. It would only be a matter of time until the soldiers would see where the _source_ of the possession came from. Miranda walked into the battlefield, holding a hand out again, it seemed to be like Suicide, but on a much larger scale, as the members of the Society of Leopold began to drop like flies. Half of their outside forces were gone and only Miranda was doing the fighting at the moment.

"Holy shit." Cadmus said.

"Feisty one." Dragomir said lowly.

"Miranda, don't forget about your blood pool…" Tess ran over with the others.

"Guys, watch out, there are guys on the roof!" Cadmus yelled as he armed himself with Fortitude.

Slade sped forward, helping Miranda out in slicing up some of the guards, while Genevieve would shoot some with a pistol, or use Visions of Death if they were close enough.

Dragomir used Genevieve's sniper, which was on his back, (he was serving as the gun cabinet due to his size), firing at the people on the roof. The people on the roof fired back occasionally, leading to a pretty grand gunfight.

Miranda fed on the last soldier at the ground, "Alright…" She said as she wiped her mouth off and his body hit the ground, "Now we should aid Dragomir with those fools on the roof."

"Don't look at me." Cadmus said, covered in blood from the hunters he killed, "I don't have any guns."

Slade and Genevieve took their pistols out, shooting alongside Dragomir to eventually get rid of everyone on the roof too. It was eerily quiet now, with their opposition all dead.

Dragomir put the sniper down, "Sorry dear." He put it back on his back, "Thought it would speed things up a bit."

Genevieve hugged him, "We made them go boom!"

He chuckled and hugged her back, kissing her forehead, "Yes, they went boom all over the walls…that was enjoyable."

Tess looked rather disgusted, "Let's sneak inside."

"Pfft, really? I thought we were going to stand outside here all night." Cadmus said, as he and Slade laughed.

Once Slade calmed down, he said, "They're going to know we're here though…now that we made all that noise…we're going to have to be ready for another shootout."

Dragomir turned to Genevieve, "Did you want your sniper? Or another big gun?"

She thought about it, then she started running around like a child, picking up all the guns she could find, "Free boomsticks for everyone!"

Tess considered ignoring her, then picked up a machine gun, "I guess this might be helpful…"

Once everyone was stocked up, they headed inside, of course they were immediately beset by guards. Miranda rolled her eyes, holding a hand out, since the quarters were cramped, the dozen hunters who ran at them all died. Cadmus blinked a few times, "This…this almost seems unfair…"

"When your flame burns as bright as hers does, fairness does not even play into the equation." Dragomir said.

"Evidently, it does not." Cadmus agreed.

They walked down the hall, seeing a hunter praying by an altar. Incidentally, he seemed to be the lone survivor from Miranda's onslaught, "Lord…" He started, "I pray now that you give me strength in battle. That I might overcome the hordes of Satan and his children. That I might wield the flaming sword of the archangel and defend myself with your shield of faith. And that my victories are many and my wounds few. That I might further your kingdom here on earth. And if I meet death tonight, then let it be first that I cast a mighty host of demons back into the lake of fire whence they came. And then rest finally in the light of your glory. Amen." He stood up and turned to fight all six of them by himself.

Cadmus held a hand out, a blue glow came from it as the hunter died, "I guess the Lord _wasn't_ with him tonight."

"He is now." Dragomir snickered.

Genevieve ran over and picked up his gun, it was a Sniper, "Happy Birthday to you!" She handed it to Dragomir.

Dragomir chuckled and took the gun, "Why thank you. Here, you carry this one, then." He handed her the sniper Romero gave her.

"Jeez…we're gonna be having guns coming out of our ears at this point…" Slade muttered, "Look at all this shit they have lying around."

Tess put down the machine gun she grabbed and picked up another one with a laser, "Hmm…"

Genevieve pointed at the red laser traps all over the building, "Those are fire." She said.

"Genevieve's right, everyone, watch where you step." Slade said.

Dragomir looked down, then picked up a book left on a table. He grunted as he flipped through a few pages, "Who on earth leaves their diary just…lying around? Tess?"

"What?" Tess looked over.

"Oh, never mind." He started skimming through the pages, "Someone _really_ doesn't like the Prince."

"Whose is that?" Cadmus asked.

"Mister Bach's. I think I'll keep it. I'm a sucker for secrets."

"So he _is_ here…" Miranda seethed, starting to quicken her pace in order to find him.

"Shit, follow her." Slade said, as they all went after Miranda.

She stopped in front of a laser trap, looking a bit lost, "This door…" She started, "I believe it leads down to the tunnels where they're holding Johansen…but…this trap would kill us…"

"Wait, there's a little laptop there…maybe we could disarm it." Cadmus said, "Who uh…who knows the first thing about technology?"

Genevieve sat at the laptop, typing a mile a minute. The laser trap eventually shut down, "Poof! Gone!"

"Perfect." Dragomir squeezed her hand before they continued onwards.

Miranda tried the door, but it was locked, "Drat…" She growled.

"Jeez…so I guess the way to the tunnels was _double_ locked then, huh?" Cadmus said.

"We could check upstairs." Slade suggested, "But…that would probably involve more fighting." He said, sure enough, the creaking of floorboards could be heard upstairs, there were likely more soldiers up there.

"Do we have another choice?" Dragomir asked.

"Ugh, let's just get this over with." Miranda rolled her eyes and stormed up the stairs, as they went up, they heard the soldiers talking about this and that.

"The Gladius Dei, he looks like a hard man." One of them said.

"Don't you know who that is?" Another asked.

"No, should I?"

"That's Grunfeld Bach."

"The name sounds familiar."

"How long have you been with the Condotierri?"

"Not very long, I was sworn in just last winter."

"I see. Are you enjoying your service into the brotherhood?"

"Of course."

"Then I recommend staying clear of Brother Grunfeld."

"Someone's angry." Dragomir snickered.

"One of us should take some food down to the prisoner." Another pair of hunters began a conversation.

"Johansen? He is no better than they, if not for his meddlesome diggings the artifact would never have come here."

"Yes, this complicated matters, interesting turn of events. Do you think it holds…something?"

"I care not, if it does then with Gods help we will send it screaming back to hell!"

"Brother Kruger says it may be him, the son of Adam, the brother killer."

"Hmm, if this be the end of days, then may the Lord give us strength to see them through."

"So? Shall we take some food down to Johansen?"

"Here, take mine, I'm no longer hungry."

Miranda growled, then roared, this did nothing but remind her of the time of when she was starved in her cage. She ran out into the line of fire, a massive blue glow coming from her hand as all the hunters in the room died, she purposely left one alive, however, to drain him dry.

Slade laughed, "Jesus…I…I guess six of us for a mission like this is a little overkill…"

"Just a bit." Dragomir said, "But I'm having fun."

"Found the key." Cadmus said, dangling it around a bit.

"Excellent." Miranda said, "Then let us cleanse the tunnels of these fools…"

"See…you say _us_ …but…"

In the cellar, there were a trio of guards, either armed with machine guns or shotguns, firing at will at the lot of them.

Genevieve held a hand out, killing one of them immediately with a purple mist, she then fed on another, draining him. Despite the fact that he had yet to use any of his disciplines, Dragomir too snatched one and started feeding from him.

"Hmm…so…where do we go now?" Slade asked.

"I have no idea…" Cadmus said, "Is…is this a dead end?"

"No…it can't be!" Miranda clenched her fists, although most people didn't attribute this to Johansen, they attributed it to revenge for Bach.

"Relax." Dragomir said, "Once upon a time, in the lands of old, when kings and queens ruled in castles of stone, there were subjects, squires and even jesters who wanted nothing more than freedom."

"You're going to tell us a story now?" Tess asked.

"These subjects were forced to work in mostly lower quarters of the towers, cold enough to keep the bread and meat from molding. But of course, there were kegs and kegs of booze too, to keep the air nice and chilled, so that the food would stay fresh. The subjects were constantly living around these containers, the containers surrounded them. At night, some of the jesters would even open the containers and drink from them. So then, when it came time for freedom…they used the containers that contained them the most." He grabbed a barrel and moved it aside, it led to a secret passageway.

Genevieve smiled and sniffed the entrance to the passageway, "I smell a dead phoenix…"

"That…that sounds concerning." Slade said.

"It matters not, let us move on." Miranda said.

The tunnels seemed to span downwards for ages, lit fairly well by torches, it looked like it would take years upon years to dig something this complicated.

"It…it's kind of sad that they have _this_ much time to do all this shit…" Slade said, while to Miranda she felt as if she was returning to hell, it looked so familiar to her.

"You'll make them burn." Dragomir said, standing next to Miranda, "They will pay for what they've done, to you and to others."

She gave a small, sinister nod, as they got further downward, they heard the voices of soldiers in the background.

"Brother Grunfeld seems particularly uneasy this evening." One hunter said.

"Yes, LaCroix has begun to move more openly, and Brother Grunfeld grows impatient." Another said.

"Ah yes, LaCroix. As always Brother Grunfeld focuses only on his old nemesis. Let us hope his fanaticism best serves the interests of our order, and not merely his own unresolved grievances."

"Shh, are you mad? Brother Grunfeld will not tolerate such insubordination, hold your tongue! You know upon whose direct authority he acts?"

"Yes, I know. Far be it for me to question the ethic of the Holy See."

"You would do best to remember your place! Brother Grunfeld is a faithful warrior. He's battled Satan's spawn for longer than you've been alive!"

"Then I pray the Lord grant me the same years to fight in his army!"

"Amen."

"I'm getting sick and tired of this holy tongue." Dragomir mused, "I'd like to rip them out."

Around the bend, they saw the two hunters who were speaking. Genevieve took her sniper out and shot one in the face, immediately killing him. The other hunter pulled a sniper out, backing away and shooting at Genevieve. Genevieve flinched and fell over, covered in blood, "Owie…"

Dragomir held a hand up as a purple glow clouded the head of the other man. As he screamed and died, Dragomir turned to Genevieve and helped her up, pulling her up onto his shoulders, "There. You're safer up there."

"If anything, she's more of a target…" Tess muttered.

"I have some blood packs if you need any." Cadmus offered.

Genevieve shook her head, as her wound began to close up, "No need. I'm not dying today."

Around another few bends in the tunnels were another pair of guards, they were both armed with machine guns. Slade and Cadmus stepped in to fight them. With one armed with Celerity and the other armed with Fortitude, the two hunters were dead in a matter of moments.

"Hmm. Seems they were guarding someone." Dragomir said.

As they peered around the corner, they saw someone slumped in the corner of a cage. Due to the fact that he didn't have a heartbeat, but wasn't a pile of ash, they assumed he was unconscious.

Tess pushed away from everyone as she stood closer, "… _Ash?_ "

He moaned softly as he sat up, holding his forehead. His clothes were tattered and burned, blood stains on the floor, his eyes red and leaking with tears, but the worst part was the three crosses branded into his face, one on each cheek, and one on his forehead.

Tess felt tears well in her eyes as she stepped back, "So _this_ is what happens when I stop monitoring you…"

He hugged his knees close to his chest like a terrified child, "N-No more….no m-more fire…please…pl-please…"

Tess clenched her teeth and smashed a fist into the bars, "Do you even recognize me?" No one in the group, not even Slade or Dragomir ever heard her voice so carelessly loud and shrill.

Ash flinched, then looked up at her, "What do you want from me?" He asked, "Aren't you happy now? You m-might as well be part of them…"

Tess stepped back, "I hope you die in there. I really do."

"So I guess I'll ask." Dragomir said, "What are you doing in there, son? Doesn't look too fun."

He put his face in his hands and started sobbing again, "They've ruined my face…oh god…their eyes…they loved it…" He sniffed and looked up at them, "I just want to get out…I don't want to die here…please…I'm begging you…"

"We'll free you." Miranda said.

"Are you kidding me?" Cadmus asked, "It's freaking Ash Rivers, we all know that was going to end up to him sooner or later…"

"We'll free him." She glared at him.

"Fine, fine…but they won't leave his cell key lying around…we'll have to do more pointless fighting for it." Cadmus said, "I didn't think you wanted your precious LaCroix to be left waiting."

"Guys, stop." Slade said, "Let's just…fight more guards, and see if any of them have a key on them…"

Ash leaned against the wall and moaned, momentarily moving his hand away from a particularly bloody gash in his chest. Dragomir turned his gaze away, "For now, little dead bird, keep your voice quiet." He said as the group moved onwards. Tess hung back, looking as if she wanted to murder Ash in cold blood. Miranda looked the opposite, it was clear that she felt for Ash, that she saw a part of herself in him.

They all looked into an open assembly area next, where there were enough guards to make up an army. "Are the stories true, about him I mean?" A young, impressionable soldier asked.

"Brother Grunfeld?" An older, more experienced and deeper voice asked.

"Yes."

"What stories have you heard, young brother?"

"There are many, some say he saw his own mother eat alive by a coven of witches. And others that he once killed an elder vampire with his bare hands. There are even whispers that he is the resurrected Saint Leopold, come to lead his armies into the final battle against the armies of darkness."

The older hunter chuckled, "Not all stories you hear are true. Brother Grunfeld is a good soldier just as you'll become if you have faith in God and the discipline to stand in his army."

"It is also said that he once killed a man of the brotherhood because he refused to follow orders."

"Hmm, some stories you hear are true, young brother."

Miranda seethed with rage. She hated hearing how dumbly impressed the younger man was with all of Bach's lies. She was enraged by the older hunter feeding the lies, as some sort of propaganda trick, and she was sick of the hunters in general. She roared and ran in the middle of the action. She possessed the older hunter into killing the younger one in cold blood, as some sort of twisted, sick, poetic death, then using her Mass Suicide abilities to level the rest of the army. As with every other room in the compound, Miranda cut the amount of soldiers from about twenty, to three, with little to no effort. Well, make that two hunters, as she began to drain one dry.

Dragomir fed from the other one, as Tess fired her machine gun into the last one's chest. "Miranda, your hand might be a bit sore tomorrow." Tess smiled.

"I wouldn't think so." Miranda gave a small smile back, "Killing these buffoons is worth every second."

"Hey guys, I found a key." Slade said.

"Good. Go free the ash-man." Dragomir said.

They retraced their steps, heading back to Ash's cell and unlocking the door, freeing him. Ash weakly got to his feet, "Thank you so much…you'll never have to worry about seeing this face again…" He wiped a few tears away, "I'm gonna go somewhere no one will be able to find me…"

"I don't think your father will like that…but, ah, well, have fun in Canada." Dragomir said.

Tess crossed her arms, "I'll tell Isaac the hunters killed you." Ash ignored her and ran off.

"Hell of a rendezvous, huh?" Cadmus smiled.

"He should have died in there." Tess said, "I say we throw Dragomir in there instead."

Dragomir raised a brow, "What the hell did I do this time? Speak?"

"If anyone, we should just throw you in there." Slade glared at Tess, "Looks like your ways are finally starting to catch up to you. Maybe you'll learn from it and not just bang every damn hunk you see. Or not."

"Besides, Dragomir actually _does_ things. Can't say the same for you." Cadmus added.

"You want to throw me in there? Fine." She took her wallet out of her top and dropped it on the ground, "Take my cash then, put me in there. End this for me already, it's taken long enough."

It seemed the offer was too tempting for Dragomir, who grabbed her by the neck and threw her into the cage.

"I guess she learned that trick from Ash." Slade said.

Cadmus looked at Miranda, who wasn't approving of _any_ of this, "Tch." He said, "Whatever, let's keep going…"

Miranda closed her eyes in thought, "Something's wrong…"

"What do you mean?"

"Ash was imprisoned here in one of these cages. And as we can see there are many more cages scattered about. Why wouldn't Johansen be here?"

"Hmm…that's a fair point."

"I'm guessing since we haven't seen Bach, we won't see Johansen." Slade said.

"Ah, yes, how could I forget…" Miranda seethed, "Then onward we will go, to slaughter Bach and put an end to this madness." As they moved on, Tess rolled her eyes and popped the door open, since they didn't bother to lock it. She trailed after them, giving herself a reasonable distance.

Genevieve would look back at Tess occasionally, eventually stepping back to her pace, she kept staring at her, like she a new exhibit in the zoo.

"What do you want?" Tess asked.

"Your tower of suitcases is tall…" Genevieve said.

"Uh huh. Sure."

"Each suitcase you add, you wither the horns of spring leaves further and further. He will never tell you, so I will."

"Yes…thank you…"

They heaved through a huge set of double doors, seeing a large shooting range in front of them. Also in the room, were a miniature army of Society of Leopold members, and Bach himself. He loaded his sniper and fired it at them.

Slade narrowed his eyes, "You missed!"

"I knew Johansen would lure the servants of Satan, but I set this trap for the archfiend himself! Where is LaCroix?" He bellowed.

"Screw this, just give us Johansen already!"

"He is under divine protection." Bach insisted, "If you want him, come take him, if you can."

And again, Slade was hit with it. He didn't know if it was how Bach challenged them or not. But he gained the foreboding knowledge that this big mess with LaCroix would end soon. Just as he did in Chinatown at the outskirts of the Fu Syndicate building. He had a feeling it was all going to end. He couldn't believe that the last time he felt this way was when he was dreaming romantically about _Tess_. He knew he was falling into a trap, and that she was nothing but a wretched woman, devoid of feelings for anyone unless they were good-looking enough to her.

Dragomir grunted as a soldier started shooting at him. He turned his attention to them and started firing at them with his shotgun.

Bach growled, "You should have begged for god's mercy! I…will give you none!"

"Miranda, go." Cadmus said lowly, "Let us handle these soldier rejects, you go up there and kill Bach. One dose of Dominate shall do it."

Miranda nodded, arming herself with Fortitude and running up the stairs, while the five of them focused on the hunters. She held out a hand, and a blue glow came out of it.

It did nothing, "Bear witness!" Bach shouted, "Faith, shield me!" He held a cross out, and blinded Miranda, she screamed and fell down the stairs.

"What the hell?" Slade asked, looking at Tess, "I thought crosses didn't do anything to us!"

She seemed shocked, "They…they don't…"

Cadmus grunted as he slashed a soldier down with his axe, "Some of you guys go help Miranda with Bach! The rest of us will stay back here and deal with his flunkeys!"

"Miranda, let me help you take him down, I haven't done enough." Tess ran to Miranda's aid, seeing as Miranda was the only one here to spare her an ounce of kindness.

"Die, Pope!" Genevieve fired her sniper at him, joining the other two ladies in the battle.

Bach growled, but he shook the shot off, seeming to have as much, if not, _more_ resilience than super-naturals. He used the high ground to his advantage, sniping at Genevieve. Tess used her Celerity to dash closer and fire her machine gun at him as she ran. "True Faith, shield me!" Bach brandished his cross to blind Tess, disappearing in the interim.

Tess held an arm over her eyes, then looked around, "Where did he go?"

"I don't see him anywhere!" Miranda said, then she grunted as she was sniped from across the battlefield. She hissed, arming herself with a green glow. She ran at Bach and stabbed him, but he blinded her too and flashed off somewhere.

Tess stayed on top of the stairs, her eyes flashing red so she could find him, "This fighting style is incredibly tedious…" With all the human auras cluttered around, it was a little difficult to find out which one truly _was_ Bach. She could see the three men in the back trying to control the number of hunters, and doing a moderately a good job of it, and she saw Miranda and Genevieve nearby her. But her answers were given to her in the form of a snipe in the chest. The culprit, Bach, started reloading. She grunted as she stumbled back, then began to fire at him as he reloaded.

Miranda followed Tess's line of fire, seeing that she was shooting at Bach, she ran over and stabbed him again, but Bach flashed away. "To hell with this cat and mouse chase…" Miranda growled.

"Leave him be." Genevieve said.

"What?" She turned towards her.

Genevieve cocked her sniper, "Leave him be." She laid down on the ground, aiming the sniper around for Bach and calling on her powers of Auspex for her. She sniped Bach, Bach sniped her back, and the two had a long-range shooting match for a while. Tess held the banister and watched on the balls of her feet, silently hoping he would dash closer to her so her bullets would actually land. Genevieve flinched and whimpered, sure, Bach was taking some damage, but so was she, the bloody holes on her body were beginning to multiply.

Miranda narrowed her eyes. "You need cover." She said, then she remembered something, she stood in front of Genevieve protectively.

"What are you doing?" Genevieve asked, surprised.

"I'm your cover." Miranda grunted, as the sniper bullets went through her.

"But you'll get hurt…"

"It's fine…my…Fortitude…is impressive…I'll have you know…" Miranda closed her eyes, "Sometimes, we have to access our most honed skills in the Camarilla. You have excellent aim. I have excellent defenses. Let us combine the two…"

Genevieve nodded, proceeding to peek out and take shots at Bach from behind Miranda.

Tess was stuck, she felt as though she should go down and help, but if she occupied the stairwell, then Bach wouldn't be able to access as many hiding locations, or good sniping posts. She decided to stay where she was and keep her gun on her in case he tried to pull a fast one.

Miranda bit her lip, doing everything not to fall to one knee and leave Genevieve defenseless. Genevieve narrowed her now red eyes, determined to put this man in his place. "Faith, shield me!" Bach brandished his cross, but instead of nearly blinding his opponents, he was covered in a white mist. It looked strange, to the three Kindred he was fighting, it looked like a holy, religious sort of Fortitude. Whatever it was doing, it was making Genevieve's attacks practically useless, while the same couldn't be said for the battered Miranda.

Tess growled, seeming to have enough of this. She flared up Celerity and ran forward to clock him in the head with the barrel of her gun in a fashion Dragomir would be caught performing. With her speed, she was able to get a hit off, but it didn't seem to do a thing to him. Bach frowned at her and drew a katana out, in hilarious, slow motion. Tess stepped back out of the way and aimed her gun for his back, firing away. Bach flinched, again, his voice was distorted to almost funny proportions in slow motion, as the bullets riddled his back. The white mist faded around him and Tess's super-speed shots were beginning to draw blood.

She smiled and tried to crack him in the head again with the gun. He stumbled back, then he was sniped by Genevieve, without his holy mist protecting him, he was taking massive damage. In slow motion, he began to reach for another weapon. She stepped back out of the way and stood alongside the other girls, deactivating Celerity as she tried to figure out how to reload her gun.

Miranda dashed towards Bach, but this only resulted in her being blinded again. Miranda rubbed at her dark eyes, blinking away tears, "There he is…" She ran at him, tackling him over and trying to wrestle his arms back so he couldn't grab his cross, "Shoot at him!" Miranda screeched, "I've got him! You two need to shoot at him!" Tess quickly got her gun back into her arms and started firing at his chest with whatever bullets she had left, Genevieve gave a hoot and hollering scream and started firing as well.

Miranda cackled darkly, the beast was in her eyes tonight, "This is your last night…Bach…your final night…"

Bach thrashed about, almost free from Miranda's grip, "Who are you, servant of Satan?"

"Oh, you mean you don't remember me?" Miranda smiled, "Well, perhaps this will give you a bit of a better impression." She held her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade high with one hand, grabbing his ponytail with the other. She drove his blade towards his head, but he was struggling so much, that she inadvertently scalped him. Revolted, she tossed the fragment of his head away, finishing him off in a flurry of strikes that a true swordsman would look upon in awe.

Cadmus panted, regrouping with them along with Slade and Dragomir, "Well, the hunters are all dead…" He said, "Jeez…I'm gonna be sore tomorrow…" He thought about it, "Well…I'd be sorer if I was a human, I guess. Huh…I see Bach is in a few pieces all over the place…"

"Yes, I think our friend Bach is going to be a little sorer than you are…" Dragomir muttered.

Miranda looked down at all the blood on herself, the ground, and on her sword, "Yes…well…" She said, trying to look composed after nearly frenzying all over the place, "Johansen should be nearby…we should find him as soon as possible…"

* * *

 **A/N:** I can't be the only one who thinks Johansen's adorable, right? XD Thanks for reading, let us know what you think!


	91. Chapter 91

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-one! Lots of Camarilla business going on, and a bit of interaction with the Prince himself. Let's see how his sanity is…heh, heh. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Cadmus put his axe away, "Alright, I'm hoping Johansen is inside this little room somewhere…" He said, then he smiled and elbowed Miranda, "Hey, hey, how's it feel killing the asshole who trapped you in a cage all your life, huh?" He asked, when Miranda coldly ignored him and walked past him, he blinked and swallowed hard, "Jeez…sorry…"

"I smell the little box-digger in here." Dragomir said as he pushed the door open and walked in, wanting to really get away from any sort of lingering emotions that people were drenched in, "Greetings."

"I told you everything! There's no reason for you to keep me here…let me go!" Johansen begged, a man of relatively tiny stature, in nothing but a robe and slippers. Beckett really _wasn't_ kidding when he said the Society of Leopold up and stole him from his hotel room.

"You Doctor Johansen?" Cadmus asked.

"I am an archaeologist! You can't hold me here like this, I am a hostage! I do not need protection! Bring me back to my hotel at once!" He demanded.

"We're not…we're not a part of them." Slade assured, "We're here to help."

"Why are they doing all of this?" Johansen asked nervously, "They're all madmen…going on about protection…and an ancient evil inside the sarcophagus…"

"We just have a few questions. It won't take long."

"Ja, ja, okay…anything, just get me out of this cavern and away from these crazies. I think I'm starting to get pneumonia." He coughed.

Tess looked a little worried for him, "We'll help you out of here as soon as possible, dear, don't worry. So…the Ankaran Sarcophagus, we were told you discovered it…what do you know about it?"

"The sarcophagus?" Johansen blinked a few times, "You went through all that trouble for the sarcophagus? Ja, I'll tell you, but, don't you think it would be better to get out of here before those men come back?" He whispered the last bit.

"Yeah, they're all dead." Cadmus said.

"I guess if you can get all the way here, you deserve the answers…but can I make one request first? After I answer your questions, you help me escape."

"Of course." Dragomir said, "Not a problem at all. I'll give you a piggy-back ride."

"Uh…alright…where should I begin?" Johansen asked.

"Tell us what you know about the sarcophagus." Miranda said.

"Let's start with the history of the Ankaran Sarcophagus. That is a long and interesting legend, lost and found throughout the ages. Tell me, are you familiar with the Assyrians?"

There was a pause. Tess and Dragomir exchanged a glance, the former looking embarrassed. "Vaguely." Tess said modestly.

Johansen smiled briefly and continued, "Well, the Assyrians lived in Mesopotamia, a region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Most of this territory is now modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria." He said, "They were warmongers, conquerors, a people driven to expand by their kings. Even before the Romans, they migrated their conquered people to the territories to stem revolt, but, uh…I'm afraid I'm getting off the subject."

"It's alright. Please, continue." Miranda said.

"Uh, ja, ja, well, the markings on the sarcophagus seem to hint that is from some time between ten-fifty and eight-hundred B.C., which was a period of fierce expansion by the Assyrians. Oddly, for those years, only one king shows up on the historical record." Johansen said.

"One king?" Cadmus asked, "For two-hundred years?"

"While most likely he wiped all evidence of his predecessor's existence or passed the name to his heirs, one monarch, Messerach, the one-eyed king, is given credit for the territory and achievements of this time. But he would have had to have been over two-hundred and fifty years old! Like…uh…Dracula or something."

Tess stood back, looking uncomfortably shocked. Dragomir adjusted his jacket, "So, if the man was that aged, he was surely valuable…valuable enough to be put into a sarcophagus?"

Johansen nodded, "I find it hard to believe that a sarcophagus with a person as important as Messerach could remain in…oh, what is the word? Pristine…or intact condition for so many years, but this is who is believed to be contained within."

"And you're sure it's him?" Cadmus asked.

"An educated guess." He said slowly, "Maybe you have not yet heard…it was stolen from the museum before we had a chance to open it. Usually, we use equipment to carbon-date, X-ray, and take air samples before we pry open the lid…"

A few of them shifted uncomfortably as they recalled that Gary was the one who had to do with that.

"Where did you find the sarcophagus?" Miranda asked.

"Uh…that is…you see…in archeology, one can spend years looking for a dig site. Following local rumors…studying old maps…it's a complicated process, very boring."

"But where is the dig site in which you found the sarcophagus?"

"Finding and organizing a dig is the least interesting part of an archeologist's job. Trust me, you don't want to hear about it."

"Liar!" Genevieve shrieked, far too loud to for a normal conversation, especially in the tiny room they were in.

Johansen cowered, "I don't know what would make you believe that. I have been very forthcoming with you so far. I think that maybe you are not as familiar with the process as me…"

Dragomir gently rubbed one of Genevieve's shoulders, a bit spooked himself, "I assure you, good sir, we aren't going to harm you if you tell us the truth."

"Yeah, listen…our friend sort of has a sixth sense about when someone is lying…so you might as well fess up." Cadmus said.

"Okay…I'll tell you, ja…I was not even aware of the sarcophagus's existence until I received a package, with no reply address, in the mail." Johansen said, "Inside was the information on how to find it and the key…I…it was a very…spooky occurrence. Please do not tell anyone, or else I would be ruined."

"I see." Miranda said, "Why did you compare him to a vampire, Messerach, I mean?"

"You know, it is interesting that you ask me that. The goddess on the outside of the sarcophagus was Lamastu. In Assyrian myth, Lamastu was an evil demoness who preyed on humans. Many people cite her as the mother of vampire myth, and…" Johansen said.

"And?" Slade asked.

"The engravings on, and found around the sarcophagus portray a regal figure drinking the blood of his enemies. Now, this image is found in many cultures, specifically among those of royal lineage…but there is a quite scientific explanation."

"Drinking the blood of his enemies?" Cadmus asked, "What's the scientific explanation for that?"

"A disorder known as porphyria. In short, it is caused by a deficiency of the iron in the blood, and in many cultures, for the nobility that could conceivably get away with the cure, the treatment was to…drink human blood."

"Shit…that's some creepy stuff…"

"Drinking the blood of your enemies is, if nothing else, symbolic. It can inspire fear in your foes and dissidents. Don't misunderstand me, I in no way believe it was a vampire. Vampires…that's what caused this whole mess…these maniacs believe they exist!"

Tess chuckled, "Seems their religion prohibits the existence of history…so…about opening it…"

"Ah! Quite interesting. There is a surprisingly complex mechanical lock on the face of the sarcophagus. By sheer luck, we were able to find the key not far from the sarcophagus. Why no one ever found it and robbed it…it's perplexing."

"A key…that makes a lot of sense." She said, "Do you have it?"

"Yes, in the pocket of his robe. He carries it around everywhere." Dragomir rolled his eyes, "Where have you last seen it?"

"How strange you would ask. I haven't seen the key since it was loaded into the Elizabeth Dane in Turkey. It was stolen before the sarcophagus, even! I am still hopeful that the police find both pieces before the contents can be disturbed." Johansen said.

"Maybe we can find another copy of it somewhere." Slade said.

"No…it's not the kind of key you can copy at the hardware store. It's actually very sophisticated and I meant to study it at the museum." He said, "I answered all your questions. Do you think, now, you could please get me out of here? I don't care who you are or why you've had so many questions about the sarcophagus…I just want to leave this place."

"Of course." Dragomir said, "I believe there is a boat outside we were planning on catching, you may come with us. Land us in Santa Monica."

"Thank you, my friends." Johansen smiled, "I don't know where you came from, but I'll never forget this kindness."

"Alright, let's get the hell outta here." Cadmus said, opening the door to leave.

The scalp-less, mortally wounded Bach crawled up the stairs, with his dying words, he said, "Your…time…of…judgement…is…here!" He pressed a button on a little control stick he had, setting off a detonator throughout the encampment.

"Shit! Go, get out of here! Everyone run!" Cadmus yelled.

Tess's gut instinct kicked in, she scooped up Johansen with her superhuman strength and ran for the boat with Celerity. Dragomir held Genevieve's hand in one of his, and Slade's in the other, though Slade was considerably faster, and the Ventrue pair carried up the rear. They quickly mounted the boat, and left the base.

* * *

After dropping Johansen off, the six of the Kindred were surprised to see wreckage and police cars outside Venture Tower, and even more shocked to see blood within it. As well as the absence of a particularly bumbling, yet, lovable policeman.

"Chunk?" Cadmus blinked as he looked around.

"What…what happened here, we were attacked?" Miranda asked.

"Did…did they get Chunk?" Cadmus asked.

"Who would do such a thing?"

"Aw…I think I'm gonna miss Chunk…"

"Would it be the Anarchs?" Slade asked.

"I doubt it…" Cadmus said, feeling the bloody claw marks on the walls, "This is a little extreme, even for _them_." He said, "Unless they were fed up with me teasing 'em for not doing anything."

"I smell the Sabbath children…" Dragomir mused.

"The Sword of Caine." Genevieve nodded in agreement.

Cadmus blinked a few times, "Uh…right…let's go up and see LaCroix…maybe we'll be lucky and he'll be dead or something…"

Upstairs, were LaCroix and his Sheriff, as well as Beckett still standing near the sarcophagus, as if nothing had happened.

Well, besides the scowl on LaCroix's face.

"With whom do they think they're dealing…" He spoke as soon as they all flooded in, clearly frustrated, before he started laughing, smiling, shaking his head, "Attacking me in my own building!? They're desperate…utterly, pathetically desperate!" He stood up and paced away from his desk, sliding his fingers through his hair and gazing out the window, his feet snapping together in a vaguely soldier-like fashion, "They've shown their weakness. Displayed their blueprints on my desk…" He mused, "A last ditch attempt to steal the prize…" He snickered and faced them again, "What an amusement, hmm?"

Dragomir snickered a bit, "And they called _us_ the loonies…" He elbowed his girlfriend.

"From where did that mess originate?" Miranda asked, as Cadmus took his one-kneed bow.

"More direct than the Anarchs, yet less mysterious than the Kuei-Jin." He paced closer towards them and faced the group, "Cheap pistols seems to be the most they could muster. Two of them managed to make it a few stories up, but I took care of them." He said, his eyes meeting Miranda's before he looked to the others, "The Sheriff, of course, took care of the rest in the lobby. Sabbat…filth…"

"Why would they attack?" Tess asked with concern.

He chuckled lowly and briefly, "What else have Kindred been scrambling about for recently? The Ankaran Sarcophagus. They've been pining after it in hopes that a sleeping ancient resides inside…Ugh, diablerists!" He threw hand in the air, pacing around again.

"Takes one to know one, hmm?" Dragomir snickered to his girlfriend. Genevieve giggled back and kissed his cheek.

"The Sabbat are diablerists…sir?" Slade asked.

"Yes, that's right." LaCroix said, facing Slade, "The Sabbat's numbers are due thanks only to their innate _talent_ for diablerie, which I'm sure you've learned of by now." He faced the floor, "The act is punishable by death in the Camarilla." He moved away and faced his desk, tapping a stack of papers together before he said, "The events that took place tonight have been manipulated to appear as a terrorist attack to the eyes of kine. They may not strike a chance of obtaining the sarcophagus, but the threat to the Masquerade is a concern to us all." He faced them again, "As a reliable and resourceful group of faithful members to my Camarilla, I trust you can anticipate my next act." He looked mostly at Cadmus.

While Slade, meanwhile, would have felt beads of sweat running down his face, if he could still sweat, Cadmus gave a small, confident smile, "Kill the Sabbat. You don't have to ask me twice."

LaCroix gave a laugh that almost seemed like he'd lose control, but he quickly truncated it, "Yes, wonderful. Excellent." He stifled another chuckle, "This has been going on long enough. They've made their haven right under our noses, at the Hallowbrook hotel. I'd recommend killing them all, but I'm sure if you kill their leader, the rest will…flitter out into obscurity." He said, before he smirked at Cadmus, "The Sabbat will be no more in Los Angeles." There was a slight pause in the air before he looked up at Miranda, "Beckett tells me you've visited the Society of Leopold…what discoveries have you made about opening my sarcophagus?"

"That missing crate from the Dane we spoke about months ago…" Miranda said, "It is the key to opening the sarcophagus."

"As I had thought." He said, "Where is it? Who has it?" He asked quickly, his eyes flickering from person to person.

Dragomir held his hands up like he was arrested, "Last cited on the Dane."

LaCroix turned away and sighed deeply through his nose.

"Unfortunately…" Miranda started, "We have not been able to pinpoint _where_ exactly the key is yet…there were a few…excitements during our missions, aside from rescuing Johansen and killing Bach…we have yet to make the headway desired."

"Yes, of course…well, I had plans to—" He turned suddenly towards her, "Killing Bach? _Grunfeld_ Bach?"

She gave a slow nod, "I doubt the Inquisition district in this state will make a full, or at the very least fast recovery out of it."

"Not only did you infiltrate the Society of Leopold, but you managed to kill their greatest hunter!" He smiled at her, "You are certainly developing a legend for yourself, Miranda. Superb. A toast to you…" He moved his gaze away from hers, recalling that there were indeed others in the room. He faced Cadmus, "And to our soon-to-be-victory over the Sabbat." He smiled at Miranda again, "And to Bach, may all his progeny meet such fates."

"It's like high school all over again…" Dragomir muttered.

"We will finish them off as quickly as we can." Miranda gave a small bow.

"Now that I know where the Sabbat reside, they will all die by my blade." Cadmus said.

"Very well. I wish you the best of—" LaCroix's phone started ringing, he turned, "Excuse me." He answered his phone, sitting at his desk, it seemed whoever was on the line was granted a full conversation.

Dragomir looked around with boredom, then approached Beckett, "Hello, my honorable archeologist."

"Greetings." He nodded back, "You can always count on the Sabbat to do the wrong things, for the right reasons. They're reckless, but they don't normally try to attract this much attention. This carelessness warrants observation…I hope it doesn't become pandemic."

Slade blinked a few times, " _Right_ reasons? I…I have yet to be told that the Sabbat were ever right about something."

"The Sabbat's goal is to stop Gehenna, which is very similar to my own, though they choose to do so through more violent, fanatic and flamboyant methods. The Camarilla on the other hand, suspends belief entirely…or so goes the party line."

"So…what are you, anyway?" Cadmus asked, "Camarilla, Sabbat, Anarch?"

"What I am is Kindred. How others choose to categorize themselves concerns me only where local customs are concerned. Individualism is a path fraught with obstacles, and sometimes angry mobs, but for all its hardships it is the only one worth taking."

"I see." Cadmus nodded, "I guess we'll be off to go kill them."

"Well, perhaps for this pack, it's for the best." Beckett said, "So, what did Johansen have to say?"

"He said that there was an ancient key to the sarcophagus that cannot be reproduced." Miranda said.

"The lock and key. An invention as ancient as greed. I should have guessed. All we have to do is find a victor in this nonsense…they'll be the one with the key."

Genevieve poked her head past some of them, "Did…did you know, TNT and key have the same amount of letters?"

Beckett raised a brow, "Oh, yes, why didn't I think of that? A priceless, amazing piece of history, shattered into pieces. Sounds like a great idea."

Dragomir's eyes landed on Genevieve's for a moment, his eyes widened, "Oh…."

"Well…anyhow, Johansen mentioned that the sarcophagus was of Assyrian origin…he presumed a king by the name of Messerach could be inside." Tess said.  
"Assyrian origin…" Beckett mused, "Glad to see I'm not losing my touch. As for Messerach, I'll have to research that name, see what I can find."

"What do you know about Lamastu?" Cadmus said, "Johansen mentioned her too."

"Lamastu? She was a Lilith figure. They represent empowered women and the threat of such women to male-dominated society. Strange she would be engraved on a king's tomb."

"Yes…that is rather…peculiar…" Miranda said.

"It seems to corroborate my own evidence. I'm going to have to study it a little more, maybe dig up some information on Messerach and the Lamastu myth. I'm certain the key will show up in time. Your information is appreciated."

"Of course." Miranda gave a bow, "Now it's time for us to deal with the Sabbat…who…foolishly decided to attack so openly."

"Well, someone's misled them into believing there's an Antediluvian in this very room. They, and I suspect most Kindred in this city, would love to sink their stakes or teeth into its imagined occupant, if indeed rocketing it to the moon was out of the questions."

Dragomir had a good laugh, "Oh, you're a sly wolf, aren't you?"

LaCroix hung up the phone and seemed just fine with interrupting the conversation, "Who is this?" He motioned to Genevieve.

Dragomir turned to LaCroix, "Hmm? My solace? My solace. She is my solace."

LaCroix raised a brow, "I don't recognize you." He said to Genevieve.

Genevieve blinked a few times, "Beware Obsidian Thunder. And Blood Frost. And Teary Rivers. And fire." With each addendum to her prediction, her head swayed back and forth.

"…yes…" He adjusted his tie, "Right. An ally of yours, I see. Camarilla?" He looked at Miranda, then swatted a hand, "So long as she's no emissary, but I trust your judgement. I anticipate hearing of the Sabbat's departure, as well as the procurement of the key." He smiled, "I wish you the best luck."

* * *

"Yeah, we'll keep in touch. See ya round." Mercurio slammed the trunk closed as the car drove off and beeped twice. He grabbed the suitcases on the ground and lifted them up, thankful he had that extra boost of ghoul strength to even be able to carry so many.

He was on his way to his room before he heard a voice in the alleyway, "Mercury man."

He jumped a bit and turned, "Hey, I remember you. You were dat kid who couldn't pay, right? Slade's buddy?"

"Yes, that's right." Dragomir removed himself from the shadows, "Let's talk inside. I don't like to be seen in these streets."

"Uh…yeah, sure." Mercurio brought him inside, dropping the pile of suitcases down on the couch, "Can't wait to unload those." He muttered to himself before he turned to Dragomir, "What can I get ya?"

"Ammunition."

"Alright, lemme get it out." He said as he flipped through suitcases and handed him one, "This one's got the most of it. Take what you need…unless you ain't payin'."

"No, I've acquired some good lettuce since then." He said as he flipped through cases, "So your step-father. He has another step-child, doesn't he?"

"…who, LaCroix?"

"Yes."

"Yeah…he's got Harper. Doesn't sell nothin'…she's kinda more of a secretary…detective kinda deal."

"She's got a big heart, doesn't she?" He sat at the table and sorted through boxes of ammunition.

"What…?" Mercurio took out his wallet, "I…I guess…"

"I haven't been in the Camarilla long. But I have met her, recently, too. She's gone now."

"Gone…?"

"Yes, that's right. Two more weeks and then she'll roll."

"…wait, what?"

"Here's the money." Dragomir handed him a few bills, "Thanks for everything, good sir."

"Wait, wait, what was that about Harper?"

"Maybe you should ask her. Don't be shy, either. She's your woman-mirror." He left.

Mercurio sat back as Dragomir gently closed the door. He shook his head and started sorting through the suitcases. LaCroix always told him to ignore the words of Malkavians, especially when they talked poorly of the Camarilla, or of himself.

But…in two weeks, she would roll? That really only meant one thing. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number, "Harper? Yeah, wanna talk to you 'bout somethin'. I need ya to come over A-S-A-P."

* * *

"I don't have much time." Harper stood before him. Both of them stood in Mercurio's kitchen, the sound of the TV running in the other room.

"I don't care. What the hell is this I hear about you quitting?" Mercurio leaned against the counter.

"Oh, so he's spread the word already. Remarkable." Her face was an emotionless slate, her eyes jaded as ever.

"He didn't tell me a thing." Mercurio was clearly upset, "What the hell are you doing? You realize he's gonna kill ya, right?"

"Yes, that would be the end goal."

"What the hell happened?"

"He killed my father."

"What? He…he did?"

"Want me to tell you what else he did?" She asked, "I'm craving some tea, though, make me a cup?"

"How the hell did he kill your old man?"

"Replaced his blood bags with a different type. Or, call the nurses and wire them lots of money to replace the blood bags with a different type."

"Jesus Christ…"

"I'm sure he's done much worse and gotten away with it. I could gather evidence, if I wanted to, but I'm spending my last two weeks of life doing his work. I don't need the money, I don't need the experience, I just…have nothing better to do."

"…you're just…gonna give up dat easy?"

"What else do I have to live for?" She asked softly, "I have no one in my life who gives a damn about me. He was the last person I knew. He was my last connection to life, and LaCroix took him away from me." Her eyes started watering, "Excuse me…" She looked away.

"Yeah, and what about me?"

"What about you?" She asked, "You're just another one of his ghouls! Another blood tool for him to get work done…that's what we all are…even his Kindred subordinates, they're all tools for him…"

"Yeah, so what if I am? I still care about you."

She looked up at him, "Why?"

"Because…you're a nice girl. You never did nothing wrong. Well…alright, you might have done _some_ stuff wrong, like…get wasted every other day, eh, but that's different. You're worth a lot…and I'm pissed at you for jus' givin' it up like this. It ain't like you."

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "Well, what do you want me to do?" She asked, "If you lost everything—"

"I _did_ lose everything! Alright? God, you're such a fuckin' drama queen!" He threw his hands in the air, "You think anyone here's livin' da good life? I lost everyone too, Harper, but you just gotta move on. You can't just kill yourself, what the hell! And now it's too late, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly, wiping a tear away, "He marked the date."

"Goddamn…you know what? Fine. Fine, let him write it in stone, if he wants. But that don't mean a damn thing. No, so help me, I'll keep you alive."

"What? Why…?" Her shoulders fell.

"Cuz I see somethin' in you." He looked away, his mind clearly running faster than it had in a while, "You piss me off sometimes, and you drink all my good booze, but there's something in ya, I'm not gonna sit around and watch it die." He paced into the living room, "So he really killed your dad."

Harper followed him into the living room, watching him pace about and swipe the hair out of his face, "Yes…" She said softly.

"You got evidence?"

"I typed it up."

"You wrote a report?"

"Yes…"

He snickered and shook his head, "Alright, great. Where?"

"You'd have to ask him…he has it…"

"Damn…he's not gonna let me get near it. Alright, fine, we can work around that." He sat on his couch, "Dammit, Harper, you got me walkin' on eggshells now. I don't wanna get axed, but I'm not gonna let you get axed neither. Nothin's gonna happen to you, so help me."

"But why?"

There was a pause, then he shook his head, "I dunno. Cause. I care. Dat's all you need to know."

"So there's another reason?" She asked.

"Sure, whatever." He stood up and paced again, "We gotta make him call off this execution. Cuz even if I hide you in the floorboards, he'll find a way to make it happen. What if we put dis information out in the air? Gave it to someone above LaCroix?"

"Like we have access to someone above him?" Harper asked, then she sighed, "Besides, there's…nothing inherently wrong with what he did…he killed a human…an old one at that…big deal. They'd probably charge him few thousand and give him a slap on the wrist."

"Dammit…well, you said he did other stuff. Like what. What else did he do?"

"I don't have documentations on it…" She said, her eyes nervous. She'd never seen Mercurio so passionate about something, so _terrified_.

"Well, what do you think he did? We'll get there, we got two weeks."

"Ten days."

"Whatever!"

"I think he's keeping the sarcophagus so he can diablerize whatever's inside."

"…yeah, that's not gonna work neither. What else?"

"I…I-I can't think of anything off the top of my head…" She stammered.

He chewed his tongue, then stood up and went into his bedroom. Harper sat up and watched him, then as he returned, he brought in a laptop. He set it down in front of her, "Here. Type up a list 'a everything you can think of."

She swallowed hard and faced the blank computer screen. Nothing was really more intimidating, until, that is, she started the list.

* * *

Mercurio was burning the candle at both ends trying to whip an email that could incriminate LaCroix with Harper's notes, when he heard probably the loudest knock he's ever heard in history on his door.

The temperature his blood dropped made him feel like a reptile. He shut his laptop and hid it under the couch cushion, grabbing a particularly nice pistol from his belt and cracking the door open, "Cadmus…what can I get for ya?"

Of course, Cadmus's naturally evil looking face didn't help the impression he was trying to cast. Nor did the solid steel suitcase in one of his hands, which looked as if it at least weighed twenty pounds, "Mercurio." He greeted, "You'll have to forgive me. The last I saw you was when those assholes leveled you at the beach house. I'll tell you again how much I enjoyed killing them."

"Heh, heh, yeah, right, glad to hear it." He said, still a bit jittery, "So, uh…what can I get for ya? You wanna come in? Investigate or somethin'?"

"Yeah, something like that. You mind if I come in? Five minutes. I know how busy you are."

"Yeah…" Mercurio let him in, cocking the gun but still holding it to the floor.

Cadmus took a step or two in, "I heard you have a flamethrower on your hands."

Mercurio raised a brow, "Yeah…?"

"I'd like to purchase it, if it's possible."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded, giving a small smile, "What do you say?"

"The hell you need that for?" Mercurio asked, thinking it was beyond overkill to use a flamethrower on a ghoul in his own room that had evidence lying around.

"You know what I need it for."

"So…so what, you come to _me_? You get a hit called, you go to the guy's house, buy his merchandise and kill 'im wit it? You think I'm stupid? You're jus' gonna take it, ain'tcha? I wasn't born yesterday, sweetheart." He wasn't so shy about hiding the gun anymore.

He took a slight sigh, "Look…I thought you'd be this way." He lightly slammed the suitcase on the table, undoing the latches and opening the case so it was facing Mercurio. The inside was piled with so many hundred-dollar bills it was absolutely absurd, he probably had a fifth of the country's economy in there, "Give me a flamethrower and I'll let you have all of this."

Mercurio's gun fell away from Cadmus's chest, "…alright, what the fuck's goin' on around here?"

"If you need more…I'll do what I can to get my hands on it."

"…you ain't here to kill me?"

"No…I saved your ass…why would I just turn around and kill you?"

He laughed a bit and held his forehead, putting the gun back in his pocket, "Jesus. You want the flamethrower, eh? Yeah, yeah, sure…it…it ain't _that_ much." He pointed to the suitcase and went in his room to bring out the huge death machine, "Only five hundred. Gonna need some fuel."

"You sure you don't want all this?"

"I mean…LaCroix's gonna stop payin' me soon, but…I don' think I'm gonna need _this_ much…you should keep it. It's yours, don' know why you wanna go blow it on _me_. Buy yourself somethin' nice. Get your girl something, I dunno. I'll manage."

"Uh…" He paused out of embarrassment, how the hell did he know about Angelique? "Uh…right, thanks Mercurio." He smiled, "We'll see each other again."

"Uh huh." Mercurio gave him some extra tanks of fuel and took the appropriate cash, "See ya 'round. Watch my back, and I'll watch yours."

Cadmus grinned like a child as he grabbed the flamethrower and got a feel for it. Caesar's days were certainly numbered.

* * *

 **A/N:** Look at that, the end of the game is coming up. Let's see how our many heroes tackle it! Thanks for reading, until next time!


	92. Chapter 92

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-two! This…this is a long one. Not gonna say too much. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

On a completely opposite level of the Society of Leopold, the Hallowbrook hotel was dark, dilapidated, and disgusting. Flies were buzzing around pieces of trash, and every few seconds there was a sound of flesh moving in an unnatural way against its will. The smell alone could be responsible for fainting people on contact.

"Well…" Victor grimaced, he had since rotated back into his spot to give Genevieve a break, "I expected it to be bad…but…"

Miranda nodded, an arm over her nose, "Shoes….would've been a wise course of action…"

"Do you want mine?" Dragomir asked, "They might be a little big."

"No, please god no, do not take your shoes off. That will make the place smell worse…" Tess said through her sleeve.

Dragomir laughed, "You're not right about much, but that much is true."

"Oh, god…is this entire place going to smell like this?" Slade asked.

Cadmus, on the other hand, looked as if Christmas came early, "Alright, let's get to work to kill these little shits." He smiled.

"Any orders, sir?" Dragomir looked over towards Cadmus.

"I don't know." Cadmus said, "Start killing stuff, I guess." He said. Once they rounded a bed, a man in a hoodie growled like a feral beast, running at Cadmus with a knife. He took his axe out and bisected the man at the torso, "Jeez…startled me there…" He said as the two pieces of ghoul flew across the room, spewing blood, "Hey…wait…he didn't disintegrate! He's a ghoul! Aw, man, they have ghouls here…it's like they're handing us free blood…"

Slade didn't look too keen on feeding from any ghoul from the Sabbat. They looked and acted as monstrous as the Sabbat vampires themselves. He didn't have much time to think about it, however, as they were hit by strong firepower from all sides. Most of them seemed to even think ahead and use some of the wreckage as cover for their shots. In terms of the gunslingers, shotguns and the highest grade machine guns were being used.

Not only that, but this again was a departure from the Society of Leopold, as these vampires were in top form with their Disciplines. The gun-slingers were using Celerity, so they could hardly be hit, and the frenzied front-liners had the lightning of Potence on them.

Dragomir found himself swarmed in Gangrel and Brujah, so by quickly lighting up Potence, he smashed his fists into their chests and sent them away shortly, deactivating it before anyone would notices, "I like this." He said before he was shot in the head and knocked to the floor.

Tess kept her machine gun on her and aimed for the people with guns, figuring people like Slade and Cadmus would easily manage the others using melee.

"Damn it…" Slade flinched, taking a Potence-fueled claw to the face, "These guys are a shit-ton hardier than the humans!" Sure enough, the two vampires that Dragomir punched back with Potence peeled themselves off the ground and looked as if they had a lot of fight left in them.

Victor narrowed his eyes, first applying a Blood Shield, and then letting out a Purge or two to stop some of the nearby vampires. Dragomir really struggled to keep them back with his fists, then got out his shotgun and started whacking people with it, firing if they were far enough.

Victor looked back and began to assist Dragomir, seeing as he needed help the most, he started firing at the vampires with his Colt.

Slade panted after he killed a vampire or two, then he jaw dropped, "What the fuck is that thing?" He asked, pointing to a Gangrel in war form.

"Shit…it's a Gangrel…let me take care of him!" Cadmus said, dueling the creature with his axe.

Dragomir panted a bit, despite the fact that it was unneeded, "Thank you, magic-man." He looked towards the Gangrel and fired at its face. The Gangrel flinched, it seemed that in its war form, it barely felt a thin. Nonetheless, it provided a distraction for Cadmus, as he slammed his axe into the beast a few times.

Dragomir was clocked in the back by a green mist, which smelled awfully familiar to him. Slade's eyes widened, as they all saw the big, hideous flesh-creation that they got to know so well in the warrens, "No…god damn no…you gotta be kidding me…! We did our time down there, we…we can't…it can't be…"

Miranda was making short work of the enemy vampires with her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade, so she retreated back to fight the huge monster. Dragomir stayed back with Miranda, really feeling like a burden to the group. He grabbed his gun and kept firing at the huge monster, hoping he was doing something.

Cadmus's shoulders heaved with exhaustion, he looked back, "Guys, there're three ghouls back there! If you need blood, then drain them!"

Miranda nodded, once the Tzimisce flesh-creation was killed, she went over and fed on one of the ghouls.

These ghouls weren't as defenseless as the first one Cadmus destroyed, as Slade was about to learn the hard way. He was shot three times by a shotgun, grimacing each time, but he eventually grabbed onto the ghoul and drained him.

Dragomir lumbered over and grabbed the last ghoul, as he fought back, Dragomir quickly sunk his fangs in and started drinking, thankful the Sabbat were kind enough to leave them gifts.

"Alright…" Cadmus said, seeing how quiet it was now, "This floor's clear."

"This _floor_ …?" Slade asked, "Oh god…here we go again…" He sighed. Cadmus shrugged, grabbing a blood pack from his jacket and sucking it down, even though there were Sabbat ghouls a-plenty, Cadmus still hated to feed.

Dragomir adjusted his jacket, pulling a bullet from his temple, "Likely to be more…challenging. Everyone has enough ammunition?"

The six of them exchanged a glance, figuring now they'd be as ready as ever, "Caesar's at the bottom of this damn thing, we all know that. I'm not leaving until he's dead." Cadmus said.

As they progressed further and further down the hotel, Miranda looked at Cadmus, "What is that…bulge…in your jacket?"

"Nothing." She raised a brow. He sighed, "Jeez…it's a flamethrower, alright?"

"A flamethrower?" She looked surprised, those sorts of weapons weren't exactly common.

"Yeah, I got it from Mercurio." He said, "Like I said, I'm killing Caesar tonight, failure is not an option."

"Mercurio." Dragomir said, "How was he?"

"Uh…fine…" Cadmus said slowly. Honestly, he felt horrible for Mercurio. If he just prefaced his entire statement with 'I need this to kill Caesar' it would have saved both of them a lot of heartache. He seemed like a pretty nice guy too, despite being the Prince's ghoul, like Harper. He had a connection to both the Prince's ghouls, and he knew they both didn't really like their master too much, despite the blood bond.

Then there was the thing Genevieve told LaCroix. The _first_ thing she said was, Obsidian Thunder, which he knew was his name, at least to her. So that meant that he was going to do something with LaCroix at some point, nothing good by the sounds of the other words she said, like fire, tears, blood. One could argue that Cadmus was giving the ramblings of Genevieve a bit too much credit, but honestly, anyone who ignored her clairvoyance at this point was incredibly stupid.

Tess reloaded her gun and brushed her hair out of her face, "Everyone ready?"

Cadmus opened a door, (well, not really, the door sort of fell apart the second he touched it), "Uh…guys…I found something…" It was a dirty, eyeless, person, completely drenched in blood, and huddled over in fear.

"Ah." Victor smiled, "This is where the Sabbat get their blood from."

"We…we need to let him go…" Tess said.

Dragomir chuckled softly, "No…no, he's dead. He was dead the second he stepped in. Just like my father's adopted children."

Victor picked the man up, draining him dry and leaving him, "Ah, good…I used a lot of blood on the previous floor…"

"Good, good." Dragomir said, then he paused, "You have the Tzimisce snail, yes?"

"That's correct." Victor smiled.

"Good. Take care of it then, this place…this place will fill your snail."

"It's been filled for quite some time." He chuckled.

A feral hiss was heard as a ghoul ran their way, Cadmus, once again, easily dispatched it in a single blow. But of course, as usual, it didn't end there, shotguns were going off at a rate that firework launchers would be jealous of, as many Sabbat vampires armed with Celerity buzzed around them like fleas to kill them with repeated shotgun blasts.

Dragomir picked up his shotgun again and started firing at the Kindred with shotguns, much like an old fashioned gunfight. Dragomir laughed, "Oh, give me five minutes, will you?" He put his gun down and got shot a few times as he reloaded, "I have to reload my musket."

Victor tried to stop as many of them as he could with Purge, while the rest of them provided cover for Dragomir as he reloaded. Slade coughed up blood as he was swatted around by a vampire with Potence, "Screw this…" He began to use Celerity himself, both to kill the vampire he was opposing, as well as the many who were wielding shotguns.

Miranda's eyes widened as a Gangrel in its war form began to gallop after her, she tried to fend it off herself, looking a little nervous in doing so. Cadmus ran to her aid, and the two Ventrue beat the Gangrel back.

Tess sighed as her machine gun started getting lighter, her pockets as well. Her mind was racing, wondering what she was going to do if she really ran out.

Victor saw the group struggling, so he let out another bout of Purge and shot at the stragglers, rendering them to ash. As with everyone else, Miranda looked exhausted, "Perhaps next time you should give them a quick spray with your flamethrower, Cadmus…"

"Pfft, I'm not wasting this on these bumble-fuck nobody vampires we've never seen before." Cadmus said, "This is for Caesar only. The ammo's too rare and precious, and I doubt Mercurio will be getting another one in anytime soon."

"We'll survive…" Dragomir put his gun on his back, fed-up with the time it took to reload, and the bullets lodged everywhere on his body, "I'll take out my heavy artillery…" He took out a machine gun.

Slade smiled, "That Genevieve's?"

"Yes…she's very nice, let's me use her fancy boomsticks. I paid for the ammunition, at least."

Cadmus's eyes shrunk, as he entered the next room, as he recognized the three men before them quite well, they dressed in all black, and even their _eyes_ were black. "Shit, guys, look out, these are LaSombra!" He yelled as he drew an axe and covered himself in a green mix.

"What are LaSombra?" Slade asked pulling out his swords.

Cadmus pointed at them, they gained both blue lightning of Potence and the shadowy powers of Obtenebration, "Caesar's clan…he had five of these helpers come in to try and kill me. But…some guys and I killed two of them…these must be the other three…"

Slade tried to overwhelm them with Celerity, but their shadow armor was impressive, "What the hell…I don't think anything is working!"

"They're tough, but not un-killable, keep at it!" Cadmus said.

Dragomir tried to focus mostly on one of them with his machine gun to chip away at their health. Victor kept shooting them alongside him, "We'll have to empty out most our magazines to even _affect_ these brutes…"

Dragomir heard a shrill scream from behind him, seeing a spider creation gallop at him to tear him to pieces with its claws. He gave a rather feminine scream as he scampered back and fired for its eyes.

Victor held out a hand, the spider creation grew and grew with boiled blood until it exploded. Cadmus's eyes widened with worry, "Hey…Victor, can you blow up one of these guys too?" He asked.

Victor nodded, boiling one of the LaSombra to death too.

Tess unloaded the rest of her machine gun on one of the LaSombra, getting out her pistol paired with Celerity.

"Damn it…" Cadmus swore, "Miranda, we'll have to use Fortitude and Presence to kill these jackasses…" Miranda nodded, the two Ventrue put up both their passive Disciplines, crowding the LaSombra, Slade caught on two, activating Presence in addition to Celerity, with the three of them and Tess's teamwork, the remaining two LaSombra fell.

"Lovely…" Dragomir said, a pang in his chest because he knew he really did nothing, "Shall I lead us to the next floor?"

Victor fell to one knee, "Give me…give me a few moments…"

Cadmus gave a concerned look back, "Here…Victor…" He tossed him two blood packs, "I'm sorry about that…I didn't mean to overwork you…" He said. He was willing to throw anything away just to get closer to Caesar. Victor, Mercurio, was this the beast? He didn't like what he was turning into at all.

"Ah, it's no trouble." Victor said as he drank them down.

Slade felt his injuries, "Damn…I bet we all feel like we got hit by a truck…"

Miranda looked at Cadmus, "How many more blood packs do you have?" She asked.

"Uh…two…" Cadmus said, then when she just kept staring at him, he said, "What? I needed room for my flamethrower…"

Dragomir felt even worse for taking a ghoul earlier, "Save them, for now…until we get closer to the end."

A door blew open rather quickly as they continued onward, in addition to the Sabbat vampires armed with Potence and Celerity, there were some with Presence and Fortitude as well. In this case the Presence seemed highly effective, given how terrified the three fledglings felt during combat.

Dragomir quickly unloaded his gun at who he could, the instinct in his mind telling him to stay away from those with Presence. However, those with Fortitude who he was firing at hardly seemed to take any damage. The amount of frustration building inside made him quite tempted to give into the beast entirely, but the fact that Slade was on their side quelled this desire. Tess fired at anyone who got close, kicking them as well if they got _too_ close. "What's the retreat plan?"

"What retreat plan?" Dragomir laughed, "There is none! Ha, ha, ha!"

"We're not going anywhere!" Cadmus screamed, then he swallowed hard when one of the heavier, flesh-creations began stomping towards them. He ran for it and starting taking it down with Miranda, while Slade and Victor fought the rest of the vampires, the former with Celerity, and the latter with Potence.

Tess watched in awe as everyone fought together, like some sort of pack. Here was Cadmus, Slade and Dragomir who hated her, Miranda who had been acting a bit off, depressed, and Victor, who felt more obligated to his clan than anyone else. Yet, they were working in perfect sync, defending each other like a unit, using their strengths and advantages respectively. As she watched on, she felt a Sabbat grab her by the neck and put a gun barrel up against her temple. She pumped Celerity and thrashed out of his grasp, grabbing his head and snapping his neck.

Snapping his neck? She felt the bones grind and crumble in his vertebrae before he tumbled to the ground and turned to ash. What was she doing, just six months ago? Half a year ago? She didn't expect to find herself here, in a house made of flesh, snapping someone's neck, sending a living corpse to eternal death. She expected, what, a secretary job, at most? An occasional briefing with coworkers, some sort of lawyer mentorship?

Maybe it was because she never had plans in the first place, that she ended up here. Fighting like some sort of monster. Something she never once saw herself doing, no matter what.

Cadmus glared at Tess as he looked back, "If _you_ want to retreat, then you can go retreat, if that's what you want. Then I'll tell LaCroix that you just ran away from your mission, and I'm sure he'd love to hear that."

"Of course, I'm not going to do that." She insisted, "I was simply asking," She kicked someone in the nose, "In case something happens."

"Tch…whatever." Cadmus looked ahead, once the floor was clear, they continued heading down, only to be greeted by more Sabbat, this time, a Gangrel in war form was leading the pack, along with many other vampires armed with varying Disciplines.

"Hello doggy!" Dragomir said, "Let's tussle!" He ran forward to fight the Gangrel, using his gun to smack him around and shoot now and again.

"Dragomir, be careful!" Cadmus held a hand out, but he was being hit by too much shotgun firepower to go in for the assist.

Slade sped over, it was clear that he was getting exhausted from the constant use of Celerity, but he had little choice. Without it, he was a sitting duck to his foes, he had no choice but to arm himself with it. He aided Dragomir as best he could with the war form Gangrel.

Dragomir tussled the Gangrel to the ground along with some of Slade's slashes, smashing the beast in the snout with his gun. However, the beast fought back and tore into his shoulder ravenously, the sounds of muscle and flesh tearing away could be heard from anyone who was nearby. That is, if they _could_ hear over Dragomir's caterwaul. He bit back into the Gangrel's head, kicking at him and trying to free himself.

"Damn it, someone help him!" Cadmus yelled.

Victor nervously stepped over, firing away. It was obvious since he didn't use Purge _once_ on this floor that his blood levels were getting low. He didn't even bother with Auspex, so if he Blood Shield was down, he was a sitting duck. He aided Dragomir and Slade with his Colt, trying to kill the Gangrel once and for all.

Dragomir panted as Victor's shots, as well as his own fist and bullets, and Slade's sword strikes, eventually turned the creature to ash. He slowly got up, the wound on his shoulder looked gruesomely painful, "Ah…just…give me a Band-Aid, it'll…it'll be fine…"

Tess scowled as she shot another Sabbat in the head for the umpteenth time and brought it to its death, "You idiot. Why did you think you could take that on by yourself?"

"The same reason you think you have a shot with Mister Five. I wasn't."

"Don't think _you_ have any room to make fun of how other people fight." Slade frowned as he looked at Tess.

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine, whatever….just…get some blood in your system. That wound smells awful." She said to Dragomir, who snickered.

"I want to see what color it turns if it gets infected."

"Stop! Get some blood, heal it! It's disgusting."

"I've named it Harley."

She rolled her eyes and moved on, away from him.

Dragomir snickered, "I like seeing the efforts she goes through to put up with me. It's fun."

"Maybe we should take a breather for a minute or two…before we progress…" Cadmus said, "Well, I say _breather_ …but…"

Slade rubbed his forehead, "I doubt any of us have the blood to keep doing this for long."

"It…certainly seems bigger on the inside…" Victor mused quietly.

Dragomir felt his shoulders droop as he looked at everyone else. All of them were exhausted, a few points in the blood pools, at most. And him? Hadn't used a drop since he last fed.

Tess combed her fingers through her hair, "Should some of us break off and look for ghouls or blood dolls scattered around?"

"I found two…" Miranda called from not so far away, "Two of those…eye-less…things…so…who would like to feed from them?"

Everyone looked at Victor.

Victor smiled, "Well, when you all put it that way." He said as he strolled to where Miranda was and starting feeding from one.

"I mean…he is our get-outta-jail-free card…" Cadmus muttered.

Dragomir had a good laugh, "Then Tess is the go-back-to-start!" Slade and Cadmus laughed along with him.

"Who shall have the second?" Victor asked, as the first one died on the ground.

Cadmus looked at Dragomir, "I mean…I imagine that hurts…"

"What? Harley?" He asked, "No, no, you see, the Malkavian's mind is the strongest feature…unfortunately, my telekinesis is not nearly as strong as your disciplines…so…my blood pool is rather full. I need none."

Cadmus shrugged, drinking from one of his last two blood packs, "So who wants it?"

Slade walked over to feed from him, but Miranda did too. They paused as they almost bumped into each other.

"You take it." Slade said.

"You can have it." Miranda gave a small smile, the first time she had smiled since she killed Bach.

"You sure?"

"I insist."

Slade obliged and fed from the Sabbat blood doll.

The next room, in addition to a horde of Sabbat ready to attack them, also had a familiar face at the top of the balcony, or, at least familiar to one person. The pompadour, the well-off vest, the rings. The man smirked and gave a sarcastic wave, "Welcome, Victor, to your end."

Victor almost dropped his gun, "Neo?"

"You know that guy?" Cadmus asked.

Blue flames began to emanate from Neo as he marched down the stairs, "I'm glad you brought some friends for me to burn to death as well…"

Victor frowned, "I didn't expect to see you here…so you _do_ work for Andrei…"

"Well, not directly for Andrei…but there's been a transfer, as Andrei had requested reinforcements…"

"And where's Ebony?"

"She's back in Europe in our Sabbat branch there…sorry we won't be able to fully complete the reunion…"

"Tess, look, Mister Three!" Dragomir pointed.

"What?" Tess shook her head.

Dragomir adjusted his glasses, "Mister Three's _shadow_ , I see…hmph. Well, what is the verdict, magic-man?" He asked, "Is his life in our hands or not?"  
Neo blasted Victor with a volley of fire, Victor screamed and crumpled to the ground, his Blood Shield popped in a matter of seconds. "Shit, guys, kill him!" Cadmus yelled, as the five of them ran in to attack.

Neo shook his head, holding a hand up, since all five of them were so close, they all threw up a lot of blood. Neo then looked back at the pack behind them, "Well, don't just _stand_ there, attack them!"

Tess held her stomach, some sort of pang in her chest as she looked at him. He did seem familiar, and was far from ugly. Yet as she saw Slade get his blades ready, her mind snapped back into the task at hand. LaCroix would not be pleased to hear of her helping a Sabbat. She started dashing around and firing for his head.

Dragomir seemed overall very worried for Victor's condition, but instead dealt with the Sabbat pack in the back, unloading the rest of the Steyr Aug into their ribcages.

Victor trembled from where he was on the ground, "Miranda…" He coughed, "Your…Tal'Mahe'Ra blade…use it…against…Neo…" Miranda nodded, running to fight with Neo, while Cadmus was more or less acting as a shield to Victor so he wouldn't suffer any more damage.

Neo scoffed at her, again utilizing Purge to make her vomit up the last of her blood, than incinerating her with a strong blast of blue fire. Miranda screamed and collapsed to the ground. "Miranda!" Cadmus yelled, he was torn on who to protect, realizing that his team was dropping like flies, "Someone kill that bastard…"

Slade dashed over, "How…how can he even make fire?" He asked.

Tess ran to Miranda's side, "Miranda…" She swallowed hard, then fell to her knees, "Please…let me use your sword…just this once…I have a lot of blood left, if he uses Purge, I'll pull through…just let me try…"

Miranda had seemed to have fallen into torpor. She wasn't _dead_ , as if she was, she would be ashes, which was a somewhat comforting thought, but she was far from awake.

Slade grit his teeth, figuring it was now or never to use the new Jaegerspas he bought. Inspired by how well he did against Killian by using Dragomir's, he went and bought one for himself, a while ago, before the Society of Leopold, even, but he was too scared to use it since his aim was so poor with it. (That and he was so focused on honing his Celerity that his Auspex suffered, which would really be helpful for aim in a time like this). Nevertheless, if he got close enough to Neo with Celerity up, it wouldn't matter, he reasoned as he pumped his shotgun.

Tess furrowed her brows and grabbed the Tal'Mahe'Ra, unsheathing it slowly and carefully. When she was in seventh grade, she took some martial arts class, one of the lessons had staffs. Perhaps she would manage without cutting off her own limbs? She ran forward with Celerity to slash into Neo as Slade fired off shotgun rounds at him.

"Putrid ants of the Camarilla!" Neo growled in his horrid, gruff voice, he applied a Blood Shield, "You will not stop me!" Slade dashed around, turning the knob so the shotgun would be pump-action, that, with Celerity, let the shots go flying, causing Neo to swear and stumble back.

Tess grimaced at the blood on the blade, assuming with that shield up, she'd have to push much harder. She ran forward with a battle cry to slice into him again. Neo hissed and looked around for his two Toreador foes, but since both of them had Celerity up, it was impossible for him to hit either of them.

Victor stood up and brushed himself off, holding an arm around his chest as he un-holstered his Colt. He held a hand out, and Neo paused with whatever he was doing as he started vomiting up blood. His eyes then began to glow red with Auspex as he started firing away at Neo.

Neo roared in pain, "Fool!" He gave an insane grin, "Do you doubt my inner abilities to communicate with my beast!" He laughed, growing sharp claws as he began to frenzy, with a Blood Shield still up too.

Tess dashed back, shocked, "What the hell…he's lost it!"

"Trust me, they're Sabbat." Cadmus said as he stood next to Tess. Dragomir did excellent crowd control on the Sabbat thugs, so he didn't really need to worry about protecting Miranda anymore, "They embrace their beast. They try to control it, they see it as a means of power. What we in the Camarilla fear, they almost see it as a rite of passage."

"That's…disgusting…" She said, "I doubt I can cut through him like that…"

He chuckled, "Let's see if I can make a crack at it." He glared at Neo, "Listen you washed-up rich turd, I don't who the hell you are, but I sure as hell aren't going to let you get in the way of me killing Caesar!" He ran forward and slammed his axe into Neo. Neo coughed up blood and stumbled back.

He backed right into the barrel of Victor's pistol, which Victor fired, Neo gave one last weak hiss and turned to ash.

Dragomir turned around and put his gun down, "Alas…" He panted, "The shadow of a man…dies, exposed to the light…" He looked over toward Victor, "The true figure was darkened by this shadow, now, I see him standing in the light again, without any obfuscation…"

"Well, that's the most poetic thing I've ever heard him say…" Slade said, deactivating his passive Disciplines.

Victor took a big sigh, "I'm…not sure how to feel right now, to be perfectly honest…"

"Allow time to pass." Dragomir said, "Let the light shine slowly, or you'll blind yourself." He paused, "The voices are starting to make more sense, I think."

"Pfft." Tess gently put Miranda's sword back, "Whatever you said makes absolutely no sense."

"Plenty of sense." He said, "Plenty of sense was made, none of which you care to see. That isn't something that I can control. I'm merely a vessel. You can lead a _whore_ to water, but you can't make it drink." He snickered, "See what I did, Slade?"

"Yup. I'm not going to turn down a 'Tess is a whore' joke." Slade chuckled.

"What of Miranda?" Victor asked.

"Shit, I completely forgot…" Cadmus ran over to her side, "I'll use my last blood bag to wake her up…make her feel better." He took his last blood bag out and held it near her nose. Miranda sniffed it and started drinking from it, sitting up.

She sighed, "I wish there was more…"

"Yeah…I bet we all do…we're probably all hurting for blood." Cadmus said as he helped Miranda up.

Victor looked ahead, "I suppose they used Neo as a distraction, to tire us out, and use up our energy before Andrei…"

"And Caesar." Cadmus said.

"I want to nap…" Dragomir mused, "I feel as though there's sunlight outside by now…"

Slade shrugged as he walked alongside his friend with the others, eventually, Cadmus called out, "Hey, guys, I found more blood dolls!"

"How many?" Dragomir asked, "Enough for Miranda and Victor?"

"Yeah, there's two." Cadmus said.

Miranda started feeding on one, while Victor smiled, "Now, now, I don't think I need one, would anyone else like the second?"

"But you were burned so badly…" Tess said.

"That'll heal on its own."

Cadmus gave him a shove, "Go feed." He said, "That's an order." He teased with a smile.

Victor rolled his eyes and fed on the second blood doll.

Their progression down to the lower levels were halted by the sounds of, as usual, shotgun blasts. Some of the Kindred looked nervous, as, they didn't really have enough blood to power through this ordeal. Nevertheless they did what they could, trying their best to combat the never-ending hordes of Sabbat.

Slade swallowed hard, he had no choice but to activate Celerity, dashing around and improving his odds against the Sabbat foes. Tess joined him in gunfire, but kept her Celerity on the backburner, relying more on gunpowder than anything else. Dragomir did what he could with his machine gun, taking out a good number of them.

They heard a familiar screeching sound, as a spider creation knocked a few walls down and began to gallop towards them. "Shit…" Cadmus said, "Uh…Victor…buddy…wanna blow that thing up for us?"

Victor held a hand out, and the spider creation blew up in a bloody and gory mess. "Well, aren't you all fortunate that you're in the company of a Tremere?" Victor chuckled, "Were it not for me, who knows how far into this cesspool of dirt and villainy you all would get."

"Certainly…not very well. At all." Tess said.

Cadmus opened a door, surprised at all the flesh inside it, "Okay…I…I think Andrei's close…"

A ghoul ran at them, holding a knife high and hissing.

"Who wants 'em?"

"Harley does." Dragomir ran forward and bit into his neck, draining him dry. "Ah…so much better…"

It was surprising to see how much flesh and horrid gore could be stuffed into one room. There were some humans fitted like chandeliers. In addition to flesh on the ground, there were pools of blood everywhere. Dirt and corpses littered the ground in a few sections of the room, and in the center, stood three very familiar faces from King's Way.

"I recognize the smell of your blood, young Cainites." Andrei said, "It seems you have survived my assault on you back in the hills, no?"

"What a damn shame." Ferrum said, his beady eyes seemed to glow, and his hair looked like a massive mane when it wasn't pinned back out of the way.

"Yes…you thought we were dead, we thought you were dead." Caesar added with a smile, in his quiet, snide tone as always, "Funny how things work that way."

"Hey Caesar." Cadmus said, "I killed all your little friends."

His smile faded, "Did you now?"

He nodded, "You're next, asshole." He said. Though he didn't want to bust out his flamethrower just yet. Caesar could easily dodge, and Cadmus would end up just wasting all of his ammo. He needed to wait for Caesar to become vulnerable, trapped.

"No, no, we've been kicking for a while, to your dismay." Dragomir said, "And we intend to keep kicking as long as our legs will last."

Caesar drew his sword, "Then let us put a stop to that." He said, as the familiar horrid sound of Obtenebration began to sound as shadows stretched over his body.

Andrei chuckled, "Yes, we will shred these Camarilla worms to dust and destroy their precious sarcophagus!"

"Who wants to dance?" Ferrum grew massive claws and teeth, patches of fur sprung up on his body as he glowed green.

"Not me." Dragomir took out his gun and fired, but the bullets sprayed off of him. "Hmph. Fair enough." He switched his aim for Andrei.

Andrei chuckled, raising a hand up. Whatever he did, seemed to take a while to take effect, Dragomir was able to spray him for quite a while. But suddenly the earth shook, as giant worms the size of school buses came up from the ground, with horrid, cylindrical mouths with serrated teeth. They giant worms screamed and went to attack the six of them.

Cadmus fell over along with most of the others at the attack, "What the hell are those things?!"

"It's an Animalism attack!" Victor said back.

Andrei didn't stop there, he molded his body, cracks and fleshy squishing was heard as his entire body turned into a monstrous form that would put any Protean user to shame. The grotesque monster Andrei was seemed to be amphibious in nature, but aside from that it looked like Andrei just picked and chose whatever features he wanted to add to himself, just for fun. "And what is that?" Slade looked at Victor.

"A high-power of Vicissitude…" Victor said, "Zulo form…"

Slade looked terrified, since his blood pool was absolutely _laughable_ at best. He had no idea how he was going to tip the odds into their favor. Ferrum ran in to put Slade out of his misery, when Dragomir tackled him to the ground. Ferrum grunted under Dragomir's weight, "Slade, you're welcome!" He almost swooned over his pal.

Slade swallowed hard, was fear really freezing him in place so? He didn't want to be the team's weakest link, but he had no idea who to attack.

"Caesar!" Cadmus screamed as he ran for him, but was interrupted by a worm, "Hey, what the hell?" He started battling the worm as Caesar laughed and laughed.

Tess aimed her bullets for the worm, hoping it would penetrate their thick hide. The worm growled and turned towards Tess, slithering to her at alarming speeds.

Cadmus meanwhile grunted as he kept trying to cut deep holes into the worm, but their hides were thick. The third and final worm meanwhile slithered its way towards Slade.

Caesar's arms flared up with Potence as he ran towards Miranda, "Ah, yes, the other Ventrue scum, come down here to die, have you?" Miranda narrowed her eyes, being coated in the green mist of Fortitude as her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade and Caesar's sword clanged.

Victor applied a Blood Shield, running for Andrei, "Andrei!" Victor assaulted him with volleys of Colt Anaconda shots, as well as Blood Strike. Andrei roared back, batting Victor around like a cat with a mouse in its possession.

"I remember you…" Ferrum growled as he rolled Dragomir onto his back and pinned him to the ground, "You're that kook from before…think you can rip my teeth out, huh? Let's see how ya like it…." He reached forward.

Dragomir opened his mouth wide, then chomped down on Ferrum's hand. Ferrum grunted, his Fortitude didn't allow the bite to actually hurt much, but it was enough to make him pull his hand away, "You know, I've never had a man straddle me yet, I must say, it's quite the adrenaline rush. I never pictured this happening in a place like _this_. Kinky."

"I'll never understand what the hell you freaks are talkin' about…" Ferrum muttered as he punched Dragomir in the face a few times, seeing as Dragomir's punches weren't doing anything. Dragomir caught his fists and held them both in a standstill, before he rolled them over again so he was on top. His eyes flickered, then he suddenly got up. "Ha, coward!" Ferrum laughed, before a worm landed on him.

Dragomir laughed and pointed at the worm, "Foolish insect! Ha, ha!"

This was not wise, as the worm quickly turned and brought him to the ground.

Cadmus screamed, driving his axe into the fallen worm. The giant worm squealed in pain, but it buried itself underground, most likely trying to figure out a new plan of attack.

Slade meanwhile, tried to run for Dragomir's aid, but a worm popped its head up and scooped Slade up in its jaws. Slade screamed, trying everything he could to not be eaten. He kept stabbing the worm with his swords, unable to reach his Jaegerspas or any other firearms. The worm screamed in pain, throwing Slade around in its creepy jaws.

Tess grunted as a worm kept bashing her into the wall, the bullets really not doing much, "I need another weapon, I need something! I can't do this!"

Cadmus looked back, one of the fledglings was being tossed around like a new toy, while the other was backed into the wall. Both by those huge worms. He looked over at Caesar, still busy fighting Miranda, "Damn it…" He muttered, "Miranda!" He called, "Switch places with me!"

Miranda nodded, and she switched with Cadmus. She stood in front of Ferrum, "Dragomir." She instructed, "Go and aid your friends."

Dragomir dusted himself off, "Very well…to the worms I go!" He ran off.

Ferrum snarled at Miranda, "And you…I remember you too, girlie." He flexed his claws before he dove forward to carve into her flesh.

Miranda held a hand up, "You're beginning to feel sleepy." A blue glow came from her hand.

His eyes widened as his Protean fell to nothing, his Fortitude remained though, like a second skin. "The hell…you…you bitch…cocky…Ventrue brat…" He snarled, his eyes drooping, it was actually almost comical, seeing him try to take a fighting stance but almost fall on his face, "Bet you just….get off to…kissing the Prince's feet…huh? Stuck up…bimbo…" He swatted a fist forward, but it was so lazy and weak, he lost his balance and fell on his face.

Miranda grit her teeth, the orange glow of Presence joined the glow of Fortitude. She slid a foot back slightly a few times, like a bull, as she ran forward, grabbing his face with one hand to pull him through her arm wielding the cursed blade, dragging it through his chest. His woozy self heard a deep, cruel voice right by his ear as he was being stabbed, "I don't have time for you tonight. Understand?"

He choked up blood, it leaked down his chin. Fear was something he felt when Andrei got mad, when Caesar spoke of inviting reinforcements. He knew he would be replaced, because _this_ could be his fate. Ferrum, they called him, skin of iron, when she sliced through him like butter. Was his name a joke to them? Was he a joke to them? Was he a toy for them?

His fists clenched, "No…No, I don't understand, girlie, not when you shitheads…" He reared a big hand back and palmed her face, "Try and take over the world like the pretentious clowns you really are!" He put his Fortitude down, seeing as it wasn't helping much anyway, and activated Protean to dig his claws into her face.

"Then you've given me no choice!" She spat, jumping back and going in for another attack.

Victor kept firing away at Andrei, that, in tandem with Blood Strike seemed to be doing quite well for him. Although Andrei looked so tough and monstrous, that he could barely tell if he was _doing_ anything.

Andrei, on the other hand, had enough, and he launched out a few bats to suck some of Victor's blood. Victor screamed, he remembered the agonizing attack, Bloodsuckers Communion, from King's Way. So this was how Andrei was going to take him down.

Cadmus's axe slammed into Caesar's sword for the billionth time, "You won't escape this time, Cadmus!" Caesar laughed, "Your friends are all going to die under here! We'll rebuilt what we've lost and we will win!"

"Pfft, you can't win, we killed every last asshole up there!" Cadmus growled, as he coated himself in Fortitude, "You'll never recover from that, even if we were to kill you!"

Slade's crumpled, bloody body hit the ground, nearby Tess. Dragomir went over to assist them, all the while leading a worm their way. As Slade weakly got up, the three worms loomed over the three roommates with a ravenous hunger. Tess dove out of the way of a worm, then tried to help Slade to his feet, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Slade nodded, "But…but we gotta figure something out with these worms…they…they all need our help…those three…and here we are, fucking around with these goddamn worms…"

"Let's turn into giant birds." Dragomir concluded before he punched a worm in the head and it buried underneath them.

"I'm just about out of ammo…" Tess eyes looked watery, "I'm completely useless again…I didn't think there would be _so many_ Sabbat…"

"I'll handle it…" Slade said, still looking quite banged up from their ordeal through the earlier parts of the hotel, "I'll use the last of my blood…to kill as many of them…as I can…"

Dragomir paused, "But…then you'll frenzy…I could use some of my…occult skills…if we must…"

"No! Both of you! Just go! Go fight Andrei, Caesar…or the Gangrel. Just leave me." Slade said, "Those worms shouldn't be able to catch me with Celerity."

"I'll keep an eye on you, my dear friend." Dragomir assured as he ran in to assist Miranda.

Tess shook her head, "I have no choice but to help you…I'll be there if they hurt you, I'm going to protect you!"

"Tess…you need to go…" Slade said lowly, "Victor…and Cadmus…need your help…I can handle these things…just…go…you're more capable than you realize…just use your head…please…"

"I don't have anything." She said, "I don't have guns, I can't use my fists, what am I supposed to do?"

Slade put his Jaegerspas in her arms, his dark, tired eyes looking into her, "Give 'em hell. Your Auspex is better than mine, right? _Way_ better? Well, it's on pump-action, so if you pair that with Celerity, the bastards won't know what hit them."

Her eyes were wide as she quickly grew familiar with the weapon, or forced herself to before her eyes flared red, "I'll do my best." She flashed over to Andrei and gave the trigger no mercy.

Andrei fell back and screeched in pain. Victor looked relived that she had joined him, "Yes, darling, keep it up!" He said, as he keep shooting at Andrei as well, tapping into the powers of his Auspex and following Tess's lead. Andrei roared, sending out more bats to knock Victor down for a few moments, draining his blood.

Slade took a deep breath, speeding around, his rampage killed one of the worms immediately, and he was working on finishing off the other two.

Miranda smiled as Dragomir came to her aid, deactivating her Disciplines to save what little blood pool she had left. "Does Slade have those worms covered?"

"Not a doubt in my mind." He sized over Ferrum before he stomped on him, "Seems you've done a good deal on our furry friend." He smiled, that is, until Ferrum chomped down on his leg, "Ah! Son of a bitch!" He spat as he grabbed his shotgun and fired at his chest. Ferrum let go of his grip and scrambled out of the way, rearing back to club him in the face. The way the two fought looked more like a boxing match than anything else.

Miranda ran in for Dragomir's aid, slashing at Ferrum with her sword. He grunted, then turned to her and pinned her to the floor, taking the slice to the torso. Dragomir sneered, "Hey! It's one thing pinning a sinful man like me to the floor like that, but at least show her some chivalry." He reloaded his shotgun as quickly as he could, which, arguably, was too slow.

Ferrum's breath felt hot over Miranda's face, he smelled like blood and rotting flesh, "I'll show you chivalry." He lunged in to bite her neck and drain her dry. Miranda tried to squirm away, grunting as she did so. She doubted that even Blood Buff would get her out from under this man.

Slade killed the second of three worms, bisecting it into two. He panted a bit, as he knew his blood pool didn't have much time left, "Come on now…" He taunted the last worm, "What's the matter? Am I too fast for you?" He asked as the worm dove in with its jaws, but Slade avoided it.

Andrei roared, sucking out more of Victor's blood with Bloodsuckers Communion. Victor screamed and fell to the ground. It could have been the last of Victor's blood, "Tess…" He said weakly, "Keep…keep going…"

"Yes, sir." She said as firmly as she could, despite how much fear flooded through her dead veins. And, well, despite the fact that with Celerity, he likely couldn't hear her. She quickly reloaded the gun and unloaded another round for Andrei's chest, a soaring feeling that she was actually _doing_ something. As even though Victor looked pretty worse for wear, Andrei didn't look too good either by now.

"Damn it…" Cadmus said, looking around at everyone making progress, except for him, "What the hell do I do? If only there was something to…just…stun them…in their place…then I could fire…" He said, then it hit him, "Hey! Victor!" He called, "These assholes are all close enough together! Make the Sabbat guys throw up blood!"

"I can't!" Victor called, "I'm out of blood!"

"God damn it…" Cadmus said, it looked as though all hope was lost.

Dragomir finally finished reloading his gun, "The Tzimisce are an enemy, but their gifts are our savior!"

Victor's eyes widened as he was on the ground. He stood up and drank the Odious Chalice Pisha had given him so long ago, then he held a hand out. Andrei, Caesar, and Ferrum had to stop what they were doing to vomit up blood.

Cadmus gave a dark snicker as he put his axe away, "Alright, I'll see all of you bastards in hell!" He took his flamethrower out.

"What…w-what is that…?" Caesar swallowed hard.

Cadmus snarled, "This is for Elspeth, you bastard! Burn!" He shot Caesar with his flamethrower. Caesar gave a high-pitched scream of agony as his shadow armor burned away, as well as he himself, and he died.

Cadmus started a dark, crazed laugh as he turned the flamethrower on Andrei, killing him next, then he burnt all the flesh in the room, catching the entire hotel on fire. The one remaining room squealed in pain as its insides were being charred.

Ferrum wheezed as smoke filled his lungs. His Fortitude did absolutely nothing, so he scrambled off as fast as he could, through a hole in the wall, booking it as soon as he saw the amount of ash in the room.

The flames glowed in the reflection of Dragomir's glasses, "We have to leave, now, before _we_ get eaten!"

"Yes, all of you, this way! There isn't much fire around here!" Victor rarely raised his voice above his clear, businesslike professionalism, but this clearly warranted urgency, "Cadmus, that's enough!"

"Where did that little shit go?" Cadmus laughed, chasing after Ferrum, even though he was long gone by now. As it was, Cadmus just kept torching the place.

Dragomir grabbed Cadmus by the collar and tugged him along with the rest of them, "He'll die in the blazes, now let's _go!_ "

The six of them (Cadmus being pulled), made their escape through the opening Victor found, and in a matter of minutes, Hallowbrook Hotel was nothing but ash.

* * *

 **A/N:** These…are the final nights… ;) Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!


	93. Chapter 93

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-three! More and more doubts, more and more people making decisions on what to think of LaCroix…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Be at peace, Kindred." Ming-Xiao said as the six of them left the burnt remains of the Hallowbrook Hotel, "You stand amongst friends now."

"Ming-Xiao." Cadmus scowled.

"Your foes all lie vanquished, Kindred. I come to help. Be at peace. Trouble is nothing but yours to give."

"Yeah, let's just skip to the part where I kill you."

"Ah, so I see your manners _haven't_ improved…"

"After making us run around Chinatown on a deathly wild goose chase, I'm not sure if your help would be something we want." Slade said.

"Very well." Ming-Xiao said, "Then I shall waste no more time in speaking with you. I shall just tell you that my alliance with LaCroix is to an end."

"Yeah…those Chang brother guys told us all about that…" Cadmus said.

"Indeed. The Chang brothers, my greatest agents, undone by the young soldiers of LaCroix. It was obvious your path was greater than I, or he, had anticipated."

"You couldn't have had an alliance with him…I…I don't believe it." Tess crossed her arms.

"We did have an arrangement, LaCroix and I." Ming-Xiao insisted, "A mutually beneficial pact to drive the lesser factions from the city."

"So you wanted to get rid of the Anarchs and Sabbat with him." Cadmus said.

"What broke the alliance?" Slade asked.

"LaCroix's zeal in recovering the Ankaran Sarcophagus has been to the exclusion of many relationships…mine included. And I, like yourself, have been used by him in his desperate quest for power." Ming-Xiao said.

"Hmm…so killing my father…?" Dragomir raised a brow, "A task he sent you on, I assume? Missing puzzle woman…" He eyed her over, "I want you dead."

Ming-Xiao looked annoyed, "What sort of Caine's curse is this wretched madness?"

"Can it, tell us what you did to Grout." Slade said.

Ming-Xiao just looked disturbed at what Dragomir and Slade were able to uncover all this information so quickly. "LaCroix feared Alistair Grout, the Malkavian Primogen…for the cursed insight of his bloodline was strong and brought him uncomfortably close to the truth about LaCroix's ambitions."

"Yes, yes, LaCroix's ignorant hate of the Malkavian Clan isn't news to anyone." Victor interrupted, "Why don't you…what do they say? Cut to the chase?"

A weak flash went over them, as Ming-Xiao transformed into Nines before their eyes, "LaCroix saw an opportunity to rid himself of two problems…a hardened rebel leader and a problematic Primogen…in one fell stroke. And, as you can see, I was integral to the plan." She said, still using her own voice.

"Yes…" Dragomir's brow fell, "That is why I recognized the smell."

"So…" Tess's eyes were wide, "Nines is innocent…oh god…what if he's dead?"

"LaCroix convinced me that an alliance with the Camarilla could strengthen the position of the Kuei-Jin. And so, with my help, your Prince framed Nines Rodriguez for the murder of Alistair Grout." Ming-Xiao said.

"That must be why he sent us." Slade said, "Three fledglings aren't going to know the difference…"

"Yes. You were made to be the witness, for your political naiveté put your word beyond reproach. No one would believe you'd devise such a story. LaCroix used you and once again turned a problem to his advantage."

"If it was working so well before, why are you questioning it now?" Cadmus asked.

"Our dealings with LaCroix have put his integrity into question. He has become careless. His desire for the sarcophagus seems to have superseded all other concerns, including political discretion." She said, "It's obvious to me that he wishes to obtain it only so that he might use its power against those who would oppose him. If he betrays his own kind in these pursuits, can I trust him to honor our allegiances? Can you?"

Tess looked appalled, "Yes. Entirely."

Dragomir snickered, "Very well…puzzle woman…"

"But if the rumors about the sarcophagus are true, than it doesn't matter whether we follow LaCroix or not." Slade said.

"Hear these words, Kindred. The sarcophagus is sealed against the ages. Only the proper key will break this seal. That key now lies safely in Kuei-Jin hands. Your Prince's prize cannot be had without it." Ming-Xiao said.

Tess crossed her arms, "Then expect a…loss in numbers."

"It's unfortunate that you feel that way, Kindred." Ming-Xiao smiled, "For a path such as that may end in your Final Death. You and your Prince LaCroix will share your deaths together."

Cadmus clenched his fists, "Shut up! Don't let the runt of our group sway you, I don't like LaCroix at all. I like you even less. All this bullshit you two are pulling are going to catch up with you eventually!"

"Farewell, Kindred." Ming-Xiao said, teleporting away in a blue glow.

An eerie pair of red eyes glared on from an alleyway, unbeknownst to all Kindred present. Claws gripped around the brick wall as a gruff chuckle was heard before the figure slipped away into the shadows.

Cadmus gave an annoyed sigh, feeling lucky enough that Ming-Xiao left when she did. Because if a fight broke out, Ming-Xiao certainly would have won, they were all still exhausted from their fight with Andrei, and not many of them had the blood for another long-winded fight.

As if he read Cadmus's mind, Dragomir peered around, "I think we need rest and blood."

"We need to speak to LaCroix fist." Tess said.

"Yeah, I want to ask him why the hell he's in an alliance with Ming-Xiao." Cadmus led the way.

"Ah, yes, surely, one of the most horrid blunders of the Camarilla." Victor chuckled.

"Yeah, might be interesting." Slade said.

Everyone blinked a few times in surprise, seeing who was at the front desk.

"Chunk?" Cadmus sputtered.

"Weren't…weren't you dead?" Miranda asked.

"Hey guys!" Chunk smiled, "I was…on sick leave…when I heard about the attack. Well, good thing I'm back, but jeez, if I was here, those punks wouldn't have gotten past the front door!"

"That sure is…lucky timing…" Slade said.

"May we see LaCroix?" Victor asked.

"I guess you can go on up. He wasn't expecting you, but it should be alright."

Cadmus froze, taking a bit slower to take the elevator up with everyone else.

As they made their way to the elevator, Dragomir pressed the button, but kept quiet. It seemed more than anything, he just wanted to go home, get some blood and rest. Tess was quiet too, so focused on blowing LaCroix's cover and unearthing everything, she could hardly even think about the others in the group.

As the doors opened, they saw LaCroix standing over the sarcophagus, papers stacked on his desk, his hands on the surface of the lid. As they entered, he drifted away from it, "The Sabbat?"

"Dead." Cadmus said, taking his bow a little slower this time, more reluctant.

His slightly hostile look melted away into something unpeaceable, was it happiness? Discontent? Not even Miranda could place it, "Then…another obstacle is removed. From the anomy, we resurrect a new order." He said firmly, "And this, in no small part, to the assembly that Miss Frost has organized."

Cadmus rolled his eyes, but Miranda smiled, giving a small bow, "Anything to serve, sir."

He chuckled softly and shook his head, motioning to the Sheriff, "Keep it up and you may have _his_ job. My unstoppable crusader…" He focused his words on Miranda, "My victories in this city are in no small part due to you. You've done what I asked without question, and you've done it well." He gave a warm smile and met Miranda's gaze, "We'll rule this city side-by-side, you and I." The tension in the air was tangible, before he backed away from her, "Take this as a token of my appreciation." He pulled out a few envelopes and chuckled softly, "I've managed to get a hold of enough, this time." He handed them out.

"Yes…well, I appreciate your gratitude…sir…" Miranda said, "We have also discovered the location of the key."

"Have you?" He had to reign himself in from having some sort of heart attack, "Where? Who has it?"

"Ming-Xiao has it." Victor smiled, "She told us to tell you that the alliance is off."

He raised a brow, then rolled his eyes, "Oh, this nonsense again! No Kindred would ever allow an alliance with those…those demons!" He threw a hand in the air, "How many other languages do you need that translated to? It is a trick, nothing more, am I understood? A trick to start…some sort of…barbaric civil-war." He scoffed, "And apparently it's worked."

"We spoke with Ming-Xiao herself, sir." Tess said, "I'm willing to support every cause you announce, but…this?"

"Says the same woman who jumped from my windows." He muttered, "Believe what you wish, then, but the truth will always resurface."

"So you speak from experience." Dragomir snickered.

LaCroix disregarded him again, "So, that brings—"

"But…then…if you'll excuse me, sir." Tess said, "Nines is innocent. Because…she took his shape. If we were to put the alliance aside, we at least can't go framing Anarchs left and right…it…would look horrible for us."

The pause he took to ponder her words lasted about a split second, "As of this moment, there is no blood hunt against Nines Rodriguez. The Kuei-Jin have revealed their plot. They want us to war against each other? Well, to that end I propose, an alliance with the Anarchs. Together, we Kindred shall drive out these foreigners once and for all!" He decided firmly.

Victor started a high-pitch laugh that rebounded against the walls.

"Sir…" Miranda was speechless.

"Wait, why would the Anarchs enter an alliance with us? We _just_ put Nines on a Blood Hunt, they're not going to want anything to do with us." Slade said.

"It…does seem a little-farfetched." Cadmus said quietly. With a lot of experience, it was almost as if he knew the Anarchs so well, that he visited them every week, just about. Nevertheless he still tried to sound fair to his boss.

"If they still have brains in their skulls, there are two reasons they have to agree." He faced away and paced to the windows, "The first is the recent exile of the Sabbat. They claim we have no power? Huh!" He chuckled, "We can show them power. You all have made the definition of power very clear." He faced them again, "Secondly, they have to choose who they dislike more. The Camarilla or the Kuei-Jin. Considering the Kuei-Jin killed their last leader and have thinned their ranks more than we ever have, I cannot see why they would reason against an alliance."

"Would you like us to go to the Last Round?" Miranda asked.

"Yes." He seemed relieved _someone_ was on his side, "Immediately." He paused, "Well…after you…feed yourselves and ensure you aren't a bloody mess. I can't have my agents looking like…that." He swatted a hand, "I digress. Tell them the Kuei-Jin have admitted to killing Grout and that the Blood Hunt against Nines Rodriguez is officially over. Tell them I have realized the Kuei-Jin should be our priority, and that we wish to negotiate a pact to rid of them. You will serve as our liaison for the alliance, so naturally, you speak on behalf of the Camarilla." His eyes flickered over the group, "Whoever decides to go. Choose your words carefully. I will begin organizing plans for war." He paused and faced the sarcophagus, "I wish you the best of luck. The fate of all this city's Kindred depends on your success tonight."

"Yes, sir." Miranda bowed, "We will do what we can to ensure an alliance is made."

* * *

The door to the Last Round really never squeaked open slowly and stayed open. It was used to being slammed around, pried open and slammed shut, pulled off its hinges and melded back on the next night. So naturally, being opened slowly made the springs rather creaky and eerie sounding. "The hell…?" Skelter peeked his head inside, "Why the hell is it dark in here? Where's Damsel?"

"Don't know." They heard a voice inside, it was Jack's. His figure was faintly seen slumped over the bar, "She didn't show up yet, I guess. I can't find the light switch."

"Jesus…" Skelter walked in and flicked the lights behind the door, "Three-hundred year old grown-ass man doesn't know how to turn the damn lights on." He muttered as he walked inside, "Someone give her a call."

Anastasia took her phone out, dialing Damsel's number. It rang only once before she picked up, she heard Damsel sniffling, "'Stasia?"

"Damsel?" She asked, "Where are you?"

"At home…shit, what time is it? I'm okay…I just…" She sighed, "I lost track of time. I'll be over." She hung up.

When he saw Anastasia look away from her phone, Skelter leaned against the bar and asked, "She alright?"

"She sounded pretty sad about something…I…I just don't know." She said, "I hope she's okay."

"Damsel? Sad?" Jack sat back, "Did someone die?"

Skelter seemed perplexed, "Nah…no one…could have died. Right? She woulda' told us. Told us if…" He trailed off and looked from Jack to Anastasia.

"Could be, man." Jack shrugged, "I dunno. Not like we're gonna be the first to hear about it. The Cam is."

"Shit." Skelter stood up, "I need to get the darts." He paced around a bit, sighed and grabbed the darts off the wall, trying to distract himself.

There was a silence in the Last Round for at least ten minutes. Jack sat quietly, occasionally taking a sip from a flask that must have had blood in it. Skelter threw a dart now and again that landed in the wall with a deep thud. Anastasia sat at the bar, silent as night. And worse of all, the music wasn't on. There was no dark screaming or guitar screeching to take the edge off.

The doors swung open as Jeanette walked in. She paused and looked around, "Huh…it's… _quiet_ in here. I can hear myself breathing. I'm not used to that." Anastasia inched closer to Skelter seeing Jeanette walk in. Other than that, the silence didn't break. "Something happen?" She asked before she sat next to Anastasia, then whispered, "Why is everyone acting so strange?"

"Damsel went missing." Anastasia said, "I had to call her…see if she was okay."

"Oh…" She said, "What, does she run the place? Let's turn the music on already!"

"As soon as you figure out how to do it, sure, knock 'em dead." Jack said.

Jeanette rolled her eyes, then looked back to Anastasia, "Haven't seen you in a while, honeydew."

"I've been busy." Anastasia said.

"Uh huh. With what?"

"Just a few fights and stuff, with the Sabbat."

"I miss you, you know."

Jack snickered, "She's already hooked up with someone else, toots."

Jeanette turned to Jack, then looked at Anastasia, "…huh? You're with Jack now?"

That made Jack spit out his drink and slap his knee with laughter. Skelter meanwhile looked sick. "No…" Anastasia rolled her eyes, "I just…found someone…I want to be with, permanently."

Jeanette looked like she was going to cry, "I thought you loved _me_ …"

The door swung open and slammed against the wall before it was shut. Damsel walked in, her footsteps sounding heavier than usual. Her hair was a little more tangled, her shirt and pants were wrinkled, her makeup was a little less perfected, if it even was to begin with.

Skelter stopped throwing darts and turned to Damsel, "Damsel. What the hell happened?"

She glared at Skelter, her eyes looked bloodshot as she stood in the doorway. Then she turned to Jeanette, "Why the hell is she here?"

Jeanette wiped a tear away, "She's…she's gone now…" She sniffed as she stood up and left, hanging her head.

"Aw…poor fucked-up thing." Jack said, "S'at the last of 'em, 'Stasia?"

Anastasia ignored him, "Damsel, what happened?"

She stared at the floor, "Nines isn't getting my calls. Not even going to voicemail."

Skelter froze from where he stood, before he got his own phone out and dialed Nines.

"Voicemail?" Jack asked, "The hell does that have to do with anything?"

"It means…it means something happened to him. He didn't lose his phone, someone…someone or something either destroyed it entirely or deleted all his data from it…"

"So…so what's saying he didn't just get pickpocketed?" Jack asked, "A bunch a fuckin' teenagers up in that Observatory, man, crawlin' around there, diggin' up cash wherever they could find it."

"You think Nines is the kinda guy to get pickpocketed?" Damsel snarled.

"Well, maybe he dropped it. Maybe he broke it. It ain't a big deal, he's fine." Jack swatted a hand.

Skelter shut his phone as he got the same response, nothing. "…fuckin' Christ…"

Damsel crossed her arms and growled in frustration, "Best case scenario, we lost our only type of communication."

"If Nines is dead…we're screwed…" Anastasia said.

"Screwed? Why?" Jack asked, "Doesn't he always make a big fuss about how little he is? He's not important, right? He's not a leader, right? We'll be fine. We got other Brujah all over the place that can come sit around here and play darts. It ain't a big deal if he kicks the bucket."

"Get out." Damsel seethed.

Jack looked up at Damsel, "What?"

"Get the hell out of my bar."

" _Your_ bar?" He leaned in, "I thought Nines bought the place."

"As Den Mother, I can kick your ass out whenever I want. Like right now."

"Fine. I'll go upstairs. This is why no one sits down here with you, cause you can't take things as they are. It'll hit you one day." He said as he went upstairs.

Damsel let out a low growl, then she punched the doorframe as hard as she could out of nowhere, putting in a considerable dent, "That fucking bastard!"

Skelter shook his head, "Just ignore him."

"I'm not pissed at Jack, I'm pissed at Nines. Why the fuck wouldn't he call us if he was in trouble?"

"Your guess is as good as mine…" Anastasia started shaking, "But…but without him…"

Damsel bit her bottom lip, "That fucking asshole…"

Skelter gave a shaky breath, "I'm going up there."

"Why? So you can get killed by the werewolves, that's not worth it!" Anastasia said.

"Nines has been there for me…" Skelter shook his head, "Feels like every day of my life. I'm not going to go and leave him out in the middle of the woods by himself when he's saved my life more times then I'd like to think about."

Damsel snarled, "You're both idiots. You and Nines. Getting yourselves killed all the time, you goddamn adrenaline junkies! Just stay here. Take care of the problems at home." She said, before she sighed and stomped her foot, "As much as it sucks. Nines wouldn't want you to go and get yourself killed."

Skelter sighed and held his forehead, "If Nines is dead…" He shook his head and groped for some sort of answer, "I'm going all over the damn world to kill every last one of 'em."

"Just promise me that you'll stay here." Anastasia said.

Skelter looked over to Anastasia, then he sighed and nodded, "Yeah. I'll be right here." She smiled and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, taking another deep sigh.

Damsel looked back at her phone and absent-mindedly called Nines again. Anastasia's phone started buzzing, meanwhile. She picked it up, "Hello?"

Jeanette's voice came in, "Who is it?" She sounded frantic, rabid almost.

"Anastasia…?" Anastasia asked slowly, confused at why Jeanette was asking who the person she called was.

"No, no, honey, who is it? Who's the…who's the person you love…?"

"See…I…uh…think it would be better…if I protect their privacy…"

"Oh…? Or…did you just…just have something to tell me? Do you just hate me? Is that it?" He voice grew in volume and intensity to the point she was screaming, "Is it Therese?"

"No. It's not you. It's not Therese. I don't have anything to tell you. I just found someone else."

" _Why?_ " Her voice was shaky.

"Why…what? What do you want me to do…apologize for finding someone? I won't, I can't…I…I honestly didn't think this would hit you so hard, Jeanette…"

"Because you told me you loved me." Her voice was harsh, "You can't take that back so easily! I saw a future with us, you're the only one who understood me!" At this point, she must have been sobbing. "I love you…Anastasia…"

"I…I don't know what to say…that…that was before…before…some shit went down…things…things changed…"

"Who….is….it?"

"It's a secret."

"Oh, I'm so glad _you're_ having fun."

She rolled her eyes, "Jeanette, you sleep with half the town a night. I have a sneaking suspicion you'll come out of this okay."

"What would happen to you if this…this secret lover suddenly declared they loved someone else? Don't pretend you haven't slept around either…but, I'm sure you'd come out of it okay!"

"If I lost one of my lovers? I don't know, I'd find another one…but I honestly don't think that's happening in this case. We're not going to split apart."

"I will figure out who it is…I will have you back." She hung up.

"Everything alright?" Skelter did his best to pretend he wasn't listening to Anastasia's side of the conversation.

Anastasia shook her head, "No…" She sighed, "Jeanette hates me now…" She looked at Skelter, trying to be careful about spilling the beans near Damsel, "She wants to get the person I'm dating out of the picture, but, I didn't crack…so…I guess we're good, for now."

"Pfft…what the hell is _she_ gonna do?"

"I don't know…I just…don't want to think about it right now…"

"I didn't know you were…going out with someone." Damsel said, "It…it isn't Killian, is it? I haven't seen him in a while…"

Anastasia shook her head, "He ever coming back?"

"There's no saying…" Skelter muttered, "I haven't heard anything from Isaac yet."

Damsel sighed and combed her fingers through her hair, "I'm going to get some blood…okay? I'll be back soon." She looked at Anastasia and Skelter, "Hold the fort." She closed the door behind herself.

Anastasia took a shaky sigh, "I hope Nines is okay…"

"He's…he's gotta be…he's been through worse…"

She squeezed him close, giving him a little kiss now that they were alone, "If you need someone…just…just talk to me, alright? Don't…don't go out and do anything reckless…"

He put an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, "Yeah, I'm…I'm gonna have to be careful…if it turns out…he's…he's…" He shook his head, "I'll lose it…"

"Don't do that." She squeezed him tighter.

"I'll do what I can…honestly the damn beast controls me more than I do."

* * *

Wine tasted bitterer than Harper remembered. Maybe it was the feeling in her chest, knowing that she had only a handful of days left to live.

She knew Mercurio was looking out for her. He was letting her live in his room, sleeping on the couch so she could sleep in his bed, buying her expensive food and wine. And most of all, he was trying to save her life. He was trying to get the attention of someone up at the top, trying to save her life with logic, rather than storming the tower with machetes.

Cadmus's name had been brought up a few times. Giving the printed evidence to him to deliver to LaCroix. But, again, there were so many holes in their plan, she insisted they didn't bother Cadmus until there was a solid chance something would happen. And, the chances of that were extremely slim.

She sighed and finished the glass of wine, setting it in the sink, then rinsing it out, out of guilt. She hadn't had someone take care of her this much since she spent her days living with her father. After that, she met Dalton, and they lived together as a sort of family, mostly because Dalton was always trying to get away from his parents. Then her father got cancer and she insisted he go to the best hospital. In her depression, Dalton left. She supposed he might have even mentioned leaving, and she failed to even pay attention. Either way, it was that night, that she hung out with Mercurio, a neighbor, at the time.

What was it that made her go to Mercurio that night? Why didn't she just go to a bar? Mercurio was nice to the pair. If there were noise complaints, Mercurio would tell the other neighbors it was his fault, and he'd take the blame, despite the fact he was clearly single. If the couple ran out of money, Mercurio often donated a few hundred to help them out. It had to be his kindness that drew her there.

She walked into the living room, wiping her damp hands on her coat, "Mercurio, do you remember the night Dalton…" She trailed off and wafted a hand in front of her nose, "Ugh, what is that?"

He pulled a joint from his mouth and snuffed it out into the table, "Just a cigarette…crack a window if it's bothering you."

"That is not a cigarette…" She muttered as she opened a window a crack, "Since when did you….involve yourself in drugs?"

"I dunno, when I turned fifteen?"

"What?" She turned around, "How did I…not know about this?"

"It ain't a big deal. I put it out, alright? What's up?"

She sat next to him, "I've often wondered if you were…if you were perfect. Well, besides your grammar."

"Ay, what the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"You've just always seemed to do the right thing…say the right things…it's…almost good to see you doing something…something bad…"

"Harper, how many times have I mentioned I was involved in the mafia? Does that…like…not qualify for scumbag or somethin'? If it weren't for LaCroix, I'd be dead. Good chance. He pulled me outta there faster than they could even keep up wit."

She let the strange smelling air fill her lungs, "Why did he ghoul you?"

"I was the guy wit da guns. Saw me…kinda the same way Therese Voerman sees Vandal. Good cash, good business for vamps, kinda on the down-low. Figured if I was in the mafia, I was havin' a rough time…so yeah, scorin' me in his little council was no big feat. Once he saw how good I was with the prototypes and other artillery, he started sendin' me off on missions wit other vamps, but…not too many."

She paused again, "You started doing more drugs since…since I've quit, haven't you?"

"Well…" He sat back and met her gaze, "Ain't exactly smooth sailin', you know."

"I'm stressing you out, then…I…I knew I was just a burden."

"Hey, hey, quit all that burden nonsense. What did I say?" He asked with a smile, "I care about you. No matter how crazy you make me."

Her cheeks flushed a bit, "But, why? You never answered that yet…"

"Cuz…" He shrugged, "Something wrong wit that?"

"Even when I was engaged to Dalton…you…you took care of us. You paid some of our bills, for Pete's-sake, why?"

"There's…just somethin' about ya, alright? I thought you were a nice broad, certainly better than a lotta' the girls around here…"

"There aren't a lot of men like you either…" She said softly as she looked at the table, "I don't know why you've started taking care of me. Taking care of this…this ghost…who's going to die in a few more days…"

"No, you're not. Even if every bit 'a evidence gets rejected, we'll run. I'm takin' you with me 'cross the entire world if I have to."

She looked up at him with a little smile, her cheeks pink, "You have a very big crush on me, don't you?"

He sat back, "Yeah, maybe I do. So what?"

She giggled, then pointed at him and laughed for at least a minute. Mercurio looked increasingly frustrated, "What? What, what's wit all the gigglin'? Jeez, I didn't know I was that unrefined for ya…"

"No…it's just…" She shook her head and reached forward, holding his cheek with one hand and gently placing a kiss on his lips, "You looked very smug."

"Smug, huh?" He asked, "That a bad thing?"

"No, I don't think so…" She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, "LaCroix is going to want you dead…if he didn't before."

"Why's that? He set up a wedding for you two?"

"Yes…yes he has…it's the day before my execution…he'll…he'll marry me and kill me so he can get the insurance funds."

He laughed, "Sounds like a hell of a lotta work…" He put an arm around her waist, "He'll have to go through me first."

She looked up at the ceiling, to the sky, then she closed her eyes. _Dalton…I'll never forget you…but I owe my father. I'm not going to hide in the past my entire life._ "Can we elope?"

He raised a brow, "…we're not even _goin' out_ yet, are we?"

"I thought we were engaged."

"Jesus…" He combed his hair back out of his face, "Not yet…how much have you had to drink?"

"A little…" She paused and looked up at him again, "I want ten kids…is that okay? Maybe twelve?"

"Uh…." His throat bobbed as his cheeks turned a little red, "I think that's somethin' to bring for up another time…"

She closed her eyes and held onto one of his hands with both of hers, "Mercurio…" She said softly.

"Yeah?" His hand slowly squeezed hers back.

"I think you should get a haircut."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I've been…I've been getting to it."

"And a new outfit."

"Jeez, anything else you need to make me mister hunk?"

She giggled and kissed his cheek, "I just want you to look as good as I do."

"Oh, oh, that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He raised a brow and smiled back at her, "Don't know if that's possible." She giggled even more and kissed him again, a bit harder. He gently held one of her cheeks as he kissed her back, "Don't know what the hell I did to score a model, but hey, I'm not gonna complain. I'll do whatever I can to keep that head on your neck."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well? What do you think of those two? Only took…what…like…fifteen years? And what about Ferrum? Seemed he was stalking the Camarilla group for revenge! Is he planning an ambush? You'll see in the next couple chapters...thanks for reading!


	94. Chapter 94

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-four! The path was steep, but are things going to be all downhill from here, or are there going to be bumps along the way? Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, there is some steam in the first scene, if you like iced tea more, you can skim over it.

* * *

At first, when Cadmus entered his room, he didn't see Angelique anywhere. As he looked around, he saw her in the bathroom, the door half closed. She was standing on a stack of packaged toilet paper, using it as a stool so she could see herself in the mirror. She had a pair of scissors, and was trimming her hair. She turned as she heard him there, "Cadmus, you're back."

"I could've gotten you a _real_ stool or something." Cadmus offered with a smile.

Her cheeks flushed as she looked down, stepping down off the toilet paper, "I…I was too embarrassed to ask…" She muttered.

He gave her a big squeeze, kissing her on the forehead for a while, "How's my Fleance?"

She giggled and dropped the scissors on the sink, hugging him back and kissing his lips, "I'm good…what were you off doing this time?"

"I didn't tell you?" He ruffled her hair.

"No…no, what? Something happen?"

He broke the hug to give her some space, then he walked to the kitchen, looking out the window, at the starry sky, a giddy grin on his face the entire time. He held a hand out, clenching it into a fist, "I killed Caesar."

She followed after him, she had a black tee shirt on with black boxers, wait, were those his? "You did?" She asked, "You…you…you killed him? He's ash?"

"Yup, I burnt him alive, him and Andrei…the Sabbat leader. Their entire base is cinders right now."

"You…went into the Sabbat base…and killed them all?"

"Well, LaCroix sent a bunch of us in…I don't…I don't think he expected us to survive…" He rubbed the back of his head, "But hey, I finally did it, that's all that matters."

She stepped forward and hugged him, resting her head in his chest and closing her eyes before they heard a voice from the living room, "Killed us _all_ , huh?"

Angelique's eyes popped open, "…I'm hearing things, right?"

Cadmus turned around and broke away from the hug, pretty quickly too, but that was probably due to the combat instincts. He pulled his axe out and stood opposite of Ferrum, "So I guess you followed me home, huh? What's the matter, pal, did it get too hot in there for ya?"

"Yeah, it did." Ferrum glowed green as he grinned and took out a box of matches. "It's about to get just as hot in here."

Angelique followed Cadmus in with a sniper, then froze stiff as she stared at Ferrum. "This is your great plan?" Cadmus asked, "To burn a couple punks in Venture Tower? Then what are you gonna do? Run the Sabbat by yourself out here?"

"Burn the Prince to the ground. Sabbat's been sending reinforcements here for months. They're on their way, whether you like it or not." He snickered, "Dust me all you want, I don't give a damn, the Sabbat will _never_ die."

"Steadman…?" Angelique reached over and made Cadmus put his axe down.

Ferrum raised a brow, "Who the hell are you?"

Angelique quickly took her contacts out, as quickly as she could, before she looked up at him again, her eyes red and teary.

"…Angelique…?" He asked slowly, blinking. He was absolutely speechless.

She swallowed hard, "Whatever…just…burn the place down…"

He took a step back and dropped the matches to the floor, letting his Fortitude down, looking completely lost.

Cadmus dropped his axe, "Wait a minute…" His eyes shrunk, " _This guy's_ Steadman?"

"Yeah…" Angelique said softly, "That's…that's Steadman…"

"It's…" Ferrum scratched the back of his head, then barked out, "It's Ferrum, alright? Steadman's dead. What the hell are you doing around here? With the Camarilla?"

"What, am I not allowed to live?" She bared her teeth. They stood across each other like two dogs, well, Ferrum like a wolf, and Angelique like a terrier. "That's what I learned from the Sabbat…that…that ghouls are just…sacks of useless flesh."

"Tch." Ferrum looked away, then his eyes slid over to her again, "And the Camarilla's any better?"

She crossed her arms, "I hate the Camarilla."

"Then what the fuck are you doing here!"

"I love him." She held Cadmus's arm.

"Oh…brother…" He held his forehead. "This is why we don't make ghouls…"

Cadmus blinked a few times, he leaned over to Angelique, "Should I…should I go…so you guys can talk in private or something? I'll go in the bedroom…or…or the bathroom…if you want…"

"No." She muttered, "He was just on his way out."

Ferrum snarled, "With your regnant dead, you'd be a lot saner."

She growled, then seemed to lose it, "Why the hell are you even Sabbat? What's the thrill, huh? You like lashing out at people like some sort of rabid dog? You're just a filthy animal! You're not my friend, _Ferrum!_ "

"I like killing the entitled jackasses who ruined our lives!" He said, "What, did you forget everything? Did you forget your fucked up childhood? Maybe not, maybe cuz I was doing all the work, and you were moping around catching every disease you could!"

"I kill Camarilla too, but I'm not Sabbat! And what about the Anarchs, what, do you kill them too? For standing in your way?"

"…what the hell are the Anarchs?"

She rolled her eyes, "Ugh….you're completely helpless…this isn't the way to go, Steadman."

"Then what is?" He snapped, his voice more sharp and scratchy than anything low pitched, yet it was still enough to send chills down her spine.

"Work with me." She said firmly, "Work with me to take down the people who wronged us. I can tell you now that the Sabbat are just going to take advantage of whatever sort of incentive you have to kill. They don't care, and they never will. You're a target as long as you're with them."

"And you're not? How the hell are you even living here if you're killing Camarilla?"

"Colored contacts."

He glared at Cadmus, "And him? Isn't he a Cam?"

"He's one of the good ones." She squeezed his hand.

"What, a Brujah or something?"

"No, Ventrue. But…he's not gonna be caught dead in a suit and tie."

He snickered, then shook his head, "You're fucking nuts, Angelique."

"You have two options." She said firmly, before she held out a hand, "Stay with me and live this life instead…or…leave and…never come back. Make a life for yourself somewhere else. Work for the Sabbat, I guess…I don't care."

There was a pause, his eyes locked on her hand, before he reached forward and pushed her out of the way, heading for the door.

Angelique looked heartbroken, "Steadman…?" She turned.

"Damn it, he better not hurt anyone else in here." Cadmus fumed, then he stopped, "Wait…actually, the only other person I care about in here is Miranda…and I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself against a Sabbat Gangrel…hmm…LaCroix and Constantine live here…so…it might good…yeah, maybe he should stir the pot…but I swear to god, if he kills Chunk…"

"He…probably wouldn't…he likes cops…he always wanted to be one…" She muttered, picking up her sniper and bringing it back to the bedroom.

"Jeez…I didn't know he was Steadman…" He followed her, "I…I fought him quite a few times, I would've said something to him…try to guide him to the light…"

She shook her head, "He grew up…worse than I did. At least I had him…at least I had someone giving me food and advice…" She sighed and sat on the bed, "His dad was a famous jazz musician. Sounds like a key to success, but…he was an accident. Big, accident. So big, he got left in a dumpster. Some homeless man found him in there, took care of him for about three years before he croaked…from there Steadman started stealing and scrounging around for food or clothes…as he grew older and more bitter, it turned into killing….he'd kill innocents…he'd just kill people that looked at him funny…then…he caught the attention of the Sabbat…and there he went…"

He sighed, "Jeez…now I feel _worse_ …" He sat next to her.

"It's….it's fine…" She sighed, "He must be happy if he's…still doing it…must be…hell of a passion…"

He looked ahead, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

She turned and looked up at him, "Hmm?"

"It's about the people in the Camarilla that mysteriously keep disappearing…for some reason."

"Should I stop?" She asked, "Sorry…I just…I…" She looked down and kicked her legs back and forth, "I get bored. I get pent up in here, I just…I want to help you. I want to help you any way that I can and I know those people annoy you." Her shoulders drooped, "I'm like a dog with separation anxiety…"

"Yeah…I guess part of it is my fault…" He said, "I don't have you come out with me on my missions enough…but…I don't know, hearing you talk to Steadman…or Ferrum…or whatever his name is now…it just…sounded like you weren't really happy here…"

"I'm happy with you."

"Okay…you just…sort of sounded like a closet-Anarch for a minute or two…I didn't know you hated rich people and suits…"

"Yeah…that's always been more of his thing…but…I do hate them. They don't share their money…or anything…they just stay at the top and laugh at the people on the bottom."

"That almost sounds point-for-point like something Rodriguez told me once…"

"I'm not an Anarch. They're dirty and loud and way too obnoxious. No. I like the class of the Camarilla, at least. And I like you."

He stood up, pacing a little, "Yeah…I'm like that too." He said, "I feel like I really _could_ like the Camarilla…I just hate LaCroix and the shit he's done. Strauss is a pretty cool Camarilla elder. Victor's gotta have it made listening to him. I wouldn't mind taking orders from Strauss."

"Strauss…is he the Tremere Regent or something? I've never done work for Tremere, I don't really know how it works…"

"I mean, he's probably cold and manipulative too but…I don't know…I feel like not hearing much about Strauss is a good thing." He said as he hung his trench coat up.

"Yeah, that's a good sign, at least." She laid in the bed and got under the covers, "Can we cuddle again?"

"Sure." He took his other jacket off, as well as his pants and boots, slipping under the sheets besides her, "I have another question." He squeezed her.

She squeezed him back, "Should I start charging you for all these questions?" She smirked.

He shrugged, "If you're short on cash…"

She giggled and kissed his lips, "What's your question?"

"Why are you in my underwear?"

She stared at him, her face unwavering, "Cuz…"

"Why?"

"I dunno…they were lying around…they looked comfortable…want me to take them off?"

"Nah, it's fine." He kissed her.

She kissed him back and hugged him tighter, then said softly, "Cadmus…I love you…"

"I love you too."

Her eyes grew before she kissed him again, a little harder, with a little more zeal. Cadmus tried to match her speed, slowly reaching a hand up her shirt.

She let out a small sigh, her cheeks flushing red before she opened her eyes again, "…I'm sorry I'm…tiny…" She whispered.

"It's okay." He squeezed her, "You can't really…control your appearance…"

She squeezed him back and started kissing him again, rolling over so she was straddling his abdomen, kissing his lips, slowly drifting away to kiss his jawline and neck before she spoke softly in his ear, "If you want to drink from me…you can…"

"It's fine…hold on a second…" He gently moved her aside so he could take his shirt off, then he let her back on, "There we go."

She eyed over his abs, then leaned in and kissed his chest, trembling a bit, "Can…can you call me Fleance…?"

"Sure thing, Fleance." She closed her eyes and kissed his neck, slowly and almost timidly grinding against his abdomen. He snickered, "That might…feel a little better with the underwear off…"

"O-Oh…yeah…" She quickly slid them off, "Is…is it that obvious I've never done this before…?"

"It's fine, Fleance." He ruffled her hair, "We all have to learn somewhere." She kissed his lips again and rubbed his shoulders, shuddering as she squeezed her legs around him, it must have been excitement or anticipation. "Um…" He swallowed hard, "Would…would it be okay…if I asked _you_ to call _me_ something?"

"What?" She gave a little smile, her lips pink from all the kissing.

"Uh…jeez…it's…it's weird…but…"

"What? What is it?" She giggled a bit.

"Uh…I just thought…since we have the whole…ghoul thing going on…if…if you could call me…master or something…when we're about to finish…"

"Of course…as long as you keep calling me your little Fleance…"

"Sure thing, Fleance."

Her arms wrapped around him again as she went back to kissing his neck, occasionally licking it and gently biting if she got herself riled up enough. He sighed, palming a hand on her butt and giving it a rub. She closed her eyes tightly and groaned, taking a quick rest to lay on top of him, "So…so when do…do things happen with…?" She trailed off, "Should I be…doing something…?"

"Just relax." He kissed her lips, rubbing her butt a bit more. She kissed him back and let out a little groan, he had to admit, any sound she made sounded adorable with her high-pitched voice. He could feel her chest up against his through her shirt as she kept kissing his lips, harder and harder. "I'm…I'm just gonna…take your shirt off…maybe…"

"Okay…I…I can do it…" She took her shirt off, covering her arms over her breasts timidly as she blushed bright red.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know…" She muttered as she moved her hands away, "Sorry."

"Sorry…for what?"

"Being annoying…"

"You're not being annoying."

"…okay…" She tightened her legs around his abdomen and went back to kissing his neck, the feeling of her breasts against his chest was considerably better without the shirt. He groaned, shoving her down a bit so he could feel them better, reaching down and taking his underwear off too.

She sighed and started biting his neck, her nails digging into his shoulder ever so slightly as she started grinding against him again. He groaned back, reaching up and clamping down on both of her breasts, utilizing Blood Buff to ensure that he could finish her off.

Another groan passed through her lips as her nails dug in a little tighter. She bit her lip and panted out, "…m-master…"

He closed his eyes and sighed with a smile, groaning her name a few times to get her ready, then he slammed her down towards him, thrusting upward to penetrate her. His sighs grew louder as it went on, he held her butt firmly to keep her in place, all the while marveling the feeling of her breasts up against his chest.

She gasped at the feeling of him filling her up, tears rimming her eyes before they closed and she groaned his name like a growl. Her nails mercilessly dug into his back as to anchor herself, and her legs constricted around him like boas.

He groaned back, it got louder and louder as he kept thrusting, roaring her real name as he held her dearly. As she reached her climax, her entire body shuddered around his, then she started to relax, leaving gentle kisses on his chest and neck, rubbing his chest in soothing circles until he finished as well.

He rubbed her back, "You okay…?"

She nodded and rested her head on his chest, trying to keep her panting quiet, "Yeah…"

"Sorry if I hurt you…"

She kissed his lips and squeezed onto him like a bug on a leaf, "It's okay…it felt good…after the…the beginning…that's just cause I've never done this before, right?"  
"Yeah…something like that…" He said, "I'll be gentler next time."

"Please don't…"

He snickered, "Okay." He kissed her on the lips, "I'll let you rest up, then."

"You're resting too…it's…it's gotta be daytime by now…"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Nighty night…"

"Goodnight, Fleance."

* * *

"So what is this meeting even about, if you don't me asking?" Prospero asked as he sat down with the other Primogen, they were in one of the lower levels of Venture Tower, keeping LaCroix in peace.

"We are now at full-scale war with the Kuei-Jin." Mister Constantine said, pacing around the room, it seemed he took the matter upon himself to run the meeting, "We are going to call forth the aid of the Anarchs to help rid these eastern invaders."

"What?" Prospero asked, "You're…you're kidding, right?"

"No." Constantine frowned, "You are never to question LaCroix's ways. He already had Miss Frost assemble a coterie to handle the matter."

"I…I'm not sure how…willing the Anarchs would be to aid us in combat." Strauss mused quietly, while Goddard, as usual, couldn't be bothered to participate, as he was too busy reading.

"Nonsense." Constantine said, "The Kuei-Jin have the key to LaCroix's sarcophagus, we must strike them down now!"

"Do they…have the key?" Goddard asked, speaking so slowly it went over the other three's heads.

"And what about Gary?" Prospero asked, "We just gonna leave him in the dark in the Warrens? I think he's entitled to this information."

"Never mind him." He said, "He's betrayed LaCroix once too many times…if you ask me, we may have to look for a new Nosferatu Primogen soon, a better one."

"And…come to think…why don't we have a new Malkavian Primogen yet?" He asked, "Wasn't that they _first_ slot to get emptied?"

Constantine scoffed at the idea, "We have no need for a…maniac…polluting our council with their nonsense. This is an office to be held for _adults_ , is that clear?"

An eerie silence, it was clear that this sentiment horrified the three other Primogen.

"Good. I'll take your silence as a 'yes'." The Ventrue Primogen sighed, "Any other questions to report?" He glared at Prospero.

Prospero scowled. _What's the matter, hot-shot? Can't have free will to ask questions._ "You'll have to forgive me…" He gave a sarcastic laugh, "Back in London…we like to have _all_ our offices filled, not just…a few of them…"

"Well…we're not in London right now, are we?"

"Yeah, I can think of a few reasons why."

His eye twitched, "Out." He pointed at the door.

Prospero held up a middle finger as he left, "Do I have a tale to tell the Prince of London, I know what LaCroix's been doing…" He narrowed his eyes as he opened the door, "Cutting deals with the Kuei-Jin, in league with Ming-Xiao…that shit's gonna catch up with him…" He said.

"You will pay for your disloyalty towards LaCroix!"

"Interesting how you say it's _LaCroix_ I should be loyal too, and not the Camarilla…" Prospero said as he shut the door.

As he stepped foot in the streets, his phone started buzzing. He knew it could really only be one person. Unless LaCroix had already heard about his outburst and _called_ him, but even that was unlikely. He picked his phone up, "What?"

"Well someone's in a foul mood." He heard May's voice, "Oh, but…at least you're alive. I heard about the terrorist attack."

"Yeah, I wasn't even in the building…everything turned out fine…worst terrorist attack I've ever seen…I don't think anyone even died…actually, maybe a few cops did…"

"Oh, how fortunate. You should…stop by. I took the day off."

"Where?" He asked, "I swear to god, if you say 'Arizona'…"

"Well, where else do you want me to lay on the couch and have a fever, hmm? That disgusting Santa Monica hospital? No, I'd rather die. I have the best nurse here I could ask for."

He sighed, "You want me to come all the way to your house…while you have a fever? No sane cab driver is gonna take me there…"

"You work for LaCroix, get a private jet."

"Yeah, I'll just pull one out of my butthole for ya."

She chuckled, "I'll be waiting." She hung up.

After probably the longest taxi ride of his life, (and a long time persuading the cab driver to actually drive there), he made it to her house and paid a very lofty cab fee, knocking on the door. April opened it, looking rather worried, she had on a sweatshirt and sweatpants with a little white apron, "Oh…hello…I don't think she was expecting you…she's…she's got a little fever…" She paused, "Oh, but you came all the way out here for her…please, please come in." She moved out of the way, "I made some soup, would you like any?"

"Nah, its fine." Prospero let himself in, "Where is the spoiled brat…I mean, lovely lady…"

"In here!" He heard May's voice from what he assumed was her bedroom.

"She's in her room. She has a little headache too…I'm sure you'll be fine." April said as Prospero walked towards her bedroom.

May was lying in bed in a fluffy white robe, under the covers as well. Her hair still looked flawless, but her face was a little pale, dark bags under her eyes. "Hello, sweetheart." She smiled, her voice clear as day, so she must not have been congested or anything.

For some reason, seeing her like this really pulled at his dead heartstrings, "You don't look so hot." He said.

"Why thank you." She brushed some of her hair aside, "Nothing like a little food-poisoning on a Saturday evening." She looked over at her phone on the nightstand, "I haven't even touched it. Damian hasn't stopped calling me."

"Food-poisoning?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I should have known not to trust food from fans….oh well." She shrugged, "It's nothing that's going to kill me."

Prospero didn't even know April was leaning against the doorframe until he heard her voice, "You were hardly alive this morning. Because you don't eat. The poison went right to your head."

"Yes it did." May said, "But I had a glass of water, I had some of your soup, I'm getting better."

April sighed, then disappeared again.

"Angel's upset too." May mused, "Hasn't had his nightly romp."

"Your sister's right, you know." Prospero said.

She sighed, "Well, what am I going to do? Eat? Get fat? Lose my job? If I lose my job, I lose her too. I lose the house, I lose my car, my dog, my fame, and my sister. So excuse me for sacrificing a little bit of comfort here and there for her."

"I didn't know dying was so much better."

"I'm not _dying_." She rolled her eyes, "So dramatic."

He snarled, "How long are you going to keep your head in the damn sand for this?"

"Don't raise your voice at me." She snapped, "What do you want me to do, Prospero? I'm doing everything I can without degrading myself."

"I've been trying to help you since minute one, but you've been brushing me off here and there. You need to realize that your current occupation is nothing but trouble, and that shit's gonna catch up with you faster than you think." He smiled and shook his head, "I guess _everyone_ needs their lessons spoon-fed to them…"

She crossed her arms, "Well, then what do you want me to do?" Her eyes burned into his, "Strip? Prostitute? I'm completely useless."

"Maybe I can find you a job."

"As a body guard? I'm not nearly strong enough for that. I can hardly open a bottle of toothpaste…"

"I wasn't talking about that…" He took a frustrated sigh, "It depends on what the foundation still has open…"

She sighed, "Fine. Then go for it. When they ask for six college degrees that I never had time to get, then you'll understand."

"Pfft, you think I went to college?" He paused, "Well…I did…but…I'm pretty sure if they let a moron like me in, I think you'll be fine…"

"Then…go ahead and look for me. I'll take anything." She said softly, "I…I guess eating again doesn't sound too painful…"

"Secretarial stuff? That okay?"

"Sounds reasonable…as long as it pays enough."

"Money won't be an issue if you're working with me."

She smirked, then held a hand up and curled a finger in, motioning him towards her.

"May…"

"Come here."

He sat on the edge of her bed, "This close enough?"

She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and gave him a surprising yank towards herself so she could kiss his cheek.

"Ugh…" He wiped his cheek off, "Now I have your _plague_ …" He said, though this time, it sounded like he was back to his old self, in terms of the teasing.

"It's nothing contagious…" She rolled her eyes, "Go have some of April's soup, if you're so worried, it's quite good."

"I think I'll pass." He said, still sitting on her bed, if anything, sitting closer to her, since he hadn't repositioned himself from the kiss yet.

"I'm feeling a lot better…you know…" She said, "Did you want to hand me the thermometer…? My fever might be gone."

He grabbed it and handed it to her. She opened her mouth for him to put it in. "What, are your hands broken too?" He made a face.

She rolled her eyes and snatched it from him, sticking it in her mouth and pouting for a minute. She took it out and put it back on the nightstand. "Ninety-nine. I'm all better."

"Isn't it ninety-eight point six or something?"

"It's the same thing."

"I'm surprised it wasn't three-hundred or something…" He chuckled, "You know, considering how much _hot air_ you're full of…"

"You're a bastard."

He burst out laughing, "Aw, come on…you gotta…you gotta let it sit for a minute or two…that's when it gets _really_ funny…"

"Come here and give me another fever."

"What?"

"Don't make _me_ come to _you_." She said, then her lips quirked up in a smirk, "Though…I guess that's already happened a few times, quite a while ago…"

"How did we get from 'you're a bastard' to 'come fuck me'?"

"I was _teasing_. I thought _you_ out of all people would know what teasing is."

"Eh, sometimes I forget."

"So…what's it going to be?" She asked with a smile, "Pick your poison. Sleeping with me or trying to leave and having my sister stuff her soup down your throat."

"Pretty sure neither is an option."

"Then go ahead. Try it."

He frowned, "Why is it whenever we have a moment or something you just decide to _throw yourself_ at me?"

"Because I like you, Prospero." She said blandly, "And I've been bored for such a long time. You're so interesting. So, _so_ interesting."

"That's it? That's why you want to have sex with me?" He asked, "Isn't…isn't the time we're spending together good enough? I like what we have."

"Well, that's why I want to have sex with you, at least. Because you're interesting. I know you'd show me a good time. I never said I wanted to…start dating or something. I know you wouldn't like that. I'm fine with being friends…I love spending my time with you. I would never want to lose that."

"I…I like spending time with you too…" He said, "Sorry for what I said earlier…I feel like I end up taking out my stress of the night on you…"

"I can only imagine work must be difficult now more than ever." She said, her gaze dropped down to the bedsheets.

He reached out and gave her a hug, an adoring one, by how firm the squeeze was. He rested his head on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and hugged him back, reaching a hand up and gently combing her fingers through his hair, "I can just never predict what you're going to say to me, you know…" She purred.

"Oh?" He snickered, "You don't think the same applies to you?"

She giggled and kissed his cheek again, "I think it makes things interesting."

"I might need to get some shut eye soon…my head hurts from that damn meeting…"

"Alright…" She gently moved her arms back so he could sit up if he wanted to, "Did you want to go back to the basement?"

"Probably." He said, "Or I could stay here…" He briefly checked the windows to see if they were shielding the outside world enough.

"I could…put sheets over them…" She said slowly, "Are you afraid someone will see you?"

"Something like that…" He said, "Look, I'll do it. You just stay here, conserve your strength."

"If you insist…" She mused before she pointed to the closet, "There are some extra blankets in there you could just hang over the curtain rods."

He got up and did what he could to cover the windows, then he went into the bathroom to take his clothes off, coming back out in nothing but a shirt and boxers, he stopped and felt his head, "Damn it all…it's getting worse…"

"Come here." She motioned for him to lay next to her, "Do you want some water?"

"It's fine." He shook his head and got into the covers next to her, bashfully giving her a bit of room.

The space didn't last long before she squeezed herself around him and rubbed his temples, her eyes looked a little worried, "Maybe you should call out tomorrow if you have a migraine."

"I…I don't think they'll be expecting me tomorrow anyway…"

"You can stay here then, if you'd like."

He smiled, "I would appreciate that." He kissed her lips for a while, "Once you're all better, I'm going to help you get a new job. You'll be able to eat normally, live normally, it'll be good."

She met his gaze for a while, the look on her face reminiscent of the look a teenage girl would have if someone gave them a ticket to some sort of boy-band. She held his face with two hands and kissed him much harder. He kissed her back, giving her a big hug as he did so.

* * *

Something about the way his footsteps landed on the floor sounded different than most. They were dress shoes, so they had the same sound, but it was the rhythm that was off. Jagged and unpredictable, like he was in a stupor of sorts. That was the sound that let LaCroix know he was there without even looking up. "The Anarchs?"

"What about them?" Dragomir asked, scratching his chin, "Oh! You thought _I_ went to their nest? No."

"Then…what do you want?" He looked up with increasing frustration, "You're wasting your own time, as well as mine."

"I just thought I'd…let you know you rolled a hell of a pair of snake eyes."

"…I beg your pardon?"

Dragomir grinned, as he always did, but this one was different. LaCroix didn't need to see his eyes to know that some sort of devil was laughing inside his head, "Your ghouls are no longer."

LaCroix stood up, "You've killed my ghouls?"

"What? No. There is no blood on my hands. Actually, no, there is plenty of blood on my hands. But none of which is theirs. Their hearts? Yes, those were in my hands, briefly, before they took them back."

"What have you done to my agents…?" He seethed.

"They're happier than they've ever been. So sorry about the wedding. I can be quite the party crasher."

"Wedding…?"

"Yes, Harper LaCroix is now Harper Mercury."

"…wh-what? What are you saying?"

Dragomir raised a brow, "Quite tragic that you're unable to even unscramble my words. My words aren't even very scrambled to begin with, I think."

"Where is she?"

"Rivers?" He asked, "Canada."

"Canada!?"

"Yes, that was what he told me last, they dying phoenix."

He shook his head in utter confusion, "Where are my ghouls?"

" _Your ghouls?_ Oh. Well, likely in Santa Monica, where they plan your death."

"…my _death?_ "

"Yes." Dragomir saluted, "Sir. I'll be going. You've lost your ghoulish bride, is what I came here to say."

LaCroix was speechless for a moment, before he shook his head, "Go."

"Aye." He turned around and left, snickering on his way out, "You haven't lost the chilled one yet." The doors closed.

LaCroix sat back in his desk, "Her execution date…has just been moved. It's been moved to tomorrow evening." He stood up again and paced back and forth, "Tomorrow evening…" He repeated to himself, before he just started laughing, "They think this will push me off my feet? No, no…no…Well…one thing has been made clear." He decided, "After her death, will come that…pestering imp's. He'll fall harder than his sire…" He muttered, "And then, I'll have Mercurio dealt with." He looked at his own reflection in the glass of the windows, "I'll have her…and Frost…and my sarcophagus…" He smirked at himself, "You…will be unconquerable."

* * *

 **A/N:** What an ego. Sometimes it physically hurts to write some of these characters…Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!


	95. Chapter 95

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-five! A taste of Anarchs, Camarilla and Sabbat! Enjoy! Also, big thanks go out to Senya Tsukino for such a kind review! We'll keep chugging along as much as we can!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

The last time Anastasia saw Damsel cry like this had to be when Lark went missing. And it was ironic, too, who she held onto as she cried. It was Nines.

It wasn't even like he was pronounced dead, which as Skelter told her, was a good sign. The Camarilla has the tendency to brag, so if they did kill Nines, the whole world would know about it.

But, then again, it could have very easily been someone a little quieter. Or, some _thing_ , really. His death couldn't be completely ruled out.

And for Damsel? It was like the second he stopped answering her calls, his tombstone was erected. She blew her nose into a tissue and threw it in the garbage can nearby, wiping her eyes, "Thanks for staying here with me."

"Hey, it's fine." Anastasia said, going through a special hell of her own. She felt selfish to completely ignore all the chaos surrounding Nines's death, but now that Jeanette was out to get her, nothing seemed entirely peaceful anymore.

She sniffed again, "God…I hate this…there's nothing I hate more than…than not knowing something, you know? Like…what if he's still out there? What if he's running? What if he needs us…? And here we are…sitting around…doing nothing…"

"I know…we just need to have faith that he's okay."

She gave a little nod, "God…and I feel even worse just staying here…he told me to protect the Last Round with my life…and here I am…" She looked up at Anastasia, "At least you're here…thanks…it means a lot…I know you could be spending time with…with your special person…and here you are…sitting here and listening to me bitch and complain…"

She gave her a hug, "I want to help as many people as I can with this. We can overcome this. Nines is a tough guy, I'm sure he'll pull through, and we'll undo the stupid Blood Hunt, and then he'll be laughing in the Last Round with us."

Damsel giggled and squeezed Anastasia back, "God, I love you…you're like…the human equivalent to ice cream…"

"Ooh, am I? I think that's giving me a little too much credit…"

"That's what Nines said, at least…" She muttered as she took a deep breath, "And he'll…he'll be around to say it again…" She said, then she shook her head, "I just can't do that. I can't just…say he's alive…I can't just trust him…because if he's not, I'll never forgive myself…"

"It's hard to say for sure, now."

She gave a shaky sigh and leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes, "Everything…sucks…"

Anastasia's phone started ringing. She swallowed hard, picking it up, "Hello?"

"Yo." She recognized her boyfriend's voice, "Where are you?"

"Oh thank god…" She sighed, "I'm at Damsel's place."

"Damsel there? She got a working TV? Radio? Something?"

"Yeah, she's got a TV."

"Good. Turn on the news. What is it, channel two or some shit? I dunno. Turn it on."

"Right, okay." She looked at Damsel, "Turn on the news."

"The news…?" She asked, sitting up and grabbing the remote, then flickering through channels.

The screen popped up to what appeared to be the Griffith Park Observatory, a concrete wall bathed in moonlight. However, there was a news reporter there, standing next to the wall and giving a report. Around her was yellow police tape, keeping people away from the wall, and kids standing around the tape, taking pictures of the wall on their cell phones.

The reporter was in the middle of their spiel, "…and the sample is still being processed in a lab, where the origin of all this blood is being tested." The camera zoomed into the wall.

Damsel put her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the screen in awe. On the wall in big, written in unmistakable bold letters with what had to be blood, was 'DAMSEL'.

"Back to you, Hank." The reporter said before the screen cut away.

"He…he's alive…" Anastasia quivered, in a positive state of shock.

"I'll…let you handle her." Skelter said before the line cut off.

Damsel started sobbing into her hands, but they were relieved sobs, they sounded much lighter than anything from before. Anastasia gave her another hug, "See, I told you he'd be fine."

Damsel hugged her back, "I can't believe it…" She sniffed and closed her eyes, "That…son of a bitch better not have used his own blood…"

"Yeah…that…that would cause a problem or two of its own…"

She shook her head, "I'm never gonna hear the end of it from Jack…"

"Probably not."

She opened her eyes again, "Why…out of all things, did he write _my_ name…?"

"I could think of a few reasons." She smiled.

Her bright blue eyes looked up at Anastasia's, "What…? Like…like what?"

"You really don't know why? Why he would pick your name over everyone else's?"

She swallowed hard and looked back towards the TV, "He can't like me…I've only been doing this for fourteen years….he's been here for so long…" She said before she looked back up at Anastasia, "Besides…I'm not…like…girlfriend material…I never wanted a boyfriend…I never wanted any of that…I…I don't get it…"

"Uh-huh…sure, well then, in that case, maybe he just doesn't care if you don't get it."

Damsel rested her head against Anastasia's arm, "I fucking hate everything…"

"What?" She asked, "You don't feel anything back for him?"

"I don't know…" She muttered, "I've never been…been good at this…I'm not like you…"

"In some cases, that can be a good thing."

"Yeah…not this one…"

She squeezed her, "It'll be okay, he's alive though, that's what counts."

* * *

Arguably, one of the worst feelings is being stared at. Pair that with somehow also being ignored, and that just about tipped Ferrum over the edge.

The Ventrue that walked by glared at him like some sort of rabid dog. They'd scrunch their noses up and walk away from him. If there were two or three in little groups, he'd hear them mutter, "Ugh, what is that thing?" Or, "How did that get in?"

They weren't aggressive, at least. They weren't Dominating him to jump out the window or drawing guns and taking aim. They were just brushing past him and hoping he'd stop making their hallway smell like Sabbat.

That was when he found himself in a room with six elevators. Six. And he had no recollection of which one he took. Last time, he saw an elevator open and a Ventrue get out, so he hopped in and mashed a fist on all the glowing buttons, hoping one of them did something. Luck was on his side, as he soon smelled Cadmus's room on that very floor, and was able to track him down. But the way back? He was clueless.

 _Well…they are doors, right? Maybe I can just…pick one and open it and see where it goes…_ He grabbed the first set of doors, sticking his fingers in the small gap and gritting his teeth as he pulled with all his might. Ventrue glared at him, and skittered off even louder, he could hear their footsteps behind him. _Goddammit…that ain't working…_ He stood back and saw a little button with an arrow on it. _Damn technology…always making things ten times more difficult…_ He mashed his fist on the button a few times. Seconds ticked by.

Nothing happened.

He let out a feral growl, then pulled on the doors again, "Goddammit!"

A pair of gentle, delicate, black-nailed hands went over his, guiding his pointer finger out to press a singular button, with that, the elevator doors popped open. He turned his head over his shoulder just enough so one of those deep green eyes could see her face. He looked her over and said, "You're that chick from before…"

"Yes." She moved away from him, giving him space, "And I suppose you've survived, then."

"Yeah." He looked down at his pants and boots, they were blackened and charred, "Hardly." He looked back up at her, "You uh…you know if there's a way to get ta' Santa Monica without a taxi?"

"Why do you need to go to Santa Monica?"

"Tch. Reasons." He stopped the door before it closed, "Tell Cadmus and Angelique they won't have to worry about me anymore, alright, dollface?"

"You've spoken to Cadmus and Angelique?"

"Yeah…why else would I be here? Killing the Prince would be suicide." He snorted, "Literally."

"With what connections do you have with them?"

"Why the hell does it matter?"

"I was wondering whether or not I should inform them that I killed you."

He rolled his eyes, "Angelique's like a little sister, alright? We grew up together. Cadmus is just her regnant…he hasn't been backstabbing the Camarilla or anything."

"Oh, I should've known this was somehow related to Cadmus." She smiled, "He does seem to attract a voracious rabble, when he wants to."

"…I just said, Cadmus's got nothin' to do with this."

"Oh, I disagree, he was one who was kind enough to take Angelique in, I was going to kill her…follow LaCroix's protocol…but…recently, I must confess, I'm not sure what to think of the man now…"

His eyes flickered to a pair of Ventrue that walked by and glared at them, "Maybe this ain't the type of conversation to have out here."

"Why don't you come with me to my room, hmm?"

He stared at her for a moment, "You're not gonna poison me…er…slit my throat er…"

"No, I've noticed that you didn't know how to use an elevator." She pressed the button again, stepping inside, "That isn't just…normal Sabbat shovelhead behavior." He said, smiling and motioning a hand forward, "Come along."

He stepped in with her, "Gee, thanks. Good to know."

Their eyes met, as the elevator rose to her room, "What was your life like _before_ you were Embraced?"

"Why should I tell you?" He reached back and tied his hair in a knot to get it out of his face, then lurched a bit as the elevator came to a stop, "Dammit…"

"I see, that's unfortunate that you chose to be this way." She said as the doors opened, "Come along." She walked out, "If you stay in their too long, the doors will shut in your face."

He followed her into her room, looking around at everything, especially the stove and refrigerator, almost as if he had really never seen one. He looked back at her, "So then why are you here if you don't like LaCroix? What's up with all these Cammies hating the Camarilla?"

"I'm not in the mood to discuss politics." She said, then she cautiously asked, "Do you know what a shower is?"

He crossed his arms, "Yeah." He paused, "Don't tell me you took me all the way up here so I could use your _shower_. I'll just _leave_."

"You're not going to get very far in this life smelling like that." She said bluntly, "Unless your sacred journey to Santa Monica involves killing yourself, or reviving some, arduous Sabbat cult…"

"I'm sure as hell not going back to the Sabbat." He snapped, "I'm done with those motherfuckers. I'm done with them, I'm done with the Camarilla too. I'm done with everyone, I don't care who thinks I _smell_ or who thinks I'm an idiot. I'm gonna go…go live under the pier. Alone."

"Is that really what you want?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean? Of course it is." He leaned against the counters and rubbed his forehead, "Look, maybe I have no fuckin' clue what I want. But I'm not gonna figure that out with a bunch 'a people screaming at me to do shit for 'em. I'm my own boss, that's how it's always been."

"Being alone has its own share of advantages and disadvantages. What about Angelique? Wouldn't you miss her after a year or two? Wouldn't you get lonely? Didn't you ever want to _try_ and see if you could ever…connect with another person…?"

"People don't like me." He muttered, "It ain't about me. It's them."

"People don't like you because of the circumstances you were under, which…I'm still in the dark about…but if you brush through your past, perhaps try and embrace a new sort of…calling, it may change your outlook on things…rather than just…hiding forever…"

"So…you're sayin' I should get a hobby?"

"Well…" She gave a small smile, "Sort of…you're a vampire, so, theoretically, hiding under the pier would work, as you could feed on people in secret and you wouldn't have to worry about kine food and finances…but it stands to reason that you would…get bored of that…I'm assuming…"

He narrowed his eyes and stared at the floor, "Boredom's never really had the chance to sneak up on me yet. I dunno if it ever would."

"The choice is yours. I merely wanted to provide some assistance with cleanliness…as your prey may pick up on the…smell you have…from a reasonable distance…"

He crossed his arms, "What does your soap smell like? Girly crap? I'd rather smell like horse shit than flowers."

"Is that what's stopping you…I think I have a…neutral smelling soap…if that's the most of your concerns…"

"Yeah…thanks…" He grumbled, almost sounding shameful for thanking her, "You're gonna need to…uh…show me how to use it."

"Of course. Follow me." She led the way up the stairs, "So what shall I call you?"

"I don't…even fucking know anymore…" He grumbled on the way up, "Steadman…I guess. Er Ferrum…whatever's…less dumb sounding…"

"They both sound fine." She looked at him, "I'm Miranda, pleased to meet you."

"Miranda. Right." He nodded, feeling as if he was doing the whole 'introduction' thing completely wrong, "Nice to…meet you…I guess…I mean, we already met…so…" He scratched the back of his head, "Whatever."

She led him to her bathroom, digging around for a towel, after shifting through a few purple ones, she hung a black one up on the door, "You can use that to dry up." She said, "Alright…so either of these two knobs will make water come out of the apparatus, the blue one will be cold water, and the red one will be hot. You may have to mix the two until you find a balance that suits you." She pointed to a third, center knob, "This one controls where the water comes out, from the bottom nozzle, or the higher up showerhead." She twisted it for a moment, "There…I set it to the showerhead for you." She looked around, "Oh, as for soap, you can use that white one in the center, it doesn't give a feminine smell."

He nodded, then he pulled his shirt off and handed it to her, "Here, might as well burn this. Get me something new and I'll pay ya back…uh…somehow. I don't exactly have…any cash…but I can get ya something…what, like, a fancy ring or something? What do you like?"

"It's alright." She smiled, "I'll have new clothes for you by the time you're out of the shower, okay?"

He gave a little nod, "…this's gotta be the first time someone's ever just…done something for me…doesn't feel right…"

"Take as long as you need." She said, "I often find a shower an ideal time for…reflection."

"Uh….yeah, thanks." He pat her head and started futzing with the water.

"I'll be around if you need any help." She said as she left. After scrambling around to get him new clothes, (mostly Dominating others to do it for her), she returned to her room.

As soon as she returned, she saw him sitting on the couch, the black towel wrapped around his waist as he looked at the remote like it was some sort of torture device. His hair was tied back as well with…was that a rubber band? He put it down as she walked in with the clothes. "Hey."

"Here you are." Miranda handed him a stack of clothes, that overall fit the same look, color scheme, and theme he wore before, only they were much cleaner, "I also have a hair tie, if you would like one."

"Hair tie?" He asked, "The hell is that?"

She left the room, returning with a tiny black hair tie, "You might find it more comfortable than a rubber band."

He slowly took the hair tie, stretched it a bit in his hand, then yanked the rubber band out, shaking it off before he handed it to her, "I uh…might have dug around some of your cabinets to find this…"

"Um…right…" She said, "That's alright." She sat next to him.

He grabbed the pile of clothes, then grabbed the shirt and unfolded it, a grin on his face, "Hey, look at that, it's like…the same thing…" He pulled it on, then lifted it up and brought it to his nose to smell it, "Ugh…smells funny…must be what new clothes smell like…" He said before he looked over at her, "Guess I'll let you in on a little something."

"Yes?" She crossed her legs.

"You wanted to know why I'm…why I'm a different type of shovelhead. Cuz most of those shovelheads had houses at…one point. Or families. Or money. I didn't have any of that."

"I see. You were impoverished."

"Yeah. My old man was…" He grit his teeth, "Fuckin' asshole. Threw me in a goddamn dumpster at two months. Eighteen years later he had the moxie to introduce himself as some…well-off asshole. Told me to beat it." He crossed his arms, "You see all those bums out there by the can-fires and street corners? Yeah, _that's_ my family. Or the closet thing I'll get. Angelique's the same deal." He stood up and grabbed the pile of clothes, "Thanks for these." He said a bit softer, but his voice still had a natural graze to it, "Sure I can't pay ya back somehow?"

"It's alright. You've been through enough, far be it from me to charge you for every ounce of help I give to you." She said, "In the future, if you ever need help, or a place to rest, and have nowhere else to turn, you know where to go."

"…why? What the hell did I do to get this?"

"Because I was you, Ferrum."

"…huh?"

"I lived in a cage, from the age of ten, to the age of about twenty." She said, "I completely missed the outside world for a decade, and when I was introduced back into it, I was lost, lost beyond imagination, probably…I suspect…as lost as you feel right now." She explained, "Only I didn't have anyone explain to me how anything work, I had to figure things out for myself, so when I met you I…" She stopped, a little embarrassed, judging by how nervous she sounded, "I…wanted to give you the opportunities I didn't have…"

He looked down at the blank TV screen, "Who put you in a cage?"

When she looked over to offer her response, his fists were clenched, he must have been grinding his teeth. "This man…a vampire hunter…but…I killed him several nights ago…be careful…with grinding your teeth, the pain may come back to haunt you later, I speak from experience."

"He's dead?"

She nodded, "I tried to make it as karmic as possible…"

He snickered, "Good. I'm gonna go change."

When he came back out, he saw her with a wine glass full of blood, "So what are your plans now?" She asked as she took a sip, "Did you want some blood?"

"…are you drinking blood out of a glass…?"

"I am."

"…huh…" He sat next to her again, "I guess I'll take some."

She left the room, returning with a glass of blood for him, "It should taste divine, though, I have no idea where you typically got your blood in the past."

He gently took the glass, almost a little grossed out with it, "Thanks." He took a sip of it, then his eyes widened as he downed the whole thing, "Man…is that…like…the blood of a king or something?"

"Sort of." She smiled, "Our…clan weakness dictates that if our blood isn't in condition like that, it comes back up…"

"Jeez…that…that sucks…" He muttered as he set the glass on the table, "Guess I'll get out of your hair…Prince'd probably skin me alive if he saw me in here."

"Do not be afraid to come back, in the event you need assistance. You're always welcome."

"Yeah…if I can find my way back up here." He snickered as he stood up, "Miranda. I won't forget that name."

"I won't forgot yours either." She smiled, "Farewell, Ferrum."

* * *

Moving a planned event was one thing. Especially when moving it to an earlier time. It almost always interrupted something. In Harper's case, it interrupted her ability to _live_.

The email told her that the execution had been moved for convenience sake. Moved to _today_. And that she was to meet him in his office. Was he really going to kill her in his office? How classless was he really?

She opened the doors without knocking and walked into his room, "Oh, so sorry I'm late." Her voice was laced with sarcasm, "Not that it really matters. No one will know I'm dying. You'll probably just convince Gary to…type up an article about how…Nines Rodriguez flew out of the sky and killed me with a chainsaw."

LaCroix chuckled softly, facing the windows, "Is that so?"

She sat on his desk, then looked over at the Sheriff, "So what's it going to be? Suicide? Head cutting? I'm interested."

"It has come to my attention that you've been…spending a considerable amount of time with Mercurio."

"Mercurio? Yes. I have."

He turned around, "I see. Well, that is neither here nor there." He swatted a hand and walked closer to her, "You were curious about Agoge, and my heritage."

"…vaguely…" She said slowly, a bit creeped out about how close he was getting to her. She stood her ground, done with acting like his skittish little plaything.

"I was Embraced by a Belgian nobleman who's attention I had attracted while in Napoleon's ranks."

"Alright….why does this matter?" She raised a brow.

"Because…my Embrace…" He looked away, before he met her gaze again, "This event, simply reminds me of that time."

She looked confused, before her eyes widened and she stumbled back, "Oh…no…no, I thought this was an execution…" She reached in her pocket and aimed her pistol at him, "You aren't getting near me. _He's_ going to kill me." She looked at the Sheriff, "Or you're going to use Suicide. I am not becoming your Childe, being your ghoul was hell enough."

He chuckled softly, "Though, I suppose you have an advantage…that is, knowing about the World of Darkness." An orange glow surrounded him, Harper froze in her steps and shuddered, dropping her gun to the ground.

The Prince chuckled and walked towards her again, still glowing orange, "I've already purchased a domain for you in New York. Together, we will rule the country…" He said, "And perhaps the world. I plan to keep Miss Frost in L.A. After the sarcophagus is opened, I am going to return to Europe and take London. From there, I will spread my forces…I can see it already…can't you?" He asked, turning to her, "But, in order for you to be a Prince, you need to be Kindred. I've waited for long enough. There were only two choices for you, when you became my ghoul. Embrace, or death."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook, like a deer caught in headlights, she was completely paralyzed.

He reached forward and gently brushed a hand against her cheek, "You've always wore humanity so well…but I know you'll wear Kindred even better." He said with a smirk as he looked her in the eye, "A shame we never saw eye to eye, but perhaps…now, you will understand."

His hands were as cold as ice, one firmly gripping her waist, the other clasped around her back as his head tucked in between her head and shoulder, his canines grazing across the skin of her neck.

A scream finally split through her lips as his Presence fell. She did everything she could to pull herself away from him, but his unhuman strength overpowered hers. He pushed her back, she swore she heard him snarl as they stumbled across the room.

She pushed his face away, only a drop of her blood leaking down her neck as they stood in a deadlock. She pushed as hard as she could on his shoulders, but his arms gripped around her tighter as he pushed her back further.

It was completely out of his character, she was beyond shocked. He'd hardly shake people's hands, and here he was, grabbing her like some sort of maniac. Her mind fluttered with escape plans, before it hit her, she had to kick him. Kick him in the chest, since his arms were holding hers in an awkward position. She was just about to do it, when suddenly, her footing gave up beneath her.

He had pushed her back into the sarcophagus. She gasped at the sudden churn in momentum, but mostly, of the feeling of his fangs piercing her skin. Her blood was burning, her heart beat louder than it ever had, and her muscles completely gave out. The fight was over. LaCroix had won. Her eyes closed unconsciously, as darkness consumed her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Tee hee. Thanks for reading!


	96. Chapter 96

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-six! These chapters just keep getting heavier and heavier…enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

After knocking a handful of times, Cadmus assumed LaCroix was attending a meeting somewhere. Constantine was badgering him about passing a message onto LaCroix about the Brujah Primogen. He could think of ten better uses of his time, but he didn't really have much of a choice to reject his sire, or he would make a big fuss about it LaCroix, and he would inevitably get into trouble. He turned and reached out to press for the elevator, but the second he hit the button, he heard a shriek inside the penthouse.

Cadmus bust through the door, the only person who was in their usual spot was the Sheriff, LaCroix had Harper leaned up against the sarcophagus. It seemed LaCroix was either kissing her neck endearingly or, performing an Embrace right in his very office. He was hesitant about doing anything until he noticed the amount of blood dripping down from Harper's arm down onto the floor. Cadmus put his fist in front of his mouth and cleared his throat.

LaCroix pulled himself away from Harper, but held her body up against his, because if he didn't, she would have fallen to the ground. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, "Get out…" He held a hand out, Cadmus was sure he was going to use Dominate.

"Constantine wants me to tell you something."

"What?" His eyes narrowed, "What is it?"

"The…the…uh…" He looked at Harper, he had _never_ met the woman sober, and each time he had seen her, she was drunk with misery. He had his doubts about LaCroix before, the man annoyed him to no end, but this, laid out before him, seemed to clear the air more than anything. More than the alliance with Ming-Xiao. More than the constant back-to-back suicide missions. And more than the poor treatment of all of his friends. This, poor treatment of his ghoul, this human, who was being used even more poorly than the Sabbat ghouls. So he slowed his message, stalling in the case that Harper may wake up and clue him into what the hell was happening, "The…the…the Brujah Primogen…angered him…" If he went any slower, LaCroix would kick him out anyway, "Angered him at a meeting. I guess he wants you to talk to him about it."

"Mister Kingston's angered him…?" LaCroix seemed completely confused, "Why?"

Sure enough, Cadmus's plan had worked, as one of Harper's eyes opened and she gave a soft moan. She shuddered, then pushed away from LaCroix. He didn't want to make a scene in front of Cadmus, so he let her pull herself away. She stumbled back and pulled her gun from her pocket, aiming it at the Prince's head. Her arms were shaking so much, her skin was so pale, it looked like she'd collapse forever any second.

Cadmus's eyes went from Harper to LaCroix, "I guess I'm interrupting something?" He gave a slight wink to Harper when the Prince didn't notice, giving a little backwards nod towards the door as well.

"Yes." LaCroix crossed his arms, "If you could…make your exit."

Harper stumbled back and grabbed onto Cadmus's coat so she could stand, "He…" She choked out weakly, "He killed my father…he's trying…to kill me too…"

LaCroix chuckled softly and shook his head, "It appears Miss Rivers has had an encounter with a Malkavian. Her Embrace was scheduled for tonight, there is nothing out of control."

Cadmus's felt a lurch near his heart, he constantly had to look the other way when LaCroix would do heinous acts such as these. He felt every fiber of his person being challenged at this very moment. "Go." He said lowly to Harper, "Get out of this tower and don't come back, go someplace safe. Start over, do something!"

She nodded wearily and ran out of the room as quickly as she could.

LaCroix looked infuriated, really, "I'm not sure what gave you the incline to toss my property onto the streets."

"Hey, your ghouls not listening to you isn't really my fault."

He gave an irritated sigh, then swatted Cadmus off, "Very well. You're dismissed. I'll speak to the Primogen."

He turned away, looking at the floor, "People might want to know where the hell all this blood came from…"

"I would have had time to clean the blood if her Embrace had not been interrupted." He said bitterly, licking his lips again, perhaps taking in any leftover blood there, "In which case, again, I'm not entirely sure why you felt the need to interrupt. You were _supposed_ to be dealing with the Anarchs."

"Didn't seem like she wanted to be Embraced." He said, still facing the door.

"I don't see what business you have involving yourself in the matter."

"Really? Because I think Harper was inches away from ending up exactly like me."

His eyes narrowed, "Miss Rivers had signed a termination from her… _internship_ , if you will. If you would like to see the evidence," He tapped on his desk, a stack of papers there. "Both signatures are present. She was aware of every action she took and every word she spoke."

He whirled back around, so their eyes met, "I don't know what the full story is, but I know you fucked up her life." He said, "She was either drunk, or on pills. Is that what your Camarilla is, huh? Being doped up on something constantly until you're Embraced against your will?" He asked, "Huh…must be a _your_ cabinet thing, because every other Camarilla territory seems to be doing just fine, for some suspicious reason…"

LaCroix's eyes narrowed again, before he paced over to the windows, "Tell me, Mister Vanderbilt, have you ever…managed a group of people?" He asked, "Perhaps, ran an organization? With your…hunters?"

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to relate to you on the basis of the difficulties of leadership?"

LaCroix sneered before he turned away, "No. Perhaps, I should ask, a different question. Where was it you were raised?"

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Los Angeles has been known as one of the most…precarious Jyhad locations. Therefore, I was sent here due to my talent to…break the unbreakable." He turned to Cadmus, "What many see as chaos, I see as management. The Anarchs will be crushed, as the Sabbat have been. I have no tolerance for my own Camarilla defecting against me, therefore, it is managed. Miss Rivers will serve as a valuable ally despite her…flickering temper." He turned back to look at Cadmus, "Like yourself."

"Is that really what you think?" He smirked, "The story I was told was a little different…"

"Oh? And what were you told?"

"I was told that a stupid Venture neonate whined and incoherently cried so much for attention back in Europe that he was sent to a remote section of the new world, where the elders hoped that either the Anarchs would annihilate him, the Kuei-Jin would kill him, or the Sabbat would slaughter him."

LaCroix paced away to the window, "Where did you hear this…?" His voice low.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"So many people." He gave a long, dark, cackle, "So many people, in your precious…Camarilla. All different shapes, sizes, and clans. You think you have this legion of gullible followers, but you really don't. They're all just…contemplating how much crap they have to put up with before they finally take a stand and say they've had enough. I'd say this is a long time coming."

He chuckled softly, "Do you think what they think of me has any difference on what's right for this city?" He turned around, "You need to go make arrangements with the Anarchs. Any discontent between myself and other members of my cabinet will rest after the fall of the Kuei-Jin. After they see how much power I really have. Go."

"No, let me tell you what's going to happen." He seethed, opening the door, "First, I'm gonna take _your_ key so you'll never open what's inside the sarcophagus, and then I'll start this 'alliance' with the Anarchs." He started a high, crazed laugh, slamming the door behind him with such force, it shook the room for a second or two, his laugh could be heard echoing the halls.

* * *

Cadmus felt a renowned sense of pressure as he walked down the halls. He was angry, angrier than he had ever been in years. It was odd, he killed Caesar, he should be happy, right? But no, leave it to LaCroix to rip all of that away from him, his treatment of Harper really set him over the edge. It reminded him of himself, when he was defenseless in the clutches of Mister Constantine.

It also brought him back to a time when he and his sister got along.

Her voice was beautiful. She had an absolutely fantastic singing voice, and he had no problem singing second banana to her, he was always a better guitarist anyway. He loved his sister, and he enjoyed spending time with her in the band, married to Elspeth, back when everything was simpler. And, in a bizarre twist of fate, he could see his sister, every day, if he wanted to. They were within the same state, within the same city, but, she didn't want to have anything to do with him. She would rather spend time being 'free' with the Anarchs. What a coincidence that LaCroix wanted him to go speak to the Anarchs, because he figured a visit was long overdue.

He hated that he couldn't be with his sister.

He hated that the Anarchs insisted that they were her 'family' even though they were a bunch of dirty slobs who were more concerned with who was dating whom rather than actual battle plans.

And worst of all, he hated that they only reason he couldn't have her back, was because he was a Ventrue. Because he was certain he could beat the rest of the Anarchs with ease, and Jack's stubborn dislike of the clan was the only thing preventing them reuniting. Something which, he had no control over. (Nines could also easily defeat him, but he probably wouldn't ever see him on account of the Blood Hunt).

Cadmus stormed in his room in a huff, breathing like a demented bull even though he didn't need to. He picked up the phone and dialed a number at lightning speed.

"Uh…hello?" Slade asked.

"Come to my room. Right now." Cadmus growled, "Bring Dragomir and Genevieve too. Tell them I have a job for them…I'll pay you."

"Uh…right…right…what kind of—"

He hung up, then he redialed a number.

"Yes, Victor Madison, Tremere Magister—"

"Victor, come to my room, right now, I have a job…oh…and that best apprentice of yours, put her on the line…"

"Iphigenia?" Victor asked, "Right, I'll pass it along to her…"

"Cadmus?" Iphigenia's voice asked.

"Yeah, hi Iphigenia…I'm uh…not sure if you remember me…" Cadmus said.

"Vaguely. What can I do for you, dear?"

"Look, I'll pay you to—"

"Done. When do you need me?"

"Uh…okay…uh…you can just come with Victor to my room, we're going to have a little meeting."

"Sounds lovely."

"Right, thanks." He hung up, then he picked the phone up again.

"Cadmus?" Miranda asked, "Are you ready to negotiate an alliance with the Anarchs?" She asked.

"Uh…not yet…that Ferrum guy…tell him to come to my room. Tell him I need some muscle, and I'll pay him, that should tempt him."

"Um…alright…I'll see if I can contact him."

"Thanks." He slammed the phone on the receiver.

Angelique walked in, looking a little worried, "Everything okay, Cadmus…?"

He smiled and held her face gently, "Remember when you told me that we didn't work together enough?"

Her big eyes still seemed worried, "You need me for something?"

He nodded, gently letting her go, "A bunch of people are coming over…this…this should've been done a long time ago…"

"What should have been done?"

"You'll see." He said, as the door opened.

Victor and Iphigenia walked in, "Ah, Cadmus, it's been too long." Victor said, shaking Cadmus's head.

"Hey, Victor, Iphigenia…ah…shit, I should get a bunch of chairs ready…" He started taking the chairs from around his table and facing them in one direction.

Angelique's eyes widened as she saw Iphigenia, then she sat at the table and twiddled her thumbs.

Iphigenia sat as well and crossed her legs, "More people are coming, then?"

"A lot." Cadmus said.

Slade opened the door, being followed by Dragomir and Genevieve, "Hey, Cadmus." He said.

"Hey guys, take a seat." Cadmus said.

Genevieve held out a chalkboard like a little girl, "Your chalkboard."

"What…I didn't ask for a chalkboard…"

"Don't you need it?"

"…I…I need it?"

She nodded.

"Well…I guess I could…make a diagram…or something…" He said, "Although I'm a pretty shitty drawer."

"Then let me!" Genevieve skipped forward and started drawing on her chalkboard.

Dragomir snickered, "We share a good diagram drawing skill. She taught me well."

Cadmus faced the group, "Well, I'm glad you could all make it…well…most of you…look…I wouldn't call this many of you if it wasn't important…but…it is…it's about my sister…"

Victor titled his head to the side, "I didn't even realize you had a sister, Cadmus."

"Yeah, but the problem is, she's an Anarch."

"So…what do you want us to do?" Slade asked.

"I've tried reasoning with her, I've tried force, but, by myself, I can't get her away from those creeps." Cadmus said, "So I'm looking for a…permanent solution…"

Iphigenia raised a brow, "You want us to kill all the Anarchs?"

Dragomir sat back, "Do you need a decoy? Or…or some raw meat to draw out the wolves?" He asked, "They don't like me very much."

"They don't like any of us." Slade said.

"I just want to take my sister back, but, ideally, if I were to do this myself, I'd be jumped by at least five of them." Cadmus said, "I just need…a clear path…make sense enough?"

The door opened and Ferrum stood in the doorway, glaring at everyone. There was a temporary silence. Dragomir adjusted his glasses, "Why hello, Ferrum. Looking for some blood from my neck?"

He grunted and stepped in, "You need me for something?"

Slade half un-sheathed a katana, "Hey, it's that bastard from the Sabbat! He lived!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Cadmus held both his hands out, "He's not Sabbat anymore. He's going to help us." He said, "Have a seat, Ferrum."

Ferrum reluctantly sat down, "Never said I'm not Sabbat."

"Shut up." Angelique said, "You wouldn't be here if you were."

He crossed his arms, "What do you need me for?"

Genevieve finished her drawing and sat back down, giving Dragomir a kiss.

"Good." Cadmus said, "So this is…damn…this is a pretty good drawing…looks like the actual place…except…chalk-ified…" He said, "Alright, so this is the Last Round." He pointed, "Not a very big building. Not a complicated building. Just two floors. My sister, Anastasia, usually hangs out on the second floor."

Everyone nodded as they looked at Genevieve's drawing.

"Now, at the staircase, near the bottom, is this…uh…red-harried bitch…den mother or whatever the fuck she calls herself…I'll need someone on her…then there's a blonde beefcake asshole, need someone on him too…"

"Killian?" Slade smirked, "Pfft, he's a pushover, I got him."

"This would be helpful if you actually knew the Anarchs' names." Victor said.

"I know…" Cadmus said, "And that leaves baldy and my sister upstairs…"

"Baldy?" Victor smiled, "I'll take care of him. I need to settle a score or two with him."

"Great." Cadmus smiled, "And…in the _way_ back…is Smiling Jack."

There was a bit of chatter on that name.

"Smiling Jack?" Slade asked, "Jeez, we'll need like, _eight_ people on him…"

"Two or three." Cadmus shrugged, "He's old, but, not invincible. Also…wait for him to attack first."

"What? Why? So he can kill _four_ of us instead of three? Kinda seems like we should get the jump on him first."

"Not exactly. See, I've been visiting these punks to get my sister back twice or three times a month. Jack will only attack if he cares. There's no need to provoke an old lion unless he strikes first, right? We could avoid fighting him altogether that way."

"I got a question." Ferrum said, "The hell are Anarchs?"

Everyone stared at him, "Look…" Cadmus said, "I'll probably have a biased opinion, but they're another vampire sect, like the Camarilla or Sabbat. They have my sister, and I want her back. She's being stubborn about it and its pissing me off, so now this is happening."

"Uh huh…" He said slowly, "So we gotta kill some punks." He slowly grinned, "You got the right guy."

Iphigenia stared at the table, "I'm not sure I like this idea. The Anarchs are…" She shook her head, "Unbelievably frustrating to me. I would love to see them perish…but…" She looked up at Cadmus, "I speak from experience, Victor can vouch for me. My sister was captivated too, with the _charm_ of the Anarchs. I've…learned to do what's best for her…what makes her happiest. Because taking her away from them made her simply miserable."

"Nonsense." Dragomir pounded a fist on the table, "I've been craving such chaos for _months_. Last time I stirred the Anarch nest was a blast, I want to do it again!"  
Cadmus looked at Iphigenia, "You're free to leave if you don't want to do it. I don't want to force anyone to do this if they don't want to."

She really seemed to be thinking about it, "What does the Prince have to say about this? He condones it?"

"LaCroix?" Cadmus asked, "He wanted me to make an alliance with the Anarchs. But I want my sister back…so…"

She closed her eyes, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for taking her away from something that made her happy. Aren't you worried about her?"

"She'll feel better without them." Dragomir said, "Trust me. Everyone will."

"Now, now, I'd love to make Skelter vomit up every ounce of blood in his body, but I believe my apprentice has a point, are you sure taking her away from the Anarchs is the best course of action?" Victor asked.

"It is." Cadmus said, as if nothing could shake his conviction on this.

"We goin' now?" Ferrum asked.

"Yeah, soon, I think." He said, "Good thing Rodriguez is still on the Blood Hunt, he would make this a bit more…difficult." He said, "Look, if they annoy you enough, then you can go ahead and kill them, but I'm not paying extra if you slaughter all the Anarchs. The point of this is to get my sister home, that's all. I think you guys will all like the payment anyway." He smiled.

"So we're…kidnapping her…?" Iphigenia looked even more skeptical.

Dragomir scratched his chin, "We're going to have to be careful…they've recently…had a little girl kidnapped."

"Yeah…you're right, and this lineup." Cadmus pointed to the chalkboard, "Best case scenario, sometimes the Anarchs have drifters come in…so…it may not be as easy as Genevieve and I made it here. Also, another thing…I want a creative approach to this. We probably shouldn't _all_ use the front door. If we attack from different angles, it'll disorient them more."

"I can be creative." Genevieve bounced in her seat.

"Great." He smiled back.

"I have a question." Victor raised his hand, "Where does Miranda fit into the big picture?"

"And what about Tess?" Slade asked, "She's not here. Not that…I'm complaining…"

"Well…Tess is stupid…so I didn't call her…and Miranda…" He paused, "I just…I don't know…she's going through a lot of shit right now…I figured now wouldn't really be a good idea to give her extra work…"

Ferrum really seemed to think on those words, "I think we'll manage just fine. I'm gonna be honest, we got clans here I've never even worked with before…even if we didn't outnumber 'em, we got a wide range of death here."

Dragomir chuckled lowly, "Yes…yes we do…" He said, before he sat up, "They have windows to the second floor that can be used. Broken into, to gain access to the second floor."

"And the Masquerade?" Iphigenia asked.

"The…what?" Ferrum genuinely looked confused.

"It's a code in which we can't use our supernatural powers in the presence of humans." Cadmus said, "The Sabbat ignores it, while the Camarilla and Anarchs follow it. But the kicker is that the bar is usually empty anyway, I think we should be fine."

Iphigenia sighed, "How much are you paying?"

"A-thousand up front for each of you, just for listening to me blab." He said, "And I'll pay more if we succeed. Unless you guys want more, I'm free for negotiations."

Ferrum's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Twenty-five." Iphigenia said.

"Twenty-five hundred?" Cadmus asked.

"Yes."

He shrugged, "Alright, then the payment just increased."

She sighed, "Fine. I'll do it."

"Great." Dragomir said, "No worries about giving me lettuce." He stood up, "I'm ready."

"Alright, you guys go get a head start, Starr and I have to get some stuff ready." Cadmus said.

"See you there." Dragomir pat Cadmus's head as they left.

Angelique looked at Cadmus nervously, "This is a _big_ hit…" She said, "I like to look at hits…in a bright light but…Jack is the one I'm worried about. I know he might seem calm about everything…but…he's like a lion, like you said….if he _does_ decide to snap…we're all dead…"

"We'll be fine. We have two Tremere, two Malkavians…it's the _how_ , not the _what_." Cadmus said, "If we just barrel in like a platoon, then yeah, Jack will slaughter us all. But if we keep him guessing." He shrugged, "Besides, this isn't a fair fight, I just need time to be bought so I can take Anastasia and leave. Once I'm gone, I'll tell everyone to pull out. I would never abandon anyone."

"And…I get to come? Come with you to…to…to wherever?"

"Of course. Well…you see…there are special…Fleance instructions…that I wanted to give you in private…"

"Uh huh?"

"You have a good aim, flawless…but…I'd rather you not be in the physical building itself…I'd rather you…be on a rooftop or something, hidden in the shadows, sniping away. You're small…and a ghoul, while the rest of them are Kindred, Brujah and Gangrel, so…I don't want any of them to hurt you."

"Okay…" She said, her eyes flickering around, "I'll post myself on the roof of the nearby building."

"And there's more…" He said, "There's a…part of this mission, that I didn't mention to the others…"

"Yeah?"

"Well…see…when I get Anastasia, the mission doesn't necessarily end. It does for the others, but not for you and me…"

"Then what?"

"I…I don't want to leak the next part out yet…just…" He gave her a nervous hug, "I'll need your support, alright? I'll need you by my side for this, okay? Because…this…this is going to cause a lot of…dominos to fall…"

"I understand. I'll be ready for anything."

He kissed her forehead, "Alright, now let's do this…"

* * *

Miranda was walking down the streets of downtown, heading for the Last Round, her mind still a big mess of confusion and worry from everything that had recently happened.

"Wait!" She heard a familiar voice call.

"Hmm?" She turned around, "Beckett?"

"Um…about the sarcophagus…" He looked nervous, which was odd enough in itself.

Miranda blinked, "Yes, what about it?"

"Don't open it, whatever you do, do not open the Ankaran Sarcophagus."

"I had thought you were confident in the fact that it was harmless…"

"Well…despite what I said….if that sarcophagus is opened, there will be disaster. In what form, I cannot be sure…but after studying the evidence, I'm convinced now that it is better left undisturbed. And anyone who'd pursue any other course is deserving of the consequences."

She swallowed hard, seeing Beckett this scared really surprised her, "What made you change your mind?"

"There's an intangible sensation I haven't been able to put my finger on since I came to town. I still don't know where it seeps from, but if the sarcophagus is a possibility, to eliminate that chance, it should remain closed."

"Is it an Antediluvian? Is it Gehenna?"

"If…Gehenna has begun, then we are doomed, not matter what course of action we take."

Miranda nodded, giving a little bow, "I appreciate the warning, Beckett."

"I thought you deserved a chance. There's a good possibility we may not meet again. Goodbye, young one." He nodded and began to run off.

"Goodbye Beckett." Miranda said, as she began to head off, she heard a wolf's howl. That didn't help, now there were even _more_ lumps in her throat than before. She entered the Last Round, being hit by blasts of rock music.

Damsel peeked her head around the corner, like she was expecting it to be someone else, "Ugh, Cammie. The hell you doing here?" She snarled.

"I am here to procure the whereabouts of your leader." Miranda said.

"Nines? Like hell if I'm telling you." She crossed her arms and looked at Miranda from under her lashes.

"LaCroix would like an alliance with the Anarchs to destroy the Kuei-Jin, would that change your opinion?"

"LaCroix…an alliance with us? Ha! Has he— The Ca— You're fucking with me, right? Do I look like a goddamn source of amusement to you?" She grit her teeth.

"The Blood Hunt on Nines is over. Ming-Xiao killed Grout. She assumed Nines's form. She is a shapeshifter."

"We told him Nines didn't do it!" She screamed and punched the doorway again, leaving yet another dent, "That son of a…And that Kuei-Jin bitch! If I ever get my hands on her, I'll tie her eyelashes to her ass hairs and bowl her ass into a car compactor! Demon whore!"

"Damsel!" They heard a deep voice from upstairs, "Shut the hell up!"

"Fuck you!" She spat, then looked to the floor, "If Nines hadn't told me to watch this place, I'd be over there right now making skank sushi. I hate those goddamn devils even more than I hate that fascist dandy prince! Goddamn Xiao!" She sighed and looked at Miranda. "So…Nines…" She sighed, "Ugh, I can't believe I'm telling you this. Whatever. Nines…last time we heard from him, he was hiding in Griffith Park." She said, looking over Miranda's outfit, "You better not be some fucking double agent demon bitch."

Miranda bowed, "I appreciate the information you have given me." As she said this, Cadmus entered the room next.

Damsel spotted Cadmus as well, "Ugh. Your sister's upstairs."

Cadmus pulled his axe out, giving a terrifying roar as he slammed Damsel with his axe with such force, she slammed into the wall, blood everywhere.

"Cadmus!" Miranda reeled back, "What are you doing? The alliance!"

Cadmus swatted a hand at her, then he pulled out every knife he could grab from his jacket at once and threw them at Damsel where she lay, stomping up the stairs.

Miranda looked terrified. She had her information, so she just booked it.

Anastasia scowled when she heard Cadmus come upstairs, looking a little disturbed at how bloody his axe was, "Cadmus…?" She asked, "What was all that noise down there?"

Cadmus didn't answer, he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. Anastasia screamed for her to be let go, but Cadmus started walking away, he held a middle finger up towards Skelter and Jack, "Kill the Anarchs!" He cackled darkly, the second he said that, sniper fire started blasting through the windows.

Skelter sprang to stop Cadmus as he was heading down the stairs, but he started vomiting up blood, "Ah, hello Skelter." Victor said as he took Cadmus's place, "You see, your runt of a leader said I didn't _fight back_ enough so…I'm going to paint the walls in your blood…"

Jack scratched his beard, "Shit man…" He looked at Cadmus, "The hell crawled up your asshole?" He stood up, before a sniper bullet hit him in the back of the head. He grunted, then turned around and looked out the window, hunting down the sniper, "Skelter, get Damsel, take care of these guys, I'll get this sniper out of here."

Skelter wheezed up blood before he turned back to Jack, "Like hell…just ignore them!"

The window suddenly exploded as Dragomir jumped in, laughing madly, "I'm still hungry!"

"Fucking shit!" Skelter looked terrified, "Jack, we gotta get out of here!"

Jack decked Dragomir in the face so hard, he smashed through the wall, likely through the wall of the next building over, "Not without 'Stasia."

Jack heard an Obfuscate wear off from behind him, then he felt someone pull his hair, as well as the barrel of a gun on his back. Genevieve let out a bloodcurdling scream as she unloaded her Steyr Aug into Jack's back. Jack grit his teeth before he glowed orange, the feeling in the room was so tense, even Skelter jumped back and eyed Jack nervously.

After the initial shock, Skelter knew Victor was going to be his main problem. He turned into his Protean-form, lunging forward to tear his throat out, the same way the Brujah Primogen fell. Victor held up a taunting finger, utilizing Purge so Skelter would throw up again.

"Guys, we're good! You can leave now!" Cadmus called, leaving the Last Round with Anastasia.

"Damn it." Slade said as he climbed up the stairs, "Killian isn't even here…" He growled, "Whatever…" He saw that Skelter was throwing up, "I guess I'll just have to make do with one of you." He turned his Jaegerspas to pump-action and pumped Skelter full of lead as he was throwing up. Skelter rolled back on the floor, coughing up leftover remains of blood. His mind raced so fast, that it was lost, as he subsided to the beast. He flew out the window, after Cadmus.

"Thanks, man!" Jack called, then he faced everyone in the room, his fists lit up with blue lightning, "You fuckers messed with the wrong guy." He said before he laughed and ran towards Victor.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Damsel moaned softly, pulling the knives from her arms, legs and chest. The gash in her chest was so deep, she was surprised she could even move. Her fists lit up with blue lightning before she got to her feet.

"Ah, ah." Iphigenia was sitting on one of the booths downstairs. She used Blood Strike to knock Damsel to the ground, "You're rather cute, aren't you? I could just eat you up, little redhead."

Damsel growled and activated Presence, stunning Iphigenia.

Ferrum burst in just in time, "Shit, I'm fucking late. Leave it to me to get lost." He saw Damsel on the floor, then walked over and kicked her so hard in the face, she was knocked out on contact.

Outside, Skelter could see Cadmus in the distance, a bit far, but he could catch up, that was, until a blue blur slashed him twice, "Can't let you do that." Slade said.

Skelter was foaming at the mouth, his eyes fogged over, clearly beyond reason. He lunged forward to tear Slade in two. Slade smirked, combining Celerity and Presence, so he couldn't be hit, and also to balance out Skelter's heightened defenses as he mercilessly shot him with his shotgun. No matter what Skelter did, Slade buzzed around him like a little gnat.

The bullets almost seemed to do nothing, but after at least three minutes of this, Skelter groaned and fell to the ground like some sort of ancient tree, lying in the middle of the road. A car down the road quickly turned around and went the other way.

Slade deactivated his Disciplines, but only to prevent a Masquerade Violation, he headed back for the Last Round at normal speed. By the time he got there, the damage was clearly done. Damsel was a bloody mess on the floor, and the second floor? Apparently Jack had fled, hunting the sniper down. But there was enough blood on the floor for them to figure he wasn't going to do much harm there. The match was over. Cadmus had won.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ah ha! The tides have turned! Thanks for reading!


	97. Chapter 97

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-seven! Lots of Cadmus and Miranda together, but not once in the same scene. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"Your mail, sir."

The Prince lifted his head from his computer, before he shut it, "Mail? There wasn't any when I arrived this evening…"

The Ventrue, (A young one, intern, had aspirations of moving somewhere in Europe,) scratched the back of his head, "I was told it was to be directly delivered to you immediately."

"Any source?"

"I was…also told any information needed can be accessed within the contents of the letter…"

He turned back to the envelope that the young man was extending, his arm now shaking with either fear or tiredness, "Very well." LaCroix snapped it up like a snake striking, "You are dismissed."

He bobbed his head and turned heel out of penthouse as quickly as possible.

LaCroix raised a brow at the neonate's skittish behavior, before he looked at the address on the letter. As soon as he saw the Hollywood stamp from the twenties, he knew exactly who it was from. He slit the envelope open with the letter opener, then pulled out the rather small slip of paper.

Written in dark blue ink was a single note in the center of the page, complete chicken scratch. But, it was _just_ decipherable.

'Did you play it yet, boss?'

"Play it…?" He muttered, "Play what?" He slapped the letter on his desk, "What the hell are you talking about, you mangy sewer rat!" He pounded a fist on his desk, "You've missed more meetings than any Primogen I've ever accounted for, I ought to have you executed!" He pounded his fist again, and a desk drawer popped open.

He peered down and saw a little black device in the drawer. The same device Gary had given him months ago. He slowly reached down and pulled the thing out, seeing a single button in the center, as well as what had to be a speaker.

His eyes drifted to the door, then to his watch. He had a good half hour before anyone would come in with permission. So, curiosity overtook him, and he hit play.

A muffled voice came in, he recognized Gary's voice, "So you've been working for him for fourteen years?"

"Yes."

Harper's voice sounded lighter, free from the weight it held when she spoke to him in her last few years.

"What's he like?"

"The Prince?"

"If I'm going to be working for the man, I'd like to know what he's about. Must be smart, if he wants to hire me."

She giggled softly, there was a muffled sound where Gary must have been moving, "I…I suppose he's manageable. Not…entirely logical…or reasonable…ill-tempered, at times, but…" She paused, "I suppose they put him in Los Angeles for a reason."

He snorted, "You think the place is gonna come falling apart at the seams?"

"I've never seen so many Anarchs in my life." She said softly, Gary must have moved in so the hidden microphone would pick it up, "I think we're all doomed…because I don't think he's going to do a thing."

And with that, the microphone cut off and a silence filled the room.

LaCroix closed his eyes briefly, before he picked up the device and dropped it back inside his desk, shutting it with considerable force. Like clockwork, as the drawer closed, his doors peeked open, "Miss Frost?" He asked, "Come in."

Miranda looked just as terrified as the Venture neonate who came in before her, "L-LaCroix…s-sir…" She bowed out of fear.

"Is something the matter?" He asked before he stood up, "What did the Anarchs have to say?"

"I…I was able to speak to them…briefly…b-but…it…it's about Cadmus…sir…or…or Mister Vanderbilt…" She said, "He…he's gone completely rogue…I think he's lost his mind…"

"…what?" He stepped closer slowly, "Where was he last seen? What was he doing?"

"He…he launched a full-scale attack on the Anarchs, sir." She said, "He's…he's provoked them into _open war_. You…you may haven noticed…that the streets…have been a little bit nosier, in the more recent hours…"

"I have not as of yet…" He mused as he stepped back, then held his forehead, "Open war…" He paced back and forth, "Then we have no choice…" He chuckled softly, "We've been completely surrounded, haven't we? The Kuei-Jin pressing our backs against one wall, the Anarchs against another." He turned to her, "If we are going to do something about this, I am going to need your help."

"There's…there's more to it…then that, sir…" She closed her eyes in fear, as if bracing herself for being scolded.

"Yes?" He raised a brow. He wasn't blind to danger, nor did he ignore it. But he managed it, he was able to balance it between his associates. Without Harper, without Cadmus, and without an unnumbered amount of members in his Camarilla who supposedly despised him, he didn't have many locations to displace the weight of the danger. But he had put all faith in Miranda long ago. He knew she could easily handle whatever pressures were present.

"We…" She sniffed, "We underestimated Cadmus's…charisma…as…many from our organization have been swayed to his cause. Slade…Dragomir, and his Malkavian lover…the Tremere, a small number of Independent Kindred…"

"Independents?" He asked, initially disturbed by the ambiguity there, then he did a double take, "The Tremere? _The_ Tremere?"

"A large number of them, at least…"

LaCroix slowly buried his face in his hands and faced away, silent for an unsettling amount of time before he moaned something that sounded like 'Blood Hunt'.

"But it's not over yet." She rose, "Before Cadmus attacked, I gathered the location of Nines Rodriguez." She clenched a hand into a fist, "Perhaps I can convince him that Cadmus wasn't attacking on your behalf, and heal the strain between our sects. I can right the wrongs of this, and we can kill the traitors."

He stood tall again, "Yes….yes, that's it." He turned around. "I will call a Blood Hunt on the others. They've displayed their disloyalty well, I'll give them that…hopefully they're thriving in the attention while it lasts." He said, "If you can convince Rodriguez that this attack was not the Camarilla, we could push back the Kuei-Jin as well." He chuckled softly, "You've never let me down, have you? I understand it must have taken a significant amount of devotion to our cause to relay the sins of your comrade…for that, I cannot thank you enough. Upon your return, I will grant you a reward, a significant reward for all the trouble you've gone through. But, not until we are free from this madness."

She nodded, "Yes, sir. I shall retrieve Miss Perry and…" She was about to list more prominent people working for him, but then she just concluded with, "Missy Perry and I will repair this debauchery from the ground up. Then we may focus on obtaining the key from the Kuei-Jin."

"Very well. I look forward to seeing the both of you again."

* * *

Anastasia was put down only when Cadmus was safely in his private quarters. He laughed the whole way, "Man…I was thinking about asking a couple Nosferatu for help with it too…but…jeez, that was a complete blowout!"

Anastasia growled as she was set down, "Cadmus…"

"Now, we should probably get going. I figure I don't have much time until LaCroix puts me under like, twelve Blood Hunts…"

"I have half a mind to wring your throat!"

"I mean…doing that to a Kindred…might disappoint you with the results…"

"You know what I mean!" She snapped.

The door closed, Angelique panted a bit, looking a bit paler than usual. The blood all over her neck served as enough of an answer as to what might have happened, "Mission…success…" She pulled her hair out of her face, "Next part?"

Cadmus ran over to her side, "Hey, what the hell happened to you?" He asked, hugging her, "Let me help you to the couch…"

She hugged him back, "I'm fine, I just lost a little blood." She pat her neck, "It's fine." She looked at Anastasia, "Should we…tie her up?" She grabbed some ropes from her coat.

Anastasia looked freaked out to no end, she backed away slowly, "Who the hell is this?"

"My…my ghoul…" Cadmus said, slowly, flustered, "And…and girlfriend…sort of…"

"Aw…she's so cute…that…that's so cute…wait…why am I _congratulating_ my kidnappers?" Anastasia fumed.

Cadmus rolled his eyes, "Did you want blood?" He looked at Angelique.

" _Sort of_?" Angelique raised a brow.

He rolled his eyes again, "Alright, we're going. None of us have time to dilly-dally around. I need to restock my flamethrower in case of an emergency."

"Flamethrower?" Anastasia asked, "Holy shit…"

"You guys ready?"

"No! I'm not going with you."

He sighed, "I mean…I guess…I could just, carry you the whole time, you're pretty light…"

"You don't get it Cadmus, you attacked all my friends, probably killed them, and you _stole_ me…you think that's going to make me want to come with you?"

"Oh, don't pretend to be surprised…what did I say I was going to do from the very beginning? What did I say I was going to do for months once I discovered that you were in the Last Round with the Anarchs? Like it or not, I get shit done. Like this entire LaCroix bullshit, I probably reduced his time in power by like…years at least…"

"I'm not…going with you…" She seethed, "And if I have to fight you, than I don't care."

"Yeah, because the last time that happened, it worked out so well for you." He said, as the two siblings clad in black stood opposite of one another, "Whatever, carrying you unconscious will probably be easier anyway…"

"I could carry her." Angelique offered, "So you have…easier access to your flamethrower…"

"Pfft… _you_ …carry me…what are you, fifty pounds?" Anastasia raised a brow.

"You'll find that underestimating her is a pretty stupid thing to do." Cadmus said, "Hardiest ghoul I've ever seen. Those gunshots on your stupid bar were her."

Anastasia looked down for a few moments, like she was thinking about something, "I can't get over you two…"

"What?"

"Nothing…it's just…you have a girlfriend…"

"Uh…yeah…"

"And…earlier…when you attacked us…unless they were just random goons you hired…those were…your friends…you have friends too…"

"Eh, sort of a mix of both…"

"All the Anarchs and I thought you were just…this loser with no friends…constantly bitching about Caesar and me…" She smiled and looked at him, "But…here you are, with your own life…that's good."

Cadmus swallowed hard, flustered beyond reason, he thought for sure that she was going to hurl another insult at him, "Uh…well…yeah…I-I'm completely f-fine…you know…"

She teared up slightly, "Do you…ever wonder what…mom and dad would think…if they saw us now…?" She asked, "Or…or Elspeth…?"

Cadmus blinked a tear away, "Stop…"

"They'd probably be mad for….everything we've done…"

"Pfft…dad hated us for _breathing_ …" He said, "But…but mom…" He sniffed, "She'd understand…she'd believe in both of us…you…you got a lot of her…" He fell to his knees, "But…but me…I…I'm too much like dad. Everything I encounter, I just…destroy…or hurt…I…I hurt or killed all of your friends…just to…just to try to knock sense into you, and for what? It…it wasn't like you were Sabbat or anything…you…being an Anarch certainly isn't the worst thing in the world…" He brushed tears away.

Anastasia got to his level, giving him a hug, they both started crying on each other's shoulders, squeezing each other on their knees. Angelique stepped back, a bit surprised and confused. She didn't say anything, she just stayed back out of the way.

"I…I hate to admit it…" Cadmus said, squeezing her, "But…but our lives are…are too different now…you and I…I…taking you away from California wouldn't solve anything…I…but I still love you…even if we are playing for different sides of the Jyhad…"

"I love you too…" She sniffed, "Look…I…I'm always going to be an Anarch…and you'll always be in the Camarilla…but…but that doesn't mean we have to take it out on each other…I…I know _no one_ else is ever going to like this…but…we shouldn't put our lives in danger like that again…we should be friends despite what side we're on, okay? You shouldn't ever kill me, and I shouldn't ever kill you."

Cadmus nodded, "Alright. But…but you can't kill Angelique either." He said, then he swallowed hard at the fact that he neglected to use the name 'Starr'.

"Ooh, so she's Angelique?" Anastasia cooed as she stood up, "Hello sweetheart." She gave Angelique a massive hug.

Angelique grunted and froze up in her arms, "Don't say anything." She muttered, "Don't tell anyone, just…keep your mouth shut about who I am…"

"Aw, Cadmus…she's just like you. Cold, unresponsive…I see you've trained her well."

"That's not funny." Cadmus said, though a dry smile found its way on his face.

"Alright, but you can't kill Skelter." Anastasia smiled as she released Angelique.

"Uh…I don't…I don't know which one Skelter is…"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "The one you call 'baldy'…"

"Oh jeez, you're with _him_ now?"

"Yes, Cadmus, permanently." She said, "I'm not…I'm not…on the market anymore…I'm happy with Skelter."

He smiled, "Well, that's at least good…"

"So…" Angelique paused, "Do we just…put her back in the Last Round?" She asked, "What if everyone's dead? What's the point of this if we killed everyone? I shot Jack in the face with my sniper three times, I don't even think _he's_ doing very well…"

"No." Cadmus said, "We may have made up, but it doesn't change the fact that the streets are probably a battleground at this point…a reunion's gonna have to wait." He smiled at Anastasia, "What do you say you work with the two of us for a while as a member of the Camarilla while we're on the run?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes, "Not sure how I like the whole 'Cam' idea, but if you're on the lamb, you can bet your ass I'm helping you out."

* * *

Tess got an urgent call from Miranda concerning a mission LaCroix had given them, though she was quite surprised to see Miranda being the only person in the cab she arrived in. "Griffith Park, please." Miranda told the driver.

Tess got in quickly, "Are we…holding everyone else up?"

"There isn't an 'everyone else'…anymore…"

"…what do you mean?" Her eyes grew in size.

She folded her hands, "Well…Cadmus made a bunch of hot air…and…in turn, he caused a large amount of the Camarilla to…defect…as it were…"

She swallowed hard and gave a little nod, "Right…well…" She looked at Miranda and smiled, "I suppose we'll show LaCroix that…not everyone in his cabinet has given up."

She faced ahead, "I have since ascertained the location of Nines Rodriguez, so that we may go ahead with our plan to start an alliance against the Kuei-Jin." She said, "Cadmus did the opposite, he provoked the Anarchs into open war, with fellow conspirators, needless to say, there's a lot of damage we need to clean up. We'll deal with the traitors once the Kuei-Jin are gone."

She nodded, "Yes…good idea. I think if we speak to Nines first, it'll…be less chaotic." She said, "I need to apologize to him anyhow."

The taxi stopped, and they got out near a tram station, "Hmm…" Miranda looked around, "He's not around here…we may have to go deep within the park itself to locate him."

"Well, he's hiding, isn't he? He's…likely hiding…in the woods up there."

They took the tram up to the woods. The entire time no conversation was initiated at all, Miranda was in not the mental condition to do so. When they exited after the five minute ride, they began to search for Nines.

Tess looked around, then approached the fading stains of 'DAMSEL' on the Observatory wall, "You think this was him?"

"It's quite possible." Miranda mused quietly.

They heard the sound of something sliding against the dirt, then footsteps.

Tess stiffened, then turned around, "Nines…"

His hands were in the pockets of his jacket, looking as nonchalant as he could with a grenade on his belt, old blood stains all over his clothes, even on his _face_. "Perry." He said, then he looked at Miranda, "And I got no damn clue who the hell you are."

"I am Miranda Frost." Miranda gave a bow, "Envoy of the Camarilla."

"Frost. Right. Never saw the face before."

"We just want to talk." Tess said, "And…I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? Huh, we'll I'll be damned. You must really be green, huh?" His eyes skittered to the horizon, before he looked to Miranda, "What do you want?"

"Prince LaCroix wishes for an alliance with the Anarchs, to annihilate the Kuei-Jin."

He cocked his head to the side as if he misheard her, "…alliance, huh?" He asked, then crossed his arms, "Who does he take us for, anyway? We just lost a war with them…lost a lot of people, too. Wasn't always the seven of us in the Last Round." He looked back up at them, Tess felt her stomach stir as his eyes met hers for a fleeting moment, "We've done a lot of fighting. Something tells me with this… _alliance_ , that's not gonna change. That the Camarilla's gonna be sitting on the sidelines throwing mean looks the entire time."

"A small group of the Camarilla destroyed the Sabbat in Los Angeles." Miranda said, "I assume that means we'll be pulling our weight against the Kuei-Jin, don't you?"

He chuckled softly, "You're a sharp one, huh? Killed a few shovelheads, think you've scared 'em all off? What the hell you think we've been doing around here before LaCroix showed up? Pointless protest rallies in the street?" He shook his head, "I don't trust LaCroix. I never will. But, I can hear all the violence in the streets…even from here…" He hung his head, "Goddamn…stuck between a rock and a son of a bitch."

"Please, Nines." Tess said, "The Anarchs need you. Even if…even if you decide not to work with us, the Blood Hunt has still been called off."

He completely ignored her and looked at Miranda, "Why the hell does LaCroix…all of a sudden want the Kuei-Jin dead anyhow? Something's not right."

"They killed your last leader and they hate us no matter what sect we're in." Miranda said, "The longtime war of the Anarchs and Kuei-Jin had never had a result, so I believe the line of thought is that with some more numbers, that we will emerge victorious."

While she was speaking, he broke eye contact. He stared off over the horizon, then gently pushed his way between them to take a closer look, "No…no, something's not right…"

They all looked where he was looking as his throat bobbed, smoke and ashes drifting into the air, a distant orange glow, "We gotta get the fuck outta' here."

Tess's eyes widened, "What…w-what's going on?"

"You've been followed." He looked around, all around them, "It's in all directions. Shit. Manmade, I smell the gas…I don't think we have a lot of time to be screwing around." He started walking towards the tram.

"It's far off." Tess said, "There's no use running, we're not going to hurt you."

He snickered and shook his head, "It ain't the fire that's here to kill us." He looked back at them, "If either of you have any sort of common sense, you'll come with me."

"What do you mean, it isn't the fire?" Tess asked.

"Why the hell do you think I came out here, huh? Griffith Park? No, if I wanted to get away from LaCroix, I'd go to Florida or some shit. Use your head."

"I have…I have no clue…"

"It…it can't be…" Miranda's eyes widened.

"They're worse than hornets, and I bet they're gonna be fucking pissed someone lit their woods on fire. We're the closest."

"What…what are you two talking about?" Tess asked.

"Werewolves." Miranda looked at Tess.

"They're…they're a thing?" She looked shocked, then she turned to Nines, "Do they speak?"

"No. They kill." He said, "Let's go." He started walking.

"But…you're…you're Nines!" She laughed, "It's just a big dog, right? Can't you kill it?"

"We don't know what its capable of. Guns are useless and getting close is suicide. The only thing we can do is get in the tram." He said, then he dashed out of the way as a tree that had caught fire in the distance fell, "Shit! Go, move!" They all ran towards the tram, "Goddamn…" He said as they watched the tram start to leave, "We have to get inside that building until it comes ba—"

The smell of overpowering dog settled in before Nines was scooped up in a huge set of jaws and disappeared like a magic trick. Tess and Miranda looked shocked as the beast was merely inches from them, and Nines's scream quickly fell silent over the bed of flames.

"Oh my god…" Tess's voice was raw as she stumbled back, "Nines! He's dead!"

Miranda looked around, the next tram wouldn't be up for another few minutes, she had to act fast, but she stiffened once she heard a werewolf's roar from behind them.

Tess rigidly turned around, "Oh…god no…we're next…" She whimpered, "I don't want to die like _this_ …"

"Stay back!" Miranda warned, she armed herself with Fortitude, but that didn't stop the fact that the werewolf slashed through her easily. She flinched and let out a yell of pain as blood went everywhere. She tried to use her Tal'Mahe'Ra Blade to try and cut into the beast, but she barely made a dent, little cuts could be seen on the werewolf, but they didn't seem to be anything serious. Miranda on the other hand was soaked in blood in record time.

Tess flashed Celerity and grabbed Miranda by the arm scooping her up and trying to bring her to safer ground, "We have to hide somewhere!" She insisted.

"Inside the building!" She pointed at the observatory.

Tess nodded and held her hand tightly, running with her inside the observatory. There was a temporary silence, "Alright…I think we'll be alright in here, if we just keep waiting."

"The timer just started at four minutes, when Nines was attacked, so it will be some time before it returns." Miranda said, walking around the building with surprising composure, despite her injuries.

Tess winced at the appearance of her injuries, "I can't believe he's dead…what are we going to tell LaCroix?"

"That he died."

She nodded at Miranda's bluntness, "Very well…" Her big purple eyes landed on Miranda again, "I can deliver the news, if you'd like…while you rest and recover. I'm sure you've been dealing with a considerable amount of stress. It's no problem."

"It's not something a feeding session won't fix." She said, "Just another few minutes…"

The werewolf crashed in from the ceiling, beginning to maul Tess alive. She screamed bloody murder, flashing Celerity and trying to scramble away from his huge claws and teeth. Miranda reactivated Fortitude, and added Presence to the mix as well, defending Tess from the werewolf's blows, and grimacing as she did so.

As Tess managed to pull herself away with Miranda's help, she looked like she was halfway closer to death's door than she already was. "We can't stay here!"

"We'll have to leave the building." Miranda said, "The change in venue will buy us another gathering of seconds…maybe more with your Celerity…"

She nodded and held Miranda's hand again as they ran outside the building, back behind it, where it was significantly darker away from all the lights and moon shimmering down, "Miranda…" She said softly, "If we die, I just wanted you to know, I've always appreciated how kind you've been to me…despite how terrible I was…"

Miranda pulled away from her, limping towards a tiny cabin, she pulled a lever at the end of it, and the observatory flashed up with lights and power. She grimaced, facing the building, then she headed to go inside it again.

"Wait, let me come with you!" Tess ran with Miranda, holding onto her arm in case they needed to bolt.

They heard the werewolf roar from behind them, catching up at an astonishing pace. "Celerity!" Miranda said, "Now!"

Tess squeezed her arm tighter as they dashed forward, "Where?"

"To the control room." Miranda coughed, she tried to guide Tess as if she were a rampant motorcycle, tugging on her slightly to signify which direction she wanted to go. The observatory looked much different with all the lights on, namely all the levels. Miranda pulled one of them, and a giant pair of double gray doors slid open, with an automated mechanical grunt to accompany it. It led outside, "Now…" Miranda leaned on a railing, "We wait…"

Tess seemed a bit confused, but she nodded anyway. Miranda really was a genius, she seemed to have a plan, and she had nothing else to trust but this woman's intellect.

The werewolf's howl was heard, Miranda gave a confident grin, "Yes…that's right…come find us…come sniff us out…" She grimaced and fell to her bum in a sitting position, "Come smell the bloody…rotten corpse…on her deathbed, come, come…"

"Miranda, if I live, so will you." Tess insisted.

Miranda closed her eyes, peacefully awaiting a visitor, it seemed, once the werewolf barged in, she screamed at Tess, "The switch! The switch! The switch I just pulled, you pull it the other way! Now!"

Tess pulled on the switch, and the doors closed right around the werewolf's torso until the poor thing gave a last pitiful howl before its ribs crunched and its heart was squashed. It laid limply around the door in a rather grotesque fashion.

Tess panted, then she went to Miranda's side and helped her stand, "We need to check the tram now before more come after us…"

"Yes…let's make our escape now…" Miranda said.

As they got inside the tram, Tess melted into the seat, rubbing the deep scars the werewolf left in her flesh, "You're alright?"

"Yes." She nodded, trying to stay awake and fight off the torpor she so desperately wanted to fall into.

"We should feed first, before reporting to LaCroix…you look terrible…"

"Yes, of course." She said, "Then we…we shall inform LaCroix of what happened to Nines…"

Tess nodded, "He must be losing it…with the Anarchs, Kuei-Jin and mutiny…"

"Yes…we'll…we'll have to kill the traitors…at some point…" She said. But, did she really want to kill Cadmus, and all those loyal to him?

Tess stared out the window, remembering the look Slade gave her when she first sat at their lunch table. That look, was it really all that different than the look he gave her to this day? "Yes, I suppose we will."

* * *

 **A/N:** Motives, motives flying around all over the place! Will they be ignored, will they be found, will they be pursued!? Thanks for reading! :)


	98. Chapter 98

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-eight! This…this is a doozy. Honestly, we could have made like, four chapters with this one…but…we have special arrangements… ;) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

After what felt like forever, Miranda and Tess were dropped off in downtown, they had only a handful of moments before they would reach Venture Tower.

Tess tied her hair in a bun, hoping it would make the injuries feel a bit better, but actually, it didn't change much at all. She shook her head, "I couldn't imagine being the Prince in a situation like this…"

Miranda took a heavy sigh, it was an odd straw that broke the camel's back, but it worked, "Tess…I'm afraid I'm going to have to inform you that I will not be coming back with you to Venture Tower." She abruptly stopped, "We shall part ways here…"

Tess paused, "Did you want to get…some blood? Take a short break…?"

"Yes, when I can. But I'm finished. Finished with all of this."

Tess's mouth slowly opened, before it closed and she looked to the street. "Very well. Was there a message…you wanted me to deliver to the Prince?"

"No. None at all. I'm not one of LaCroix's anymore." She said firmly, "I'm going to join Cadmus and his conspirators. You may do as you wish. But…I recognize a sinking ship when I see one, as do all the wounds covering my body."

Tess nodded as she started walking down the street, her back facing Miranda, "Farewell, Miss Frost. Pleasure doing business with you." She dabbed the tears out of her eyes.

"Farewell, Tess." Miranda said, "It will be…an interesting occurrence, when we choose to cross blades…"

This feeling reminded Tess of another, once when she was young. When she was in the pool, her first time in the 'deep end'. She dove under the water and closed her eyes due to the stinging water, and soon lost herself. Where was the top? Where was the bottom? She dove in some direction, hitting a wall. Her lungs screamed for air, she dove further and further in every direction and found nothing.

Shame she couldn't remember how she found her way back, and didn't just drown on that day.

* * *

The fact that there were no kine around to scream was nice, at least. Ferrum could tear his claws into the flesh of whatever Cammie came in his path without worrying about hearing those damn police sirens.

He grabbed onto the neck of one and started draining it. But, then it hit him, why? He didn't need to diablerize. He didn't need to prove himself anymore. So he just tore his jugulars out and smashed their heads together, watching as the thing turned to ash.

He chuckled and reveled in the feeling of the blood spraying across his body from a Nosferatu whose Potence wasn't quite enough to get through Ferrrum's Fortitude. As that creature too, fell to ash, Ferrum began to wonder what happened with the others.

He was used to massive brawls, slashing and tearing teeth into bodies left and right, but what about the others? Were they alright?

What did it even matter? Why was he starting to care about these people?

He huffed and puffed, not yet able to attain war form, but close enough to feel at least somewhat primal and feral while using it. He began to romp forward, before he felt a muscled arm slung around his neck, a puff of smoke revealing a figure using Obfuscate. A hissing voice in his ear whispered, "Metal man…you should have perished with the Sabbat. Ha, ha! Ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

He felt the Malkavian's blade line up along his spine and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't exactly think dying in the middle of the street was where his life would take him, but he wasn't exactly _surprised_.

Two slashes were etched into the Malkavian's body, making an 'X'. The Malkavian choked up a horrid amount of blood, before he turned into ash. Miranda smiled, doing said deed with her cursed blade, "Ferrum." She held her arms out, "I missed you."

His shoulders drooped a bit, then he cracked his neck and put Protean down, looking over her, "Ugh…what the hell got to you?" He didn't bother hugging her.

Saddened, she put her arms down, "There was a werewolf…listen to me…" She coughed, "We're…we're on a Blood Hunt…" She looked woozy, "Do…do you know what that means?"

"C'mere." He lumbered over and picked her up bridal style, "What the hell is a Blood Hunt?" He asked, looking around to make sure there were no Kindred nearby, "Is it cuz we attacked the Anarchs? I saw a bunch a' guys from our team dealing with the same shit."

"LaCroix…wants us killed…as do the Anarchs and…" She coughed, "Kuei-Jin…excuse me…for a moment…" She got up to look for someone to feed, returning with some of her wounds gone, "That…that's better…" Then her cheeks puffed up, "No…low-born blood…" She threw-up to the side, collapsing onto her knees.

"Ah, shit." He watched her catch her breath on her knees, then scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, patting her bum, "Hey, where's your room?" He looked around, "Hell, where's Ventrue Tower?" He spun around aimlessly a few times, "Shit, I'm completely lost…"

"We…probably shouldn't go there first…" She said, woozier than before, if anything, "But…but I…I have an idea…follow my directions…"

A shotgun blast was heard, pelting Miranda. She choked out a bit more blood, making one last whimper before she fell into torpor.

"There they are." The culprit said, with a buddy or two, "Two of Cadmus's little bitches." They said, "God, _this_ is why LaCroix is having us waste our time doing this? Jeez, look at these two freaks! Hey buddy, why don't you just do us all a favor, and go in the corner and die, huh? You fucking animal! Ha, ha, ha!"

Ferrum held onto Miranda tightly, he knew she hated dirt, so she'd despise lying on the sidewalk. He didn't need two hands to kill these three anyway. "Why don't you do me a favor and find a new insult!" He spat, activating Protean to run forward and tear into the first culprit. When he fired his gun, it left a slight scratch, thanks to Ferrum's Fortitude. He kicked the man down to the ground, and stomped on him until he was ash.

The second man fell a similar fate. They both scampered back and fired at Ferrum with pistols, which were hardly of any use at all. He grabbed the man by the shirt and bit into his neck, tearing his throat out before he too turned to ash.

The last man? Ran off, terrified. Ferrum grabbed a gun off the ground, and fired at him. After he was downed, he kept firing until he was ash. "There." He said to Miranda's sleeping form, "They can suck it." He adjusted her over his shoulder and started walking, "Now let's find that damn tower…get you somma' that fancy blood."

Was Miranda his new Andrei? No. New Angelique? No. She was his, but he was hers, too. He wasn't sure if he liked how that worked out, but there was certainly something about the way he saw her eyes light up when she saw him that restored something inside him too.

But he sure as hell wouldn't _ask_ her about it. He didn't plan to stick around much longer.

* * *

"I don't like how quiet it is." Cadmus said, scanning through the empty downtown streets.

"Me neither…" Anastasia shuddered, "It's giving me the damn creeps…"

"There are…no humans. At all." Angelique said as a light rain started to fall, "Usually this happens when the Sabbat start throwing tantrums…but…" She looked at Cadmus, "I think this really only means one thing."

"I know, the hunt started." He said, "I knew we took too damn long in there…"

Angelique took out two pistols, "We'll manage."

A hulking form appeared before them, it seemed to be a Gangrel in war form. It lunged for Cadmus and flattened him instantly. Cadmus growled as he was losing blood, with the monster on top of him, the quarters were too tight for him to pull out his axe, so he pulled out a knife instead, but it did laughable damage, if any. The Gangrel started shredding every part of Cadmus's body, tearing up his jacket and ruining a couple other pieces of inventory.

"No! Damn it…my flamethrower!" Cadmus snapped, as his secret weapon was now nothing more than a heap of junk.

Anastasia grew her bestial powers, as well as a green glow, as she tackled the other Gangrel off of Cadmus, they both rolled around in the streets, clawing at each other.

Angelique growled as she aimed her pistols at them, "I can't figure out which one I need to hit when they're fighting it out like that…"

Cadmus sped forward, now he had enough room to pull his axe out, he clashed with the Gangrel, and he and his sister were able to kill the Gangrel, it dissolved into ash.

Anastasia panted, "You okay?"

Cadmus nodded, "Yeah, fine." He said, brushing at the bloody claw marks all over him.

Angelique felt the heavy weight on her shoulders intensify. The feeling started when Cadmus and his sister had made up. She was happy for them, really, but what about their plans for escape? She was looking forward to running away from the Jyhad with Cadmus more than anything. So what was her life going to be now? Running from a Blood Hunt?

"Shit…" Cadmus said, seeing about six or seven other Kindred of various clans start to fence them in. He armed himself with Fortitude, running to brutalize one of them with his axe.

Anastasia figured deactivating her Disciplines would be a waste at this point, she was glad she didn't. She ran and mauled the nearest Kindred. Of course, in seconds, both siblings were outnumbered.

Angelique stayed back and grabbed her sniper, thanking her past-self for thinking ahead and bringing all her ammo. She flicked the safety off and began to aim right for the heads of any Kindred that got too close to Anastasia or Cadmus.

Cadmus squinted ahead, "Wait a minute…that…that's Ferrum!" He said, "And he's got Miranda!" He looked at Angelique, "Angelique! Go with Ferrum! Wherever he's going, follow him! I have to initiate the second part of my plan!"

" _Second_ part?" Anastasia asked, turning a Kindred to ash with her claws, "There's _more_ to your plan? What do you mean? You already _have_ me."

Cadmus defeated another few Kindred, backing away towards Angelique so he wouldn't have to scream as much, "Go with Ferrum and Miranda, alright? Anastasia and I have some unfinished business to do."

"Okay." She nodded, "Take care."

He checked around himself, making sure no one was looking during the battling. He held her face and kissed her, "We'll meet again, Fleance. I love you."

Her cheeks were bright pink, before she held his and did the same thing, "I love you too, Master." She ruffled her tiny fingers through his hair before she ran off to her friend with her sniper in arm.

* * *

As May sat up in her bed, she combed her fingers through her hair, "Oh…look at that…nightfall again…" She flopped back on her pillow, closing her weary eyes, "My sleep schedule is a complete travesty…"

Prospero's eyes slowly opened, "That's my fault…"

"No…it's been that way…" She shook her head, "Since day one…I've always liked the night better…" She squeezed herself around him, "Something about the moon. She's an evil one, up there…I like her…the sun is too happy and bright…"

He hugged her back, "I can't say I have a preference."

She rested her face in the crook of his neck, "Hmm….your cologne is nice…is it…" As she tried to guess, she walked two fingers up his back playfully, "German?"

"Uh…" There was a knock on the door, "Jeez…I wonder who the hell that is, at this time of night?"

"Ugh, probably Damian. He has the habit of…showing up when he thinks I've been murdered…April will deal with it…"

"I'm not…sure I like the sound of that." Prospero hurriedly got out of bed to get dressed.

April popped a bowl of her soup in the microwave, then heard a knock on the door. She paused, then listened in for a moment. She heard May and Prospero's voices weakly from May's bedroom, but figuring what they were likely up to last night, she opened the door, "Hello?" She asked timidly, the microwave nagging at her in the background.

Goddard smiled, "Might a…mister Kingston, reside here?"

Prospero came downstairs, "Ah…Chamberlain…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Ah, so I have finally found you."

"How did you even _know_ I was here?"

"Ah, ah, ah, the magician doesn't reveal his tricks."

"Look, if this is about LaCroix or Constantine or all that bullshit, I'm not going back to that building."

"It is, but it also isn't." Goddard held a hand out, "If you could just come with me."

Prospero peeked out the window, "What…what car did you even take out here…or…did you take a cab…?" His eyes widened when he didn't see any sort of new transportation aside from May's car, "You _didn't_ …"

"You…could come in and talk, if you'd like." April said timidly, "I could give you some privacy."

"Prospero, time is not exactly on your side." Goddard said, "I promise, you'll have time to spend with your friend later." He said, then he smiled, "If she is indeed a _friend_ …"

Prospero frowned, "Alright, alright…" He looked back at April, "Tell May that I'm going to be busy with one of my coworkers for the rest of the night."

"Of course." She nodded timidly, "Good luck, Mister Prospero."

"So you'll come?" Goddard smiled.

"Yeah, well…I guess I don't have much of a choice—" Prospero started, but the second Goddard grabbed his hand, they both zoomed off, as if Goddard was running at the speed of light.

April took her soup out of the microwave and grabbed a spoon from the drawer, eating at the counter before May walked in, wearing her satin robe, "Prospero said—"

"Yes, I know what Prospero said, dear, I have functioning ears." May sat across from her sister, "Fetch me a bowl of that soup." She swatted a hand, April didn't hesitate to get up and get her a bowl, "That man is going to be the end of me."

"Prospero?" April asked, "He seems…nice." She said, "Though…I can't exactly say why."

"There's something he's hiding." May muttered, "Another family, perhaps. Maybe he's a pimp. Maybe he's a prison escapee."

"You really think so? I think he's too nice for that…" April said as she put May's bowl of soup in the microwave.

"April, dear, no one's platter of life is free from sin. It's always there…like salt. Some people just have a little more than others…Some are also very good at masking it."

"I don't…have any really…really bad sins…I got a C in geometry…"

May snickered, "Because you're still a girl."

"I'm twenty one…"

"Not in your head, you're not. You're still eighteen…you're still in your senior prom, dancing with that little boy of yours." She sighed, "Oh, what I'd give to have ten years back…" She played with a napkin on the table, "And what I'd give to figure out what the hell Prospero's hiding from me."

Meanwhile, Prospero was not pleased at all, "Goddard, that was a Masquerade Violation, if I've ever seen one!"

"Ah, come now, I'm sure they hardly noticed." Goddard said, "Besides, a wee little Masquerade Violation should be the least of our worries now…"

"What do you mean?" He asked, then he looked around, realizing where they had stopped, "What…what the hell are we doing in Chinatown?"

"We have a key to retrieve." Goddard said, pulling his dual cutlasses out, "And we have some Kuei-Jin to kill."

"A key? Alright…whatever, I'm just going to stop asking questions…"

"Are you ready, for battle then?"

He nodded, "Sure, thing." He flared up with Potence as Goddard began to dart around with Celerity.

* * *

The walk back to the Chantry was a quiet one. Victor looked over at Iphigenia, "You didn't exactly agree, with Mister Vanderbilt's tactics, did you?"

"Not at all. I hate the Anarchs, but I pity that poor girl." She sighed, "I hope she's strong enough to find her way. I needed the money."

"Ah, I was wondering why you took the job anyway, despite your…abhorrence to his stratagem." He said, "Did you see your own sister in Anastasia?"

"Mmm hmm, and myself in Cadmus. I suppose toying with the Anarchs was fun…that little zesty redhead needed a taste of modesty."

Victor looked ahead, seeing a horde of Kindred, mostly Brujah, blocking their path, "Got a lot of nerve, Cammie scumbags!" They ran at the duo, with a mix of Celerity and Potence.

Victor boiled the nearest one, and since the group was so compact, several of them died at once, "Ah…so…this is the plan…having a little bit of…backfiring, as it were…"

Iphigenia held a hand up to cover her face as parts flew all over the place, "Shouldn't we be careful using our disciplines so open in these streets?"

"Ah…" Victor gulped, "I forgot…" He cringed at his own lack of discretion, it was then that bullets rained down on them, "Damn it, more Anarchs." He looked back, "Wait just a moment…those…those are Ventrue! Are…are we under a Blood Hunt?"

"Why would we be?" She asked, "We attacked Anarchs, where's the crime in that?"

Victor looked worried, he looked at Iphigenia, "We need to get back to the Chantry, as quickly as possible. You lead…I'll cover your rear flank, am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded before she started running, as well as she could in heels.

* * *

"That was barely fun. At all." Slade muttered, "I didn't get to stab Killian a bunch of times…"

Dragomir said something, but it was completely incomprehensible. One of his eyes was blackened and sealed shut, the lenses of his glasses had pierced right through and had yet to heal. His jaw was misaligned, and his nose was crooked. He grabbed his jaw and with a disgruntling series of pops and snaps, it was back in place, "Ah. Better." He then grabbed his nose and popped that back into place, wincing, "Damn. Remind me to go to Smiling Jack if I need plastic surgery."

"Oh yeah…forgot that you took one for the team…"

"Was I at least a good distraction? Was I worthwhile?"

"Hmm…yeah…sort of felt like _everyone_ was flying around with Jack as our opponent." He said, "Hey, it was kinda fun though…"

He snickered, "I thought so too. Though, I could be writing an essay about nose hairs and have fun if you're at my side."

Slade smiled, "Ditto." Then it faded, "Uh…why are all those vampires giving us nasty looks?" He nodded to a small group of Kindred, armed to the teeth.

"It might be me." He muttered, "I should have been Obfuscating."

The sounds of shotgun fire filled the sky, Slade grunted, "Can we just…can we fight in the streets like this?" He asked, "Screw it…" He started to dash around and kill some of them.

Dragomir had a good laugh before he ran forward with his shotgun and fired back at them.

"What the hell is all this about? Are they Anarchs or something?" Slade asked, keeping his swords in a defensive stance.

"No…no…" He mused, "I sense a hunt." He motioned, turning his gaze to more Kindred after them in the streets, "I smell no kine."

"A…a _hunt?_ " Slade asked, "That…that doesn't sound good…do you sense anything else?"

"LaCroix is pissed. But no oracle is needed to tell this."

"LaCroix huh….so this is his doing…I figured some of these guys didn't fit the Anarch mold…"

"Mmm…" He seemed more and more peeved, "I quite love how the man has you working for him like a slave, then sends his hounds after you merely months later."

"Slade, Dragomir." They heard Tess's voice, "I'm surprised you haven't gone into hiding."

Dragomir crossed his arms, "I've spent enough of my life in the closet."

"That's not what I'm talking about." She muttered, "The Blood Hunt? I could kill you, if I wanted to. The Masquerade has been…pushed aside, considering that all the kine have…since gone skittering off."

Slade tried not to laugh, "You want to kill me Tess?" He raised a brow, "Alright, let's go."

She froze up, then tried to walk past them. "I didn't see you here."

Dragomir laughed, "Oh, precious."

"Where are you going?" Slade asked.

"Back to Ventrue Tower. Where my boss is."

"LaCroix? Tess…you…you can't be serious…" He said, "He's behind all of this, Kindred are having war in the streets all because of his jacked-up politics. Tess, there are more people who hate him than like him at this point…I don't think going back to his office is a good idea…"

"Then…" She put her head down, "The two of us are really birds of a feather, hmm?"

"…what?"

"He isn't the only one who…people will do anything to avoid. Who has no clue what they're doing, who just gets in everyone's way!" She turned around and threw her hands in the air, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, "We'll fall together, we'll run together, we…we're the same. Aren't we? When it comes down to it?"

"I think the Prince is a virgin." Dragomir said.

She shook her head, "No, no, not our past…not even our present…our future. Tell me, Slade, you're a smart man. What the hell sort of future have I crafted for myself? Hmm? None. I…I might as well have committed suicide the second I shook Julius's hand. He's the same way. He's doing everything he can to make something of himself, to just keep going…" Her hands slapped against her legs as her shoulders drooped, "It's all pointless for us. Just a game. Something…I'll see to the end with him." Her voice faulted as she kept going, holding her tears back didn't help, "With the only person who…I have a shot at even working with…who I have a shot of…dying with some…tiny…minuscule sense of dignity."

"Then just end it with him!" Slade clenched his fists, realizing how emotional he was getting about this too, "No…no…not…not _that_ end…I meant…abandon him, like the rest of us. Quit your pointless crusade to be boned by every handsome man and woman in the state and just come with us! Enough with the fun and games…we'll…we'll find Genevieve, and everyone else who needs help from the Blood Hunt, and we'll go somewhere safe. Going back to LaCroix would be like walking into the snake's jaws!"

She bit her lip, then shook her head, "Some people are too far gone for redemption."

"That's not going to end well and you know it…if Dragomir and I are too much for you then…" He shook his head, "You won't stand a chance! Just come with us!"

She gave one stray sob, then turned, "There's no way I'd ever forgive myself…" She hustled off.

Dragomir looked away, both his eyes now functional. He looked up to Slade, "The end of one is the beginning of another." He said before he started walking, "Let's get off these dirty streets before something else happens."

"But what about Genevieve?" Slade asked, "We need to find her, and fast…"

He paused at the mention of his lover, "Yes, I…do wonder where she's run off to…she might be lost…" He scratched at his chin, "She doesn't know the streets as well as we do."

"Everyone got all mixed up from that attack on the Last Round." He said, "I hope everyone's alright." He then suddenly lost a lot of blood, being attacked by an invisible figure, revealing a Nosferatu, said Nosferatu put up Potence and ran for Slade.

As Slade fell to the ground, Dragomir's fists lit up with a purplish-blue lightning as well, before he reared back to lug the Nosferatu in the face. The Nosferatu was taken out only a few moments later, once Dragomir defeated him, Slade tugged on his sleeve, "Dragomir, I see Genevieve, she's over there!"

Genevieve unloaded more and more of her Steyr Aug into the opposing vampires, then she turned and smiled at Dragomir, "Dragomir!" She called.

"There you are!" Dragomir ran over and gently held her, "Everything seems in order…" He pet her hair and kissed her lips gently, before patting her head, "Did you want a ride on my back?"

"No thank you." Genevieve said, then she giggled and whispered into his ear, "Later…"

"Alright, good, so where do we go now?" Slade asked.

"Good question, my friend." Dragomir scratched the back of his head and looked around, "The sky."

"Damn it…are we really that screwed?"

"Hark!" Genevieve pointed, "I see Iggy and Lie Detector, and there's more, the Lightning Sapling and someone carrying Blood Frost!"

"That's Ferrum." Slade said, "He's with Starr and Victor and Iphigenia, let's follow them!"

Victor looked back, seeing Slade, Dragomir, and Genevieve, "All of you, come with me, we'll go into the Chantry."

* * *

Victor knocked on the door like a madman, when Delilah answered, he demanded that everyone be let in, once they all were, they headed to the back where Strauss was.

Strauss blinked a few times, "Forgive me…I am at a loss…"

Victor panted, "LaCroix…Anarchs…Blood Hunt…big mess…in the streets…"

"Ah, I have noticed the increasing…instability…of the man…I suppose these further introductions can wait…"

"Hello, Wizard King!" Genevieve smiled and waved. Strauss gave a polite nod back, probably more lenient, due to her being a Malkavian.

Victor looked at Ferrum, "What on earth happened to her?" He shook his head, "It matters not. One of you." He looked at Leonardo and Delilah, who curiously wormed their way in at all the new visitors, "Fetch her the finest blood we've got."

"Yes sir, I'll get blue blood." Leonardo said before he headed off quickly.

Ferrum gently laid her down on the couch, nervously eyeing Strauss like he expected the man to boil him alive for moving. Angelique looked around, wishing Cadmus was there to just stand close to her and make her feel safe.

"I can't exactly say why yet, I wasn't exactly able to…gather a full summary, sir…" Iphigenia turned to Strauss, "But LaCroix has called a Blood Hunt on…all of us."

"Because we attacked his wolf pack. But he wouldn't have been able to tame them, it takes decades of breeding to turn wolves to dogs." Dragomir said.

"So…it was our ambush on the Anarchs?" Iphigenia asked.

"Partially, at least. In some instances. In others…" He looked at Miranda, who was on the couch, "I cannot say the reason for others."

"Perhaps when Miss Frost is awake, she will lend us further answers." Victor said.

"My assumption would be the Ankaran Sarcophagus." Strauss said, "Love of power always leads to betrayal. I'm just glad you've all survived, despite the fact that I have yet to have the pleasure of actually meeting some of you."

"The sarcophagus…" Slade said slowly, "I feel like an idiot…I almost forgot about that damn thing…"

"The jester has betrayed us for the life-eaters." Genevieve said.

Strauss looked surprised, surprised in the manner that, LaCroix was _stupid_ , but he couldn't have been _that_ stupid, "Hmm. It is as I had feared. The Beast takes many forms within us, and it seems that LaCroix has finally surrendered to its power."

Leonardo slipped in with four blue blood packs, "These…these are the remaining bags I have…" He said softly, slowly approaching her.

Ferrum lashed out suddenly, his arm landing in Leonardo's chest with a considerable sound. Leonardo's eyes widened, he looked like he was going to have a heart attack, if that was possible.

"Gimme the bags." Ferrum grumbled.

Leonardo nervously handed him the bags, "I wasn't going to—"

"Shut it." He muttered as he tore one of the bags open with his teeth and held it in front of Miranda's face, "Hey, dollface, snap outta it, this is the good stuff."

Miranda's nose twitched, she sat up and drank the blood pack, as well as any others given to her, before her wounds began to heal up, "Where…where am I?" She asked, "Ah…the Tremere Chantry…" She hugged herself, "I…feel so safe here…"

"Welcome, Miss Frost." Strauss smiled, "I'm glad you were able to survive."

"Of course, Mister Strauss." Miranda stood up, "I…should've known it would end this way. You've been nicer to me in one night than he has in my entire fifteen years of service to him."

His smile grew, "I'm glad you've finally found yourself in this great struggle." He gently pat her back.

"It's good to see that you're alive." Victor smiled, "Would you mind telling us what happened whilst we were attacking the Anarchs?"

"After LaCroix and Ming-Xiao broke their alliance off, he wanted me to convince Mister Rodriguez into an alliance with the Anarchs. Then we were attacked by a werewolf. I…I personally think that it was LaCroix who set it all up…but…Tess and I split off after that. She's still loyal to LaCroix…"

"Yeah…we ran into Tess right before she went into Venture Tower." Slade said.

"Come to think of it, where is Vanderbilt, anyway?" Victor asked, then a pause, "He…he didn't _die_ , did he?"

"I…I haven't seen him in a while…"

"I haven't seen him either." Miranda said.

"It…it actually could make sense…he's at the top of LaCroix's list…so to speak…" Victor said.

"He's…he's working on something." Angelique said, "He's fine."

"A relief." Dragomir said, "He's one of the good ones."

"So…" Iphigenia looked up from the floor, "What's the plan then? If we leave, we could all be attacked…they could be waiting right outside, for all we know."

"Let 'em." Ferrum grumbled, "I'll tear 'em a new one."

Strauss watched the dialogue unfold in front of him, then his eyes glowed red with Auspex, "Yes. Yes. I see. Of course, my lord. It will be done."

Dragomir's face lost all color, "I hear a little bird outside." He said before he slunk off.

"What did he have to say, sir?" Delilah's deep voice asked as she brushed some of her red locks aside.

"Something, positive?" Victor asked.

Strauss nodded, as his Auspex faded, "This state, nay, this entire region is ripe for the taking. LaCroix and his newfound eastern allies need to be dealt with swiftly, and severely. You're are durable, powerful Kindred. Are you ready to serve the Camarilla in these manners?"

"Of course, sir." Victor grinned, seeing the biggest focal point in his long-winded plan finally come full-circle.

"I look forward to it." Iphigenia said.

"Yes, sir." Miranda said.

"Ah, the iron-crown begins to sparkle!" Genevieve jumped up and down.

"I don't care what banner I'm under, as long as LaCroix and Xiao die, I'm in." Slade said.

Dragomir stepped in, "Just a lark. I'll stay by your side." He said to Slade.

"Yeah, guess you're gonna need some…blunt force somewhere, right?" Ferrum asked, "I'll be there." Angelique nodded as well, figuring she had nothing better to do.

Strauss thought for a few more moments, "Even with a sizable strike force such as this one, we may need some…assistance…" He looked for a phone, dialing a number and listening to the dial tone.

"If it's about the meetings, tell him I've croaked." A wiry voice chided.

"Greetings, Mister Golden. We are going to bring LaCroix to his…demise. I was unsure if that…interested you, in anyway."

"You're kidding…" His chuckle sounded distant, "Who are you and what have you done to Strauss? Then again, I suppose it was unwise of me to assume you liked the little cretin. It's always the quiet ones…"

Strauss chuckled for a bit, "I was wondering if you had a few Nosferatu agents, to bolster our forces in the battle against LaCroix and Xiao."

"A few? You can have them all. Well, maybe not _all_ of them. I need _someone_ to watch the cameras. I'll send you my two best agents. You need more, you let me know."

"Your aid will be remembered, Mister Golden. If you need assistance from the Tremere Clan at any point in the future, you know just who to call."

He snickered, something unnerving about that laugh, "Yes. Good talk, boss. I'll send 'em to the surface as soon as they make themselves available."

Strauss gave a farewell and hung up, "Hmm…I fear that the night heralds something far more sinister than the petty machinations of a rogue Prince…"

"What do you mean?" Slade asked.

"I do not know. This sarcophagus seems to have unleashed a raging whirlwind, pulling all of those who surround it into this storm. I cannot see what secrets it holds, but be warned…a dark shadow falls across my mind. There are some powers left best undisturbed."

"Beckett says the sarcophagus shouldn't be opened at all costs." Miranda said.

"You've spoken to Beckett?" Victor asked, "Where has he been?"

"He fled the city." Miranda looked at him, "Presumably to avoid Gehenna."

"Ah…so…he has joined the club then…"

"What do you mean?"

"Pisha warned me something similar, before _she_ fled too." He said, "The Ankaran Sarcophagus truly is nothing but trouble…"

"Gehenna…" Dragomir laughed, "Let the world burn, I say! Poor thing's seen enough!"

Delilah snickered a bit, before she said, "Is there a way we can…get rid of the sarcophagus first, then deal with the Prince? If there really is an Antediluvian within, and he wishes to feed from it to gain its powers, we could give ourselves more of a chance if we manage to confiscate it."

"I'm not sure how we would manage that." Iphigenia said, "Sneak in the penthouse when he's…dozed off over a stack of papers? It's unlikely."

"His big ape is there, too." Dragomir said, "So even if he is not present, there are eyes on the box at all times."

"Of course…" She bowed her head, "It was a silly idea…"

"We'll need to split our forces into those who can take on this Ming-Xiao and her minions." Strauss said, "And we'll need forces who can thwart LaCroix and his rabid dog. Only then will justice be truly served…"

"There are ten of us." Dragomir said, "But I suppose the two Tremere should stay behind." He looked over at Leonardo and Delilah.

"Then that leaves eight. Four for one mission and four to another." Iphigenia said, "How do we want to split it up?"

"I want to kill the Princey-Boy…" Dragomir brooded.

"And I'll the Mistress of Mirrors." Genevieve looked at him, "For your father." She kissed his cheek and he gave her a squeeze.

"I don't…I don't like the sound of four…" Miranda said, "It sounds too thin…" She looked at Strauss, "May I use your landline?"

"Of course." Strauss nodded.

"I'll…be using one of the phones…as well…" Victor squirmed through the crowd, out of the room to go call Venus.

"I need to make a special phone call as well." Miranda said, picking up the phone and dialing.

* * *

The place was gross, really. Even for her standards. She didn't mind grease stains, occasional chipped paint, it was whatever. But the place reeked, too. At least the Last Round kind of had a nice liquor-smoky smell that reminded her of home.

But, really, those thoughts were in the back of her mind. Nines, in the same room as her, the Blood Hunt called off, it was too good to be true.

At the same time, the fact that her best friend was kidnapped, that conflicted with a good amount of her sanity.

There was a silence as she sat on the couch of the motel room, the couch that she swore had rats buried into the cushions. It was almost too quiet. Was it a dream? Was Nines really in the bathroom, washing the copious amounts of blood on his face? Was that giant beast's head on the table just part of the dream?

"Son of a…motherfucking…"

No, it wasn't a dream. She sat up, "You okay, Nines?"

"Yeah. Fine."

She stood up and went into the bathroom with him, wincing at the massive scratch on his face that was redder than her hair, "That looks horrible…"

"Thanks." He grabbed another washcloth and dabbed at his face with it. As soon as the blood dried up, it just dripped down his face again, "Dammit."

"Aggravated…" She muttered, "I'm just glad you're alive…"

"I'm glad _you're_ alive." He said, "Thought you'd have shot yourself by now with all the shit going on."

She chuckled, "I…I managed…" The pain of Anastasia's absence hit her again, "We have to get her back."

"Anastasia? We will. Her brother kidnapped her, what the hell is he gonna do, kill her? She's fine."

"Yeah…I…I guess when you put it like that…it's not that bad…"

"Where's Skelter? Back yet?"

"No…he's been really pissy lately…I don't know why…"

"Oh yeah?" He said before he gave up on the bloody wound and shut the aged first aid kit, walking into the tiny living space, "Guess I'll ask 'em later. Where's Jack?"

"I haven't seen him since they raided the Last Round…" She said, "I think he just…left…"

"Killian?"

"He stormed out of the Last Round one day when they had a fight upstairs. Haven't seen him since."

He cursed himself out for almost asking where Lark was. "So it's just you and me? I'll be damned." He sat on the desk and looked at the werewolf head, then snickered at it, "Oughta' mount that on the wall back at the Last Round."

"If you want a Masquerade Violation, sure." She smirked.

"Nah…looks like a wolf's head. No one there's sober enough to care."

"Guess that's a good point." She sat on the bed, combing her fingers through her hair, "So. We need to talk about all this shit that's going down."

"Like what?" He looked over at her, she got caught in those bright eyes.

Her throat felt dry, before she looked away and crossed her arms, "Like why the hell you thought it was a good idea to write _my_ name on the wall like that."

A pause hung in the air, "Later, alright?"

Not the answer she was expecting. It made her head feel even warmer, "Uh…yeah. Okay."

The door opened and shut as Skelter came in, something off about the look in his eye, before he cracked a smile at Nines, "Knew you wouldn't die." He said, a bit quieter than usual.

Nines snickered, "Old Wolfy over there wasn't nearly as bad as that Tremere son of a bitch."

Skelter froze up, "…Tremere? You mean…?"

"Yup. Visited me while I was up there." He said, "That's why I lost communications. Cause someone was calling me in the middle of our little chat." He looked over at Damsel.

"You should have just fucking answered and told us you were in trouble!"

"Then you'd all be screwed." He said, "Listen. Victor's not a pushover." He waited a beat for it to sink in, "I know how much we like to think the Cam's only strength comes in numbers, but that's not the case with him. He's just as old as I am, and he's had vengeance on the mind since he was alive. He'd kill all of you without thinking. His only weakness is his blood pool." He said, "If we're gonna do anything about him, it's gonna be done together, and it's gonna be done with a plan."

"Okay, great, thanks for the random tidbit of garbage that's not important." Damsel said, "I get that you and your little ex-boyfriend hate each other, but we need to talk about what's going on right now."

"Right now, huh?" He asked, then he stood up, "Skelter, you wanna do me a favor and get me some blood?"

"Sure thing." Skelter said before he went towards the mini-fridge and grabbed him a blood bag. He handed it to Nines as he sat next to Damsel.

"Right now, we need to see what the hell's going on." Nines said, "I gotta catch up. I've been out of the loop for…what might as well be years in Jyhad terms." He sighed, then looked over to Skelter, "Can I borrow your phone? These landlines are shit."

"Course." Skelter reached in his back pocket and handed it to Nines.

Nines decided to ignore the fact that Anastasia was on speed-dial, instead he called up Isaac, "Hey, it's Nines. You mind filling me in on what the hell's been going on?" Nines sat back and listened for a moment. After a moment or two he said, "Yeah. Good plan. Thanks for holding onto everything. You need help, you just call." He hung up, then started making a few more calls, asking for reinforcements.

Damsel looked over at Skelter meanwhile, who kept his gaze out the window, "You alright? You're acting weird."

"Fine." He muttered.

"Got a bad case of lead poisoning?"

"No."

She leaned in, "Something's not right."

He glared at her, "The hell you want?"

"Your teeth…" He looked away, "Shit, why are they so long? Don't tell me they're _stuck_ that way. How the hell did that happen?"

"I've got no damn clue." He said shortly.

She shook her head, "You frenzied again, didn't you?"

"Fuck off."

"You're gonna get a goddamn tail if you're not careful."

He crossed his arms, "Just shut the hell up, Missus Rodriguez."

She snarled at him, "Hey!"

Nines shut the phone and threw it back at Skelter's direction, "Alright, we got troops all over."

"Just…all over?" Damsel asked, "Alright…that's….that's good." She said, "Guess this really is war." She looked a little nervous.

"Of course it's war." Skelter said, "They came in and took Anastasia! They kicked our asses, that motherfucking Tremere…"

"And Cadmus…ugh…" Damsel spat, "I'm kicking his ass the next time I see him. That bastard!"

"Relax." Nines said, "We'll deal with that when it comes to it." He said, "LaCroix's a problem, but he's not the biggest one." He said, "The Kuei-Jin are. I think it's just about time we wipe them out. I sent troops out to handle any Cams that get in the way, to handle the streets, but we need a few people to get rid of Xiao, and anything that gets in her way."

The door swung open, "Since when the hell did you guys start hanging out here?"

A silence fell over the room as Killian walked in, "Hey, where's 'Stasia? And Jack?"

"You piece 'a goddamn shit…" Skelter lumbered towards him.

"Knock it off." Nines snapped. A part of Damsel relaxed considerably, finally another voice of reason telling them to stop, a voice they would likely listen to. "I'm not your mother, I don't want to have to break up your catfights."

"Catfight?" Skelter spat, "Where the hell have you been?" He turned back to Killian, poking his chest and making him back up, despite the fact that Killian had a good few inches over Skelter. "Sitting on your ass somewhere in Hollywood? Playin' around with that hooker in Vesuvius?"

"I was doing shit for Isaac." Killian growled, pushing Skelter back by the shoulder, "The fuck's your deal _now?_ "

"My deal? Cadmus came into the Last Round last night. And _you_ weren't there. Now Anastasia's gone. You get that?"

"'Stasia's gone? The hell? You guys really that useless without me?"

"It ain't about you. It's about numbers. If we had one more person there to distract Victor, I coulda' saved her. If we had one more person there, just to fuckin' stand there and take up space, I coulda' saved her, and you just leave us there, for what?" He spat, "For grabbin' Isaac's mail once or twice a night?"

Killian punched Skelter in the face and knocked him into the wall.

"Dammit." Nines stood up and stood between them, "You idiots. Skelter, sit down. Anastasia's fine. Cadmus's is keeping her safe, safer than any of us would be able to with all this shit going on." He turned to Killian, "And you. Where were you?"

"I said, I was doing shit for Isaac, alright? Lay off."

"They coulda' used you back at home. I'm sure whatever you were doing for Isaac could wait."

"Yeah, okay. Lemme just, leave. Just up and leave him, that'd be great. He's an Anarch too, or did you forget that?"

"Isaac's got a lot of connections. Things he was able to do before you were Embraced."

"You sayin' I'm not _needed?_ "

Nines narrowed his eyes. Damsel had mentioned how much Killian had really changed since his sister's death. How much lack of respect he had, how much anger, how much ignorance, but he at least expected a scrap of respect from him, "Kid, if you're not gonna be useful to us, then no. You're not needed. Am I clear?"

Killian crossed his arms and didn't say anything, his gray eyes just glared back at Nines.

Nines turned around from the door and sat on the desk again, "Get yourself some blood. Relax. You're gonna be sticking around, helping us for a while. We need you."

"Yeah. Alright." He said as he went in the back and got a blood bag.

Nines rubbed a temple, one that wasn't damaged with a deep scar, "This would be a lot better if we did have her back. I'm not gonna lie. We could use a bit more force, she's got a lot of bite behind her. But, we can manage." He stood up again and started pacing, "The sun rises in a few hours. But as soon as it sets tomorrow, we're gonna have to go."

"Go?" Killian asked, "Go…where?"

"Wherever the hell I decide." He said.

"He's still working it out." Damsel said, "But we can all agree that the Kuei-Jin are the number one problem."

"Or at least the problem we need to concern ourselves with." Nines said, looking to Damsel, "You sure as hell made it sound as if Cadmus's got LaCroix handled."

"Well, considering he's got a Blood Hunt on his head now, I'm assuming his plan is killing LaCroix…but I don't know."

Cadmus kicked the door open, with Anastasia draped over his shoulder, "Special delivery." He said as he put her down.

Anastasia looked around, like it was either a dream, or too good to be true, "Wait…I'm back…you're just going to let me go…I mean…I…" She blinked, "I didn't think you'd do it _this soon_ …"

"Happy Birthday."

"I…I thought you were going to…I don't know…"

"Merry Christmas."

She growled, "Why the hell did you take me in the first place, if you were just going to give me right back?!"

"Because, LaCroix wanted to start an alliance with you guys, to cover his ass about his alliance with the Kuei-Jin." He said, "So I set out and did the opposite. Also, I wanted you back at the time, so I found anyone who hated the Anarchs at least _a little bit_ , and I did what needed to be done."

"Pfft, what needed to be done?" She snapped, "You almost killed all of my friends just to put LaCroix's panties in a bunch?"

"That was only part one. The second part was I needed to turn California into a hellhole. So now there's Kuei-Jin running around, Anarchs running around, LaCroix's troops running around." He shrugged, "Bet his tower is pretty empty right about now, if you're picking up what I'm putting down."

"Why didn't you just tell us that you wanted to provoke LaCroix, we could've just, sent out troops anyway…"

"Eh, but I needed a real anger behind your forces." He said, "Something really authentic. The feeling of _needing_ to save someone. That typically puts a fire into people's hearts."

Nines hung his head down and laughed harder than he had in a long time. Skelter looked furious, he stood up, "You coulda' caused some serious damage, you realize that? What if someone caught your ass? And she was with you? Then what?"

"Skelter…" Nines shook his head, "It's fine. Take it easy."

He sighed and crossed his arms, "You're lucky he's here."

"Talk about possessive…" Killian muttered.

Nines looked up at Cadmus, "So there's a Blood Hunt on you now?"

"There's a Blood Hunt on pretty much every Kindred in L.A. aside from LaCroix himself." Cadmus said.

"And Nines." Damsel muttered, still completely bitter over Cadmus's existence in general.

"You mind giving us a hand in kicking the Kuei-Jin's ass?" Nines asked.

Cadmus nodded and crossed his arms, "Yeah, I was actually gonna bring up the same thing." He said, "We're going to need people to take on LaCroix, and people to take on Xiao. So I guess we'll have to work together. In a _real_ alliance. Not a fake one like the one Miranda and LaCroix tried to make."

"I…I can't believe LaCroix actually sold us out to the Kuei-Jin." Anastasia said.

Cadmus nodded, "Lied to our faces about it too, though I'm sure he would just bullshit that it was 'for the greater good of the Camarilla' or some nonsense."

"But…what about Caesar? Didn't you want to kill him?"

"He's dead."

"You got a team?" Nines asked, "Partner in crime?"

"Uh…yeah…something like that…" Cadmus rubbed the back of his head, "See…the rest of my plan…sort of relies on…"

The hotel phone started ringing.

Anastasia blinked, "Who would—"

"That's for me." Cadmus picked the phone up, "Room service."

"Very funny." Miranda's voice came from the other end.

"Where are you?"

"At…the Tremere Chantry, where are you?"

"I'm with the Anarchs." Cadmus said, "I think they're down for murdering LaCroix and Ming-Xiao, but, I'm pretty sure anyone would be at this point."

"Ah, excellent, will they work alongside us?"

"I'm pretty sure." He said, "Wait, who's with you?"

"Victor, Slade, Dragomir, Genevieve, Ferrum, Iphigenia…"

"Alright, stupid question…is Angelique there?"

"Yes." She said, "Would you like me to put her on?"

"No…it's fine…this line could be traced…by…whatever asshole is still loyal to LaCroix…"

"Very well." She said, "I…I still can't believe it…that I'm going to betray LaCroix…"

"Pfft, you kidding me? He treated everyone like garbage, he betrayed us for the Kuei-Jin…" He shook his head, "And he had this…creepy obsession…with Harper…"

"…with Harper…?"

He nodded, "Tried to Embrace her on the sarcophagus or something…that's what made me do all this, it just, pissed me off, Embracing someone against their will."

The line went silent, for a disturbing amount of moments, then Miranda screamed, "He wanted to be with that Harper girl, when he had me, for all of those years!" Up until now, the Anarchs couldn't hear Miranda's end, but now they did, "What does that little ghoul have that I don't?!"

Cadmus covered his ear, "Jesus…alright, thanks, now I have one functioning ear…" He winced, "Anything else?"

"No, not really, Victor and Strauss seem excited about the whole thing…"

"Of course they are. Victor and Strauss have been dealing with LaCroix's bullshit longer than any of us have."

"Yes, well, if you could…coerce the Anarchs into helping us, it would be great."

"Got it. See you in a few." He hung up, facing Nines and the others, "The answer is yes, there is a team, we could meet up in a few minutes and finally end all this shit."

"Good to see the Anarchs aren't the only sect with a lotta drama, huh?" Killian raised a brow and leaned back on the couch.

Nines ignored him, "Few minutes, huh? We just gotta keep an eye on sunrise. It's about one now, if you think we can get into cover by five or six, I don't see why not."

Skelter stuck his hands in his pockets, "First time in my damn life I've ever worked with the Cams for something…"

"Don't think of it like that." Nines said, "We're not shaking hands with the Prince. We're not shaking hands with an idiot, either." He looked at Cadmus, "He's a friend's brother…and despite that, he's got a head on his shoulders. I never thought you were all idiots, I just think a good deal of you are full of hot air."

"We'd be fucked if Jack was here." Damsel muttered as she grabbed a blood bag from the fridge.

"Yeah, I'd be dead by now." Cadmus said. He headed for the door, "Alright, I'll go ahead and guide Miranda and the others if they arrive."

"Cadmus." Anastasia said, as Cadmus grabbed the doorknob, "Did you…did you…want to…go Anarch?" She asked, "I mean…it's just that…"

"I know what you're going to say." Cadmus said, he closed his eyes, sighing as his shoulders heaved up and down, "It…would be easier…on us as siblings. Anastasia, if, if I could…like…pick again or something…I would…but…I think I'm just…stuck in it…now, not, not in a bad way. I mean, I know they all beat the shit out of you and attacked you…but…they're my friends. So…if I did switch, I'd piss a lot of people off. If I stay in the Camarilla, I'd piss a lot of people off." He shrugged, "I guess I could always go Independent…but…I'd piss a lot of people off doing that too…eh, I guess people yelling at me is the only thing I know…"

"Kid." Nines said, "You do whatever the hell you gotta do to get by. We're not gonna get pissed if you stay Cam, and we're not gonna block you off if you don't."

Damsel crossed her ankles, "Lot less paperwork, going into the Anarchs."

Nines snickered, "Yeah. At least if you fuck up in the Cam, can't get back in, we'll be here. You're family, whether you like it or not."

"You mean whether Jack likes it or not." Skelter said.

Nines scratched the back of his head, "We'll sort that out later."

Cadmus turned around, trying to put a brave face on, but he just looked like a confused child, "But I beat the shit out of most of you, treated you like dirt, and bossed Anastasia around. How come none of you are pissed off at me?"

"We're not—" Nines started, but he was quickly interrupted.

"I'm fucking pissed at you. I wanna tear you to little shreds and watch the hobos piss on your ashes. But…" Damsel sighed, "Nines was right. You're not an idiot. You just piss me off a lot."

"And I'm sure Skelter's pissed, and I'm sure Killian's pissed." Nines said, "Hell, I'm a little ticked off too. But we got bigger things to worry about then little skirmishes of the past. We got a whole future ahead of us that'll change depending on what we make of it, if we go around blindly hating each other, nothing's gonna change at all."

"Right…" Cadmus said, "Well, I'll get out of your hair, then." He slipped out the door.

* * *

The dinner table was quieter. Though, Sebastian couldn't exactly recall it was louder the last time he sat around. It was the tiny movements, it was the little looks exchanged across the room that were absent.

The entire room looked smaller. The table, especially. More worn, more polished, the drapes looked heavier, the windows darker. Even the silence outside was much more weighted.

His step-father had since died. He was not alerted, he was not sent a letter, even given an invitation to his funeral. It was simply something he deducted as soon as Buchanan sat at the head of the table. He was internally kicking himself. Receiving an invitation to a commemorative dinner event was certainly not something his father would ever be responsible for. He should have seen it coming.

Buchanan had grown since Sebastian had last saw him, naturally. He rose out of his teens and into his late twenties well, a lot thinner than his father, his hair a lot neater, his eyes a lot more intense. His cheekbones could cut glass and his glare could melt steel, but his smile was the most offensive thing Sebastian could imagine. His teeth were white as ivory, the canines sharp, like a hound. It was as handsome as it was menacing.

There were no women present at the table. No maids, either, or butlers, even. Buchanan came in and set all the dishes himself.

His eldest brother adjusted his tie and lightly rapped his fork against his wine glass, "Might I have your attention?" It wasn't as if there was a single sound in the room, nobody was even speaking. All eyes were on Buchanan to begin with.

Sebastian felt the heated gazes landing on the back of his head from his three brothers that sat behind him. He took a sip from his glass of wine, the sweetest thing he had tasted in his entire life, likely. "I've…gathered us all here this evening…as a sort of, reflection period." Buchanan's deep voice sounded well-rehearsed, trained, like every inflection he slipped into his words could be used to manipulate the mind of _anyone_ , "I feel as though…we do not allow ourselves enough time to gaze fondly into the past, and see the beauties she's left us for the present." He waved a hand in front of himself, to the dinner display, "Our lovely sisters, happily married, each and every one!" He said with gusto, a bright smile on that face. Too bright.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he counted the empty chairs in the room that have to have been left in memory of each sister they had. One was missing.

"The light shines ever so brightly over their futures. In fact," He chuckled softly, "As of late, I've received a letter from Chrysanthemum, expecting a child in June." A small choir of 'oh's filled the humid air that smelled rather like roasting pig, "So yet, the progeny continues!" He said, elated, "Our father would be so very proud of us all, I think."

Sebastian looked down at the table. He was leaning his arms against it, something he knew his father would be furious with him for. But, Buchanan did the same, as did another sibling whose name he had completely forgotten. "Which…brings me to another matter." Buchanan sat up, "An engagement has been proposed from myself to Miss Eleanor from Folkestone." He said, "We are to be married in May."

"Married?" One brother asked, "Quite fast…is it not?"

Buchanan chuckled softly, "Her father and I have gotten along marvelously. A lawmen himself, you see, we once shared the courtroom together. The wealth between our families will not deplete either, should I take her hand in marriage." He said, "In fact, there may be a significant increase to our fortune."

"Ah, a marvelous idea, then!"

Sebastian gave a sigh through his nose and finished his glass of wine. It tasted bitter, now.

Buchanan chuckled to himself, then raised his palm skyward, "And yet, another topic is sitting before my very eyes that I've forgotten to address." He looked right at Sebastian, those eyes must have belonged to the devil himself.

Sebastian remained as calm as he could, "Yes?"

"Oh, you'll have to excuse me, I thought you spoke French." Buchanan scoffed, then held his chest and laughed, "You've made a remarkable name for yourself, from what I've heard across the sea! How is it? France?"

Buchanan knew about the Revolution that was taking place. Everyone knew. Everyone knew about Louis, everyone knew about Bonaparte. This was a test, that much was clear, "Manageable." Sebastian shifted his empty glass between his fingers before he looked up to make eye contact, staring right into his eyes, a challenge, "I'm quite sure you've heard about the warfare. Unless…those trials you find yourself in consume so much of your time that you are unable to listen to the current affairs."

Buchanan chuckled, not at all approving of the discordance in _his_ dinner event, "Oh, I have heard. Quite a considerable amount. So much so, I've even heard that you, Mister LaCroix, have enrolled yourself in Boneparte's battalion."

A hit at his bloodline. He was expecting it. Expecting it earlier, in fact. "Yes, that's right."

"Very impressive…" Buchanan mused, "So, then tell me." He cleared his throat, "This is a question that is all on our minds, I'm sure." He looked around at all his brothers, who all looked just as amused, before he looked back to Sebastian, "Can the other zealots you've associated yourself with speak the King's English?"

The table laughed. Well, not Sebastian. He wasn't a child anymore. He didn't take the teasing anymore. "In fact, a good portion of them do. And those who do not, speak fluent French."

Buchanan chuckled and shook his head, "Forgive me, dear, dear, brother. Let us not poke fun and games with one another like silly children. Though not related by blood, as the head of the household, _I_ think that you've made yourself an exceptional man. After all, monarchy is simply a confound concept, is it not?"

More snickering and laughter. Sebastian was a guppy in a sea of sharks, at this point. A Frenchman, of impure blood, who was part of an army who opposed a King. He cracked a smile, "Well, perhaps if you lived in France during the reign of King Louis, you too, would understand the circumstances." He sat up, "For you see, King George the Third is not nearly as…intolerable as the King of France was. You have not yet stepped foot in France, have you? Not even Calais?" He raised a brow, "Therefore, your words are without any support, without any sense of meaning, really." He crossed his arms, "Unless you have lived under the fist of the tyrant, then you've no pardoning to dishonor my intentions."

Buchanan stirred in his seat, momentarily silenced. The room felt heavy again. Or, maybe Sebastian felt lighter. He couldn't help the boyish smile that tugged at his lips, "Oh, but do continue, if you must. I wouldn't want to disappoint the guests, if they were expecting a show." He threw in, "Would it be favorable for me to…speak French and perhaps throw myself upon a cross, praying for King Louis to be resurrected, praying to the holy God in the sky that my penance will be repaid in hell?" He bashed a fist on the table, before twirling his index finger in the air, "Now, fetch me more wine. You've a toast to make, I believe, on the behalf of all your beloved sisters who have so graciously become property, and the one that has since gone _missing_ due to her ability to think for herself. And the poor lass from Folkestone who I'm sure will be a marvelous addition to this family." He sat back, "Carry on."

A knock on the door is what woke him up.

He rubbed one of his temples and at up, "Come in." His mind was fogged over, he had no clue if he had missed appointments, or calls, or emails, anything. He was furious with himself for dozing off, even more furious when he saw who entered. Alone. He stood up, "Where is Miss Frost?"

Tess had clearly been crying. Her eyes looked dark, "She has…since…" She swallowed hard, "Abdicated…her position…"

"What!?"

She jumped back, "Please…don't…scold me…" She pleaded, "I'm still here…I'll…still do whatever you say, sir…please…"

He stepped back, leaning against his desk. If he needed a slap to the face to jolt himself from that dream, this had worked wonders. If he needed to actually make progress in the Camarilla? Yes, now he was screwed.

Tess swallowed hard, "Sir…Miss Frost and I…spoke with Nines…about the alliance. He…seemed to agree at first…but…" She shuddered, "A werewolf attacked…and he's…he's dead sir…"

"Dead…?" LaCroix asked, much softer than before. He wasn't sure how much more bad news he could take, how many more pounds of work he could carry.

"There was a fire, we were attacked by werewolves…" She said, "They must have come out…after everything started burning…"

He looked out the window. Painful enough that his own plan backfired so much. Even more painful that Miranda _realized_ this plan, "Fire. Yes…it all makes sense. The Kuei-Jin must have followed you and set the fire. The fire triggered the wrath of the werewolves. So few Kindred have ever walked away from a werewolf attack." Looking at her felt like someone was shoving knives under his fingertips, pouring salt over open wounds all over his body, "And you've survived."

"Yes…sir." She gave a shaky nod, "Miss Frost…kept me safe."

He paced back and forth. She either hadn't noticed the Blood Hunt he had called on her, or forgot about it. He wasn't going to mention it. What use would he have, wasting time and effort trying to kill his last field agent? "You are the only one left?"

She thought. She thought as hard as she could. Cadmus? Slade? Any Malkavian, any Tremere? Miranda? "Yes, sir."

He gave a deep sigh. He was left with nothing. Miranda was gone. Harper was gone. Those two enough had the power to air all his dirty laundry, enough to find himself on the executioner's platform, really. He was going to have to focus his priorities on negating their attacks, as soon as the Anarchs were finished, and the Kuei-Jin were been exiled. Assuming that, he could pull off those major feats with _Tess_. No, he was going to need to rein in someone else. The Sheriff? Some other Ventrue? _Someone?_ Nobody came to mind. He would have to trust Tess with every last fiber of trust that he had, "You've learned a lot in these nights, Miss Perry, I'm sure. Lessons learned from…bitter experiences, that, if you've made the effort to, have enhanced your ability to survive, as well as rise to power."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know, in this life, what power is?"

"…in this life?"

"Yes. Power in humans…" He shook his head, "It is not the same for us. Those without power disintegrate into the nights of the past. Hundreds of names I know once instilled fear, now unknown. You see, it is not enough to attain power, one must also _maintain_ power. And that sarcophagus," He pointed to it firmly, " _Is_ power. Its contents will maintain our rule for centuries to come. I've felt it, all have felt it since it appeared. But until we get the key back, we're vulnerable." He paused, "I have yet to rely on your help in a time so momentous. Please understand the severity of what I am asking of you. This is not based on an envelope of cash, this is not based on holding a good standing with me. This, is about maintaining power to the entire Camarilla. If you wish to make a future for yourself, you must not disappoint me. Only one task remains before we can assume total power. You must get that key back from Ming-Xiao."

"Yes, sir." She didn't hesitate.

"Very well." He concluded, folding his hands behind his back, "Then go. And do not return until you secure the key."

"Yes, sir. I will be back with the key." She bowed.

"Do not disappoint me again, Miss Perry."

She felt herself choke up with guilt, "Yes, sir."

* * *

 **A/N:** Tess? Do something alone? HA! Hope you liked it!


	99. Chapter 99

**A/N:** Here's chapter ninety-nine! *begins a drum roll* Ming Must Die! (Sorry, I had to, love that quest name) And because this is co-written with chopperlover14, _of course_ there's going to be drama. Who do you think you're dealing with, boss? Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

"So…this…is where the Kuei-Jin live?" Anastasia asked.

Edgar nodded, "Yup, Ming-Xiao and her stupid friends live in here."

"Hmm…" She looked around, "I wonder why the main city is so empty then…"

"It's probably because all the Blood Hunt nonsense spread to Chinatown."

"I know, I know!" Genevieve raised her hand, "It's because Greenhorn warned the Red Dragon tamer to leave and he did…maybe the others followed…"

"Uh…okay…thanks, sweetheart…" Anastasia said.

"Why do I got the feeling that the Kuei-Jin aren't gonna be the ones causing problems tonight…?" Skelter muttered to Anastasia.

She followed his gaze and saw Iphigenia giving them a grossed-out glare and Killian ogling over Anastasia when he thought she wasn't looking. "I mean…Cadmus said that there was a truce, so…"

"Truce or no truce, everyone still hates each other. Killian's on _our_ side, too…whoever split these teams up is fucked in the head…"

"I have no idea who did that." She said, "I mean, I think so many people were eager to kill LaCroix that we're…the leftovers…"

"Leftovers…" He snickered and shook his head, "Wasn't the only time in my life I was a leftover…"

"Hey, buddy." Killian had enough staring and seemed to want the real thing, slinging an arm around Anastasia's shoulders as he looked at Skelter, "You know, I was a dick in the past. But I'm lookin' to redeem myself…What do you say we share?"

Skelter glared at Killian, absolutely speechless, "… _share_ …? …the hell kinda drugs you get yourself on?"

"Yeah, guess it was mean of me not to ask her if it was okay…but…I know her better than you do. I know she'd say yes."

Cressida snickered, she elbowed Edgar, "Well, this should at least be somewhat amusing…"

"Better than any television channel…" Edgar said.

"Why don't I lead?" Anastasia pulled away from both of them and led the way. They were in the temple's courtyard, and Anastasia immediately alerted both men who were standing guard. She gained bestial features and killed them both after a while, anyway.

"Nice." Edgar gave a spooky chuckle, "Wait…seriously…that's it? Just _two_ guards? They were both kine too…" He said, "I was hoping for a deadly clash with some Kuei-Jin, what, with after how much Ming-Xiao bragged about them…"

"I don't think I smell any actual…Kuei-Jin here at all." Skelter said, "The hell…?" He clenched a fist, "Why haven't we just raided the place earlier, if she doesn't even have Kuei-Jin here?"

Iphigenia rolled her eyes, "Because, there normally are Kuei-Jin here." She crossed her arms, "Someone must have come here before us."

He looked over at Iphigenia, "Yeah?" He challenged, "Who?"

"I'm not sure." She confessed, "But that's a…a logical theory, don't you think? Nothing worth…frenzying over." She smirked. "Just something to…maybe use your brain for."

He chuckled lowly and shook his head, "Yeah, I'll remember that."

"Yikes…" Killian strolled towards Anastasia with his hands in his pockets, "Looks like lover-boy's a bigger douchebag than _I_ am."

Cressida crossed her arms, "I don't remember the surface being like this…at all."

"Yeah, they get temperamental at that age." Edgar snickered, "Alright, children, this way." It was his turn to lead.

Genevieve looked around, "This shell is empty."

"Yeah…" Edgar paced around, "It was originally the antechamber where we saw Ming-Xiao, but she's not here…curious…" He said, "Hmm, knowing her, she probably retreated back behind legions of Kuei-Jin and we'll have to fight our way through this entire damn temple…"

Skelter nodded, contemplating how much blood he was going to have to use, and how much ammo he had to prevent from frenzying.

Killian elbowed Anastasia, "You giving me the cold shoulder? C'mon, I thought we made up."

"I don't want to talk to either of you right now." Anastasia growled. Killian's eyes widened as she stomped ahead of them.

Edgar opened the door to reveal another courtyard, he made a face, seeing that one of the guards noticed them and cried out for assistance. In mere seconds, dozens of warriors emerged to do battle with the Kindred. "Holy shit…how many people is this?" Anastasia asked, calling on her powers of Fortitude and Protean.

"Don't just stand there, kill them!" Edgar ordered, he flared up Potence and started swinging his sledgehammer around like a madman. Genevieve narrowed her eyes and took her sniper out, firing away.

Iphigenia seemed to do quite a bit of damage control herself, running out towards them until they crowded her, then using Purge to make them fall to their knees. Anyone who got up was hit with a Blood Strike. Killian had a similar method, lying in wait and punching anyone who got near into an early grave.

Edgar drained the last guard dry, "Jeez…this is going to get annoying really fast…a high level of Dominate would be pretty damn useful right about now…" He looked at Genevieve, "You." He said, "How good's your Dementation?"

"Three flowers." Genevieve said.

"I don't…I don't know what that means…" He looked over at Iphigenia, "And what about you?"

"I haven't even mastered Suicide yet…" She mused, "I'm only four…"

"Ugh…and _they_ have Miranda…I've heard her Dominate is so strong, she can pretty much slap her boobs together and it would kill everyone…lucky…" Edgar looked ahead, "Still…is this little human army supposed to be her way of _insulting_ us?"

"I might have an answer for you." Anastasia said, sniffing an old-looking blood stain.

"Hmm? What is that?"

"It…smells like…supernatural blood…not human. So there _were_ Kuei-Jin here…"

"Hmm." Edgar nodded at Iphigenia, "So your theory checks out. But…what happened to them?"

"I don't know. I guess someone came here before us. I don't know who, it's no one I've ever smelled before." Anastasia said.

"It's he of the Prosperous nature and he of the swift feet." Genevieve said.

Edgar sighed, "I really wish she came with a translator…"

"So…" Skelter wasn't going to bother and try to pronounce Iphigenia's name, "You were right then. Let's just hope whoever did come here's friendly."

"I didn't even think of that…" Iphigenia mused, "But who else would attack the Kuei-Jin? The Anarchs hate them…but…we're allied now…the Sabbat have been wiped out, the Camarilla are handling the Anarchs…"

"There's always an outlier."

"So…what, you think it could be…Sabbat?"

"Could be. Could be Cams too. Wasn't Anarchs. Nines told Isaac to send troops out in the streets, and called a few of our connections outside L.A. to give us a hand." He said, "Unless some of them…organized themselves and decided to take on the Kuei-Jin temple for…whatever reason."

"Look, guys, doesn't matter, alright?" Killian said, "We'll deal with it when we get there."

Iphigenia looked at Genevieve briefly, trying to crack her code, "Swift feet and a Prosperous nature…" She mused, "Well, that could be anyone with Celerity…which leads to Toreador or Brujah…that still doesn't decipher anything…and Prosperous nature? That…that could be anyone who's friendly…"

"Like I said, doesn't matter." Killian glared at her.

She narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me for thinking. Perhaps rein your jealousy in and cooperate with the rest of us, if you'd like to get through this with your head attached to the rest of you."

"Jealousy?" He walked closer to her and shoved her shoulder, "I could crush you like a bug, why the hell would I be _jealous_?" He sneered, then looked her over, "Jeez, you look like bug too…"

She looked up at him through her lashes, "Oh, I'm so sad I didn't pass your little test of approval." She brought a hand to her eye and pretended to brush tears away, "Even if I did like men, you would certainly be the last one I would find in my bed."

"I'm not interested in dudes, so you're safe there."

She raised a brow, "What did you just say?"

He snickered, "You're a Tremere, right? What, are you going to do a card trick on me?"

She held a hand out and made him throw up his blood, moving forward, "Anastasia, you poor girl. If you have to deal with apes like him every day, I suppose I can't blame you for almost running away with your brother…"

"Obsidian Thunder _was_ right…" Genevieve sighed, walking alongside Iphigenia. It didn't help that Genevieve, being a Malkavian, made her sound almost _too_ certain about these sorts of things. Anastasia just looked down at the grass, for what seemed like forever, as if she had made a huge mistake.

"Jeez…I should've brought a video camera for this…" Edgar muttered, then he narrowed his eyes, seeing another battalion of guards heading their way, "Damn it, and we're still in the courtyard, we didn't even make it _inside_ the temple yet?" Edgar and Anastasia went ahead first to kill as many as they could. The latter of which did it to try and look as though she had been expending a lot of effort, but the reality was, she was most likely doing it to distance herself from the group.

"Yeah, Anastasia! Give it to 'em good!" Killian chuckled as he watched and hardly did a thing, "Even with a ton a hair and claws, she still looks hot out there…"

"There's a special place in hell for people like you." Skelter muttered before he used his war form and joined the fight.

Edgar hissed as he was hit by a crossbow bolt, "Damn it all…they're getting more creative…" He looked at the temple entrance, which was the source of where all the guards were coming from. He held a hand out, and a pair of ghostly wolves mauled the men with crossbows, at least making it somewhat easier on them.

Iphigenia watched with awe before she tried to help Edgar by using her Blood Strikes, "These crossbows look a bit more…" She looked at the wound left on Edgar's body, "Painful…than anything else…"

"Ugh, I know…that's because it's a big hunk of metal cutting through your body…" He paused, and winced, as he ripped it out, "Getting hit by too many of these could easily lead to a Final Death…" He looked at the others, "Hey, don't forget to save some to drain!"

Anastasia nodded, draining one of the last few guards, Edgar doing the same, while Genevieve didn't have to, as she hadn't used a single blood point yet, she was letting her guns do the talking. Skelter put his Protean down, then winced as he tasted his blood in his mouth. He contemplated filing his teeth, but it would make feeding impossible. He spit the blood in the grass, then looked over towards the others, "Everyone's cleared out?"

"For now." Edgar said, "Though I doubt they're going to hand us balloons and party-baskets once we get inside…"

Iphigenia chuckled, "No, they're likely to have more weapons than before…" She sighed through her nose, "Depending on exactly what's inside."

He nodded, opening the door, then swearing as he narrowly ducked a crossbow bolt or two, "Son of a…" He summoned more Spectral Wolves to attack as many of them as possible. Genevieve got inventive as well, utilizing her Visions of Death to one-hit-kill anyone who got near. Anastasia, as always, donned her Protean and Fortitude to shred through her opponents.

Killian grunted as two bolts landed in him, one in each shoulder, "Fuck me…" He grunted as he looked at them, trying to run forward to get rid of them, but only getting hit with more. Skelter growled, knowing Nines would kill him if they reported back without Killian. He transformed into his war form before bumbling forward and tearing into anyone with a crossbow.

"The staircase! There's a staircase here!" Edgar pointed, growling as more guards armed with crossbows blocked their way downstairs. With Potence, he demolished who he could nearby, feeding on some of the guards occasionally.

"Nicely done." Iphigenia said, the sound of her heels on the floors of the place almost made her nervous, like it would make others track them down, "I suppose we should head that way then."

"No, we'll go on the roof…" Killian muttered, "Anastasia, take these bolts out of me, would you?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes, nudging Edgar. Edgar snickered and held his claws out towards Killian, "If it's a good set of claws you're looking for…"

"Ugh, no thanks…" He muttered, "I'll…do it myself then, jeez…don't have to be such a bitch about it…"

Getting rid of Killian moved up on Skelter's to-do list. He was tempted to say something, but considering how annoyed Anastasia seemed with both of them, he kept his mouth shut. If nothing else, at least he didn't want Anastasia to leave him. She wasn't the type to spill any of his private information, but it'd still hurt enough to make him contemplate leaving L.A.

As they headed downstairs, Iphigenia took the lead, ready to activate Blood Shield, as well as whip up a series of Blood Strikes. "Jeez, the lighting down here is too creepy…" Anastasia said.

Edgar shrugged, "I don't have a problem with it, then again, I'm Nosferatu, so I think everything is too damn bright, if anything."

Iphigenia was suddenly skewered by two giant fences with spears at the end. They stuck into her, causing blood to leak out everywhere.

Edgar blinked, "So…they're traps down here…"

She grunted and froze in place, not wanting to open the wounds any more. She grit her teeth and looked back, "See if…you can put them back into the wall…"

Skelter grabbed onto one and with a good heave, shoved it back into where it came from. He made sure she was ready for him to remove the other one, the points of the fence were covered in her blood, "You alright?"

She nodded and ran her fingers over the large gashes, "They should heal…I'll manage." She looked forward, "Who knows how many other traps are set?"

Edgar glanced at the ground quickly, "I think it has something to do with these center platforms…stepping on them probably triggers the trap…"

"This is too clouded for my liking…" Genevieve said, "Shall we continue?"

Edgar nodded, of course, once they wandered on for a bit, they were attacked by more guards, but since they were human, it wasn't necessarily a difficult fight. Still, despite being human, they did seem a bit _hardier_ than plain kine, to the point where Anastasia asked, "Are we sure these things are human?"

Edgar nodded, "It's just a little combat training and dedicated strength, that's all." He said, ducking a sword or a knife every few seconds.

Skelter went around and started feeding on them, while Cressida took his place in battle, running around and using Potence to get rid of them. Killian stood by Anastasia, "So…what can I do to not make you pissed at me?"

"Stop hitting on me." Anastasia said, "It's not really even rocket science."

"Yeah, but…we had chemistry…real shit between us, there was something." He said, "I never thought of anyone the way I thought of you. The way I _think_ of you. I can't get you out of my head."

"Yeah…well…that…that…I'm with Skelter now…so…yeah…"

"What the hell does he have that I don't?" He asked, "An ounce more of emotional stability? Jeez, sorry I don't have a will of steel…sorry I have _feelings_."

Iphigenia and Skelter watched from a little distance off, "He's a Brujah?" Iphigenia asked.

"Yeah." Skelter muttered.

"Unbelievable."

"Yeah."

"The Yellow Monkey gets very territorial…" Genevieve looked from Anastasia to Killian, "He has the Archer's shadow over him."

"Archer's shadow…?" Skelter asked, then got a chill, "Alright…"

"Whatever, just leave me alone." Anastasia went ahead by herself, away from Killian. Of course, this led to her fighting nearly all the guards in the next room, but it seemed to be worth it for her.

Skelter began to worry about Anastasia's blood pool, not so much her well-being, as she was tearing people apart easily, and ran forward to give her a hand with them, despite how angry he figured she was. Edgar panted once the room was cleared, "Damn…it's like we're going in circles or something…"

"This cracked mind doesn't have an exit to this maze…" Genevieve said.

"Whatever, if we kill enough people, we'll find Xiao and this will be over." Anastasia kept leading.

Edgar shrugged, "Alright, not going to question the enthusiasm."

"Just be careful of traps, dear." Iphigenia warned Anastasia.

"I think she wants to get caught in one." Cressida said.

The next room had a balcony that led to a lower floor, a huge water wheel was to their right, and a door covered by a board was too their left. "That's probably where we have to go." Edgar said, "I bet if we slide the board aside, we can get in." He jumped down, but once they all followed, crossbow bolts rained down on them from all directions, and many guards armed with swords ran in.

"Shit." Killian's size made him a pretty good target, as did his bright blond hair and red tee shirt. To add insult to injury, there was hardly anything he could really do to block the attacks, "Genevieve, get rid of them!" He said, seeing as she was the only one with guns.

Skelter took out only one of his pistols, (the other being broken), and started shooting at the people above. Genevieve took her sniper out, laying on the ground and blasting away at the guards in the higher-up places. Edgar held a hand out, summoning more Spectral Wolves. The beasts took a great leap onto the balcony and romped and mauled down some of the guards. "Someone open that door!" Edgar pointed.

Iphigenia ran over to the door and pushed it open, waiting for the others. Skelter held a hand out to Genevieve to help her up, "Hey, uh…I mean…from my experience, laying down while using a sniper's a good plan, if you got the high ground…doesn't do much when you're on the bottom…"

"I disagree. It does a lot for people." She pat her butt, grabbing his arm and standing up.

"Uh…yeah, alright." He muttered, giving up on understanding what her motives were.

Edgar frowned as they progressed, "Damn it…" He said, "All this crap _still_ looks the same…"

He walked into a trap, getting skewered in a fashion similar to Iphigenia. He ripped the trap out himself, "Forgot about those…"

"Are you alright?" Iphigenia asked worriedly.

He nodded, "I'm fine…" He said, "Might just…hang out in the back for a while…"

She nodded, "Very well. Let me know if you need anything."

Cressida scowled at Iphigenia. For some reason, there was just something about how nice she was to them that Cressida didn't like. It wasn't as if she wanted people to be mean to them, but the fact that Iphigenia treated them like normal people came off unsettling for some reason or another.

Soon enough, they were found by another gathering of guards, Anastasia closed her weary eyes, grabbing the nearest person and draining them dry, as Genevieve pulled a similar trick. A purple glow escaped from her fingertips, and a guard started laughing hysterically, letting her feed on them.

Cressida decided to pull her weight, running forward to attack them. She was even more disgusted to see that Killian was the one who helped her out while the others were feeding, "Why don't you go stand back there and ogle at your ex, let the adults handle things."

He knocked the head off of one of the guards, "Maybe you should shut your trap so I don't have to smell the putrid rat stench coming from your mouth."

She snickered, "I'll give you another six months to live, with that attitude."

"Damn it…I should've fed on one of those guys…" Edgar sighed, "Would've made these wounds heal up better…"

"Don't worry, they'll be more coming up." Anastasia said.

Iphigenia looked around, "Everyone's alright?"

"Yeah, let's move forward." Skelter said.

They wormed through corridor after corridor, after what felt like hours, they reached what seemed to be a dead end, with seven or eight statues in the room. "Damn it, you've got to be kidding me!" Edgar said, "We were walking around here, forever, where _else_ is there to go?"

"It doesn't make any sense." Anastasia said, "There has to be…a lower level…or something…"

"Shit…I hear more guards coming…" Edgar looked back.

As one of the guards ran towards Anastasia from behind, Killian ran in with his Celerity and scooped her up, taking the hit. His leg lit up with Potence and he kicked the guard in the ribs, knocking him into the wall, which broke his neck. He then met his gaze with Anastasia's, before yanking her up closer to him and crashing his lips onto hers.

"Gross…" Cressida grumbled as she slashed into another guard, "Someone just put a muzzle on him already…"

"Ah! Killian!" Anastasia pulled away from him, "What did I just say?"

He gave a sly grin, "Can't say you didn't like it."

Killian grunted as he was shot in the back of the head, "What the hell did she just say? Get your hands off of her." Skelter said. "At least give the girl some goddamn respect."

Killian dropped her to the ground like a sack of rocks, "You know what, I'm done with this…if I kill you, then I'll have her all to myself."

"Yeah, cause…that's…how things work…" Skelter didn't flinch as Killian walked closer and activated Potence.

"Enough." Iphigenia said, "Please…stop fighting over her like some sort of medieval affair. She's not a damsel in distress, she's got a mind and a voice just like both of you." She eyed them back and forth like a disappointed mother, "If I were in her shoes, I'd leave both of you on my doorstep and find someone with a sense of honor."

"This is _'Stasia_." Killian said, "She loves this shit. Eats it up."

Iphigenia shook her head, "I…I am not an Anarch for…many reasons…this is one of them…"

"Iggy's right." Genevieve added, Iphigenia seeming a bit unnerved with the new nickname.

"Yes…maybe you two, can settle this…while the rest of us deal with Ming-Xiao." Edgar said, "Would be fine by me."

"I am not a part of this." Skelter insisted, "This is all him."

"You're the one who stole my girl." Killian said, " _Mine_. You hear that?" He leaned in and spoke through clenched teeth, " _Mine_."

Skelter scowled, "I wanna hear you say that to her face."

"Why?" Killian crossed his arms, "She'd like it."

"Scratch that thought." Skelter said, "I wanna hear you say that to your sister. I wanna hear you say that to Lark, about her best friend." His eyes narrowed, "Go ahead, I'll wait."

Killian grabbed him by the shirt and hoisted him in the air, "You motherfucking piece of shit—"

"I said enough!" Iphigenia demanded, "Killian, I think we can all agree that you should leave. You've done nothing but cause trouble for all of us."

"Like hell." He dropped Skelter, "I'm gonna kill Ming-Xiao with the rest of you."

"Then at least start acting like you care." She spat, "Before we all have enough of you."

He snickered, "The hell are you implying?"

She looked at her nails, "Ming-Xiao is…rather powerful. She might…get a hold of you and devour you whole. What a tragedy…"

"You'd…kill me? And…blame Xiao?" He asked, "You're fucked up…"

"Then maybe it's wise not to get on my bad side. Am I understood?"

He turned around, "Whatever. How the hell do we get out of here?"

"I've been trying to figure it out for the past, I don't know, fifteen minutes. Maybe if you girls would stop bitching about this and that, I'd make a breakthrough by now." Edgar said as he paced, eventually one of his boots his a switch, but instead of activating a trap, it moved the large statue at the end of the room back, "What the hell?"

Genevieve looked around, eventually crawling to cover up more ground and find more floor switches, once she did, she pushed one of the smaller statues over towards it, "Snake Breath, the other switch, push a rock onto it!"

Edgar froze, "Damn Malkavian insight…" He muttered to himself, doing as Genevieve said, before the statue pulled back even further, revealing a set of stairs, "Huh, so there _is_ a lower level…"

Anastasia gave a slight nod, hugging herself as tears ran down her cheeks.

Killian's death moved a little higher on Skelter's to-do list. To the point where killing Ming-Xiao was the only thing that superimposed it, "Thanks Edgar." He muttered. It would have to be done quietly. As quiet as Rush. His attic would work, he decided, so long as Anastasia wasn't around. It was humane, right? Putting someone out of their misery? Maybe he'd even be nice and make it quick for him.

Iphigenia gave Anastasia a worried look. So badly did she want to give her a hug, to restore some sort of faith in her. Tell her she wasn't property, that she could do whatever she liked. But she knew Anastasia would never forgive her. Not after what happened in the Chinese Theatre, and whatever else her Magister has done to them.

The second they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were beset by more guards, Edgar flared up Potence and tried to take out as many as he could, while Genevieve sniped from afar. Killian stomped around and started punching people, while Skelter looked around, "Where'd Anastasia go?"

Iphigenia used Blood Strike on anyone she could land a clean hit on, "I'm not sure. Perhaps she's given up and left."

His heart felt like it sank in his chest, so he activated his war form and started shredding the humans to ribbons.

Edgar looked around once the room was cleared out, "Alright, so what are we working with, here?" He paced around the room, "Looks like…four pedestals…and a…lot of space in the center of the room here…and…a few hallways, which way should we go?"

"This…this cracked…mind…she has no answers…" Genevieve said, "But…but death looms heavy…"

"Yeah, with all this drama, I sort of figured that…"

Skelter gave one a little push to see if they moved like the last one, "There's gotta be a point to these…" He looked at the middle of the room, strangely empty, "And that."

"We'll have to head down one of these halls and see what's going on." Edgar said, leading the way. It wasn't long until he was shot at by a couple flaming crossbow bolts, "Ow!" He fell back, starting to catch fire. The fiery bolts were relentless, and they were coming from at least a couple directions.

"Shit." Skelter said as he saw the flames, "Everyone, stay back, let me handle this one." He almost ran forward, before giant blades swept over and nearly cut his head off, "Fuck!" He ducked low, "Go get blood if you need it." He called, his voice loud and commanding, "This ain't gonna be easy!" He activated Fortitude and crawled forward so his head wouldn't get hit.

Genevieve crouched and tried to stay hidden from the shots, "Someone will have to move Snake Breath to safety." She said as she tried to get her sniper out.

Iphigenia nodded and gently held Edgar's arm, "Let's go back and find some blood."

Cressida watched as Iphigenia escorted Edgar, grumbled something under her breath, then crawled forward with Skelter.

After both sections of the corridor were cleared out, Genevieve picked up two green statues, one of a crane, and one of a dragon, "Hmm…these are pretty…" Like Cressida, Skelter, and Killian, she was exhausted by the time they defeated the guards.

"Good work." Skelter caught his breath as he looked at the statues, "Something tells me those go on those pedestals."

"Do you smell it?" She asked, as the four of them headed back to the room in the center.

"Well, just a guess." He said, "But if they were on pedestals in those rooms…maybe they belong on the ones in here."

"And maybe they don't." Killian shrugged, but again, was ignored.

They reunited with Edgar and Iphigenia, "What are those things?" Edgar stared at the statues.

"Helter-Skelter thinks they go on these." Genevieve pointed to the pedestals.

Skelter shot her a scalding look, "Don't you start calling me that."

"Then you probably should have come up with a better name."

"Alright, guys…let's try ten minutes without trying to kill each other." Edgar said, "So, we have two statues, but there are four pedestals…" He said, "That means there have to be two more someone in this…godforsaken place…"

"They're right here." A voice said, as they all turned to Anastasia, who was coated in blood, holding the other two statues, one of an elephant, and one of a cat. Both of them were green, like the two the other group found. (Or at least they _should've_ been green, but they were covered in so much blood, it was hard to tell).

Edgar blinked, "Welcome back…"

Skelter looked heartbroken, but Killian looked completely emotionless, like he didn't even care in the slightest. Skelter walked forward, giving up on hoping she wasn't angry, "You want to go find something to feed on? I…I could come with you."

"It's fine, I found plenty of people to feed on while I was finding these things." Anastasia said, putting the last two statues in their place. A shimmering, white portal opened up in the center of the room.

Edgar swallowed hard, "I'm the opposite…I feel as though I'm knocking on death's door…" He said, "And I bet Ming-Xiao's on the other side of that thing, isn't she?"

"I'd say there's a pretty damn good chance." Skelter said, "No shame in staying back here. I'm going in there to kill that fucking bitch, she's responsible for far too many deaths to our cause."

"I'll come." Iphigenia said.

"Of course I'm coming, I'm not a pussy." Killian said.

"I'll go if you're going." Cressida looked at Edgar, "Don't wanna leave you behind."

"I'm going." Edgar said, "I have to. It's for Barabus, if I die, then it's for him."

"Hoorah! For Dragomir's father!" Genevieve cheered.

"Alright…" Skelter said, turning around to everyone, "Differences aside. Let's kick her ass 'til there's nothing left."

Iphigenia looked at the portal, "Do we just…walk in?"

Edgar didn't even answer, he just led the way through. Everyone else followed him in. They were transported to a private chamber. The ground had water up to their ankles, and six white pillars on each side, and a statue in the back. In the center of the room, Ming-Xiao opposed them.

"You've become a grave disappointment, Kindred." She scowled, "This was not meant to be your destination but your path will end here."

"Don't give me that crap, you don't know any better than the rest of us!" Edgar snapped, "It's time you answer for what you've done to Barabus!"

"Yes! Yes all around!" Genevieve cackled as she pulled out her shotgun, "I have a special boom-stick reserved for you…"

"You were never more than a pawn, Kindred. Puppet of those who drew the boundaries on your horizon. It was I who sensed in you the power to right the balance of this city. It will give me no joy to bring you Final Death." Ming-Xiao said.

"You're little reign is gonna end here. No more Anarchs are gonna have to fear your demons bringing them hell." Skelter plunged into his war form.

"You will have time to ponder this folly as you are devoured by worms and disease in the hell of burrowing maggots! A thousand years shall you suffer!" Ming-Xiao said, morphing into a giant red monster which looked like a slug at first glance, she had six tentacles, and an odd face with two black eyes and small tentacles for a mouth.

"What…what the hell is that…?" Edgar asked.

"Ah, the Mistress of Mirrors true self!" Genevieve pointed.

Ming-Xiao lashed her tentacles out, grabbing nearly every party member, and proceeding to slam them around the room, gradually battering their life-force away. The only Kindred spared this treatment was Skelter, as she had one too few tentacles.

"I don't…I don't even know what's happening…" Edgar coughed.

"Not fair!" Genevieve screamed at the top of her dead lungs, "Cheating! Cheating!"

Anastasia sniffed, grunting as she tried to free herself, "James…" She whispered quietly, "Help…"

Skelter never really thought it would come down to just him, but seeing as all her tentacles were occupied, he was glad they were at least somewhat distracting to her. He ran forward and held out a claw, deciding to go ahead and use his Spectral Wolves to attack her first. His blood pool wasn't entirely full, but he figured he could manage until she was dead. Ming-Xiao roared, spitting this disgusting, green slime at him as a rebuttal.

He tumbled back and grimaced, (yes, even as a beast, he found this repulsive,) standing up and shaking it off like a dog in water. He jumped out of the way with his powerful hind legs before she could land another attack and ran behind her to start clawing at her back and tail. He certainly did not want to bite her for obvious reasons.

"Helter-Skelter! The gummy lines Helter-Skelter! The gummy lines!" Genevieve cried.

Edgar narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher what she meant, "Hey, try and cut her tentacles off, it could free one of us and we could help you!"

Skelter's furry head nodded, his eyes aimed on the joints of her tentacles. Naturally, he ran in and clawed at the one that held onto Anastasia, even using his teeth if he had to.

Anastasia plopped onto the ground as she was free, giving Skelter's furry body a brief hug, but it wasn't long before Ming-Xiao spit on both of them. Her slimy spit was definitely acidic in nature, based on how much Anastasia screamed.

"Damn it…" Edgar growled, "The grip is too tight…good thing we're not humans…or we would have suffocated at this point…"

Skelter growled and shook off the goop again, running forward and starting to work on the limb that was attached to Genevieve, grunting as Ming-Xiao thrashed and squirmed to get him away.

"Ah! Oof!" Genevieve plopped in the muck, getting up and brushing herself off, "Many thanks, Helter-Skelter!" She took a deep breath and called on her powers of Auspex, her eyes glowing red, she took one of her machine guns out and opened fire, giving Ming-Xiao no mercy.

Anastasia began to glow green and gain bestial features, but she was attacked from behind, by what looked like an exact replica of Ming-Xiao. Anastasia growled, clawing at the new clone. Skelter looked back, seeing Anastasia battle the clone, but decided that freeing more people would help them out the most. So, as Genevieve more or less held her back, he began to free Edgar.

Edgar snarled as he was free, giving a roar that was equally scary, if not, more so, than Ming-Xiao's. He laced himself with Potence, holding a hand up, that began to summon Spectral Wolves. His roar carried on until he slammed Ming-Xiao in the head with his sledgehammer, fueled with Potence, it actually sent Ming-Xiao back a little, (though one could argue the water physics did that anyway).

Anastasia meanwhile kept fighting the copy, and it was putting up quite a fight. She was getting slapped around left and right by an endless array of tentacles, if it were not for Fortitude, she'd have no idea how well she would be managing at this point.

Skelter panted a bit, deciding that Killian could stay, Cressida seemed in good health, but Iphigenia might be a bit useful. After clawing her free, he ran over to assist Anastasia with the doppelganger.

Iphigenia landed on her knees, disgusted by the water. However, she started using Blood Strike on Ming-Xiao, aiming for Cressida's limb. Edgar looked back, "Not sure if that'll work…" He held his sledgehammer firmly, "It might need…" With one swipe, he broke Cressida free, it seemed Potence really made all the difference, "That." He said. Skelter and Anastasia meanwhile defeated the clone. Iphigenia nodded as Cressida panted and stood with the two of them, sizing up Ming-Xiao, before the other two joined.

Well, there was Killian, but, no one was really intent on freeing him.

"What's the plan?" Iphigenia asked as they jumped out of the way of one of her spit balls.

"Keep attacking!" Edgar yelled, clobbering Ming-Xiao with his sledgehammer.

Genevieve chuckled, practically emptying out her machine gun, then she was whipped by yet another clone of Ming-Xiao, "Hmm?" She turned towards it, "From where do you spout, creature?"

"It's her tentacles!" Edgar pointed, "Each time one gets chopped off, it turns into a…baby Xiao…I guess, and then it grows up and attacks us!"

"I will do what I can to slaughter the mini-mirror!" Genevieve aimed her gun at the clone. Skelter joined her, while the others focused on the real one.

Iphigenia kept using Blood Strike, figuring Purge wouldn't work as well without a coherent mouth. Cressida activated Potence and hoped her claws would do some sort of damage, but didn't expect to do as much damage as Edgar. Killian grunted as he was whipped around, "Can someone fucking free me already!?"

Edgar rolled his eyes, sending out a tiny beetle to nibble its way through Ming-Xiao's tentacle, slowly but surely, Killian was free. Genevieve and Skelter meanwhile, took care of the clone in a minute or two, and the seven of them regrouped in front of their foe.

"Is…is she still alive?" Anastasia asked.

"Dazed, but alive…probably _really_ wants to die right about now." Edgar chuckled, "What say we give her what she wants." He reared his sledgehammer back.

Skelter nodded, looking like some sort of overheated werewolf, Genevieve was caked in layers of mud, Iphigenia had stains of blood on her skin, Anastasia was _soaked_ in blood, Cressida looked like even more of a mess than usual, Edgar was knocking on death's door, and Killian was covered with bruises and broken bones. But their eyes all locked on Ming-Xiao, and they all ran forward to deliver one final blow, between fists, claws, hammers and guns.

After that, Ming-Xiao's body gave a helpless flop, and all her little offspring died too. It left a pause between the seven of them.

"Holy shit…" Edgar fell back to a sitting position, he didn't care how dirty it was, it was likely he couldn't stand any longer, "I can't believe we did that…"

"Hmm…" Genevieve thought for a while, "What about the key to the box?"

"Hmm? What?" Edgar asked, "Whatever…I don't even care about that. I'm just glad we killed Ming-Xiao…"

She thought for a bit more, "Ah, that's right. The Prosperous one and his friend already have it anyway…"

Skelter put his Protean down, his hands on his knees as he leaned over and panted, "I'm with Edgar…I don't give a damn about the fucking key…she's dead…"

"Nines is gonna be pretty happy…" Killian muttered, "Let's just get the hell out of here."

Iphigenia looked around, "For once, I agree with you." She looked at the portal that opened up where she died, "Let's go home…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Special thanks go to Senya Tsukino again, for the kindhearted review! Sorry about keeping you up…you made us both feel kinda bad…but we're so glad that you like it! Thanks for reading!


	100. Chapter 100

**A/N:** Here it is, folks. Chappie one-hundo! It was a vicious debate. One author wanted him to live, one wanted him to die. One hated him with a passion, the other wanted to be his best friend. (And…uh…maybe take him to a few therapy sessions. Poor chap.) Only one could come out as victorious…Well, on a lighter note, there is a happy ending, at least, no matter what his fate is, and whether you hate him or not. These hundred chapters were great, and we wouldn't have kept it up without the readers, favoriters, followers and kindhearted reviews sent sporadically throughout. And yes, don't worry, we will go back and fix the typos that we have spotted, since reading through, I found a good many… :'( Thank you so much for reading! It is our honor to present you with the final chapter of Power Struggle!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also if you cry, it ain't our fault.

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"Alright, most of LaCroix's forces should be out in the streets at this point, so this is the perfect time to strike." Cadmus said.

"If you say so…" Slade said, "I…never thought we would be taking the fight _to_ LaCroix…"

"Nonsense, it's high time the man pays for all the nonsense he's thrown upon us." Victor said.

Miranda didn't say anything, her eyes just hardened towards the Venture Tower building they were about to enter.

"I'm usually not the type to spoil the basket of bread, but…" Dragomir scratched at his chin, "The man is what, two hundred, at least? His Dominate…should be able to kill us all in a heartbeat."

"Not if we tie his hands up." Ferrum said, "That's what Andrei taught me about the Tremere, s'gotta be the same for Ventrue."

"Christ…I forgot about Mass Suicide…" Cadmus swallowed hard, "This might be worse than I thought."

"I suppose it'll be a game of 'who can raise their hand faster.'" Victor said, "What do the kids call it, an old western shootout? It'll be that sort of thing."

"Now, now. No shootout is needed if we approach with caution. The man just loves to flap his gums, he'll likely talk himself to death before he can even raise his little pinky finger." Dragomir adjusted his coat.

"We can't afford that luxury though…" Cadmus narrowed his eyes, "He could just, kill all seven of us in the blink of an eye…" He said as they entered and headed for the main desk.

Chunk put his donut down in a nervous huff, standing up, "Uh…I don't know what happened…" He started, "But…LaCroix says not to let you guys in under any circumstances…in fact, he says I should escort you out of the building…"

Cadmus blinked, "Is he really trying to use Chunk to get us to put our weapons down and surrender?" He asked, "…it might work…"

"Oh yes, I remember this chap from Gallery Noir, I'm so glad he was able to find a replacement job!" Victor smiled, Cadmus elbowed him.

"Let us go up." Miranda's eyes sharpened.

"Aw, c'mon now, just leave okay? I don't wanna have to use force, but I am authorized to do so. Please don't make me do this, Miranda." Chunk said.

Cadmus rolled his eyes, figuring they'd be here forever at this point, "You will let us go, then run away." He said, as a blue glow came out of his hand.

Chunk swallowed hard, abandoning his post and running off as fast as his little stubby legs would carry him.

"Ew…he left his donut…" Angelique muttered.

"Alright…if this is the kinda protection LaCroix's got for himself…" Ferrum grabbed the hair tie Miranda gave him and tied his hair up so it wouldn't get in the way, "I say we're gonna have smooth sailin', captain."

"Yeah, I was expecting…more…Ventrue…" Angelique said.

"More Ventrue? What, like the forces he sent out on the streets?" Dragomir asked, "It appears Mister LaCroix has run his own resources thin."

Cadmus crossed his arms and smiled, giving a confident nod to himself, "That was the plan."

"Still, we should hurry." Slade said. They headed towards the elevator, but they were assaulted by about half-a-dozen police officers. Still, since all they had were pistols, it simply annoyed them, if nothing else.

Miranda growled and held an arm out, with a massive blue glow coming from her black-nailed fingertips, all the officers died. Cadmus blinked, "This…is the Society of Leopold all over again, isn't it?"

Ferrum seemed rather surprised, then looked at Miranda, "Hey, that was pretty cool."

Miranda nodded at him, giving a small smile (or an expression that _could_ have resembled one). She then pressed the elevator button to let them all in, hitting the penthouse button next. It was quiet in the elevator for a few moments, "It's kinda weird…I never thought I would use this elevator to go up and just…kill my boss one day…" Cadmus said.

"Indeed, it must be a peculiar sentiment." Victor said.

"But it's different for us." He looked at Slade and Dragomir, "You guys have only been doing this for a few months…but…Miranda and I have been doing it for…almost twenty years now…twenty years, this elevator just…and the elevator in New York…just led us to either…our room…or LaCroix's office for more orders…I never thought I would be taking it up to the top to just, kill him. And Victor…" He shook his head, "I don't want to think about how long _he's_ been working for LaCroix…"

"Mmm, I never really considering myself as working for LaCroix." Victor said, "I work for Strauss."

Ferrum put his hands in his pockets, wondering if it was too late to change his mind about this whole Camarilla thing. Why had he even decided to help them? What had he got himself into?

The elevator crashed, stopping only a floor or two above the ground floor. Everyone flinched. "Drat." Miranda hissed, "He must've known that we were coming…"

Cadmus his arm away from his face, "What do we do now?"

"We'll have to find another way up." She said, squeezing herself through the tiny gap between the elevator doors, "Follow me."

When the others followed, they heard the sound of a stray man whistling, a close examination revealed that it was a police officer with his back turned. Cadmus badly hid a chuckle, "He really _does_ only have humans watching this place." He pulled a dagger out, figuring his axe would be a bit overkill. In a matter of moments, Cadmus overpowered the guard and slit his throat, but the struggle was a bit noisy, so Cadmus blinked as he said, "He…may have alerted the other guys on this floor…"

"Idiot…" Ferrum chided, "Don't you know when you knife a guy, you're supposed to stick a hand in his mouth?"

Dragomir gave a loud hyena-like laugh to alert any more guards, "What's the fuss, they're only humans!"

The nearby double-doors burst down, leading in a handful of police officers. Cadmus ran at them with his dagger, laughing as he murdered them in a particularly one-sided matchup. Slade shrugged, running in to help, but not feeling the need to use any of his Disciplines, while Victor and Miranda figured their assistance would be a bit overkill, even if it were ten or twenty officers.

Dragomir stood by and watched while Ferrum grabbed one and started draining him, "I wonder how the fall of the Queen is going."

"Hopefully well." Victor said, as Cadmus slaughtered more and more of a path for them, the Ventrue was already drenched in the blood of his enemies.

"I hope that is the case." Miranda said, "Their team…was…a little more unorthodox…than ours…"

Cadmus smiled at the pile of dead bodies in front of him, "We'll need to find a staircase. If the elevator doesn't work, than it's our only option."

"Right." Miranda said, taking the initiative to look around, "I found one—" She was shot at a few more times by some guards, she pulled her cursed blade out and skewered them easily.

Dragomir looked around, before Ferrum started walking in a certain direction, "This way. I smell an air current from an upper floor."

"Ha, it's cool that we finally have a Gangrel _on our side_." Cadmus said as they went upstairs.

"Well, that could have to do with the fact that as a clan, the Gangrel left the Camarilla several years ago." Victor mused.

"And because my sister's one…" He muttered to himself.

The next floor had tons of tables and chairs, as well as a food service section, "Ugh…this place is the cafeteria…" Cadmus looked disgusted, "So we're not even _close_ to the top."

Angelique's stomach growled, "Dammit. Why the hell does he even have a cafeteria here? He doesn't even hire humans…"

"He is a master of the Masquerade." Dragomir said, "He has many other businesses run in this building to preserve his own name."

"Ugh…" She muttered, "How much money does this guy have?"

"Too damn much." Ferrum said, "I can't smell a damn thing with all this food."

"Wait, I hear something." Cadmus said, they saw a lone police officer. He looked terrified, (it could have been due to the blood-soaked Cadmus, or the beastly look in Ferrum's eye. Really, _any_ of them looked terrifying if you stared long enough). "Damn it, I'll kill him."

"No, let me." Miranda ran over and fed on him.

Cadmus smiled, "Right, more Mass Suicide fuel is never a bad thing…"

Angelique looked up at Cadmus, then crossed her arms and turned away, "So, where's the next floor?"

"Still trying to figure that out." He said, then a huge crash shook the building, as many men in S.W.A.T. gear took out machine guns and began blasting at the vampires. But, Miranda held a hand out, killing them all immediately.

"Huh…" Cadmus swallowed hard, "Might actually need my axe after all…" Then his eyes widened, "Shit, there's more coming!" He pointed, as a second team came in. But Miranda killed all of them too.

She looked a little weary, "I…I could use some blood…"

Cadmus tossed her a blood pack, "Take it." He said, "More where that came from." He added, "My…my flamethrower got destroyed during the Blood Hunt, so…I have more room for blood packs again."

She smiled, and where a third team eventually did land from above, she killed them all again. Ferrum laughed, it certainly sounded menacing if you were on the wrong side of him, "Jeez, princess, you sure are making this easy for us." He slapped her back in a brotherly fashion, "We'd probably be on the first floor still if we didn't have you here."

Miranda smiled, "Well…I'm just…helping the team…is all…"

"Still, Dragomir has a good point. LaCroix could just easily do _us_ in, in the same way that Miranda has been taking out these guards…" Cadmus said.

"Well…if we're gonna die…" Ferrum turned to Miranda, his voice quiet enough to where only she could really hear it, "Least I'll die with someone who kinda gets it."

"I would use my flamethrower to toast the bastard, but I don't even have that anymore…" Cadmus said, looking at Victor, "You sure you can boil him?"

"Well, I _could_ …but it would be a matter of who raises their hand first…" Victor said.

"Well, at least if we die, we kind paved a path for someone to take our place, right?" Angelique asked. "Another group of people can come up and avenge us?"  
Dragomir just laughed.

"Then LaCroix would just…Mass Suicide _them_ …" Cadmus said, "No, I'm not taking the martyrs path for this…I…I might just have to use this…" He pulled out a tiny looking instrument that had the same markings on it that the Ankaran Sarcophagus did.

"What…what the hell is that?" Slade asked.

"It can't be." Miranda said.

"The key to the Ankaran Sarcophagus. Yup." Cadmus said.

"How did you get that? The Kuei-Jin had it."

"Yeah, you were with us the whole time." Slade said.

"Well, while I was Dominating Vandal into getting me blood packs…I mean… _buying_ blood packs…these two guys stopped me in an alleyway." Cadmus said, "I don't know who either of them were, but they seemed to know what was going on with the Camarilla business, and they gave me the key." He said, "Looks like they both fought through an army…so…maybe they stole it from the Kuei-Jin."

"What did they look like?" Miranda asked.

"One dressed like a ninja. Talked like one two, had two pirate swords, a bag. The other guy looked really fit, had cross earrings, a Brujah maybe? One or both of them used Celerity, so…maybe like, a Brujah and a Toreador or something."

"A ninja and a gym rat?" Angelique asked, "Taking the key from the Kuei-Jin? Whatever, I'm not going to question it."

"Yeah, so I figure we use the key as a hostage or something." Cadmus said, "LaCroix needs to comply with our demands, or else."

Victor blinked, "But…what's stopping LaCroix from striking us down with Mass Suicide, killing us, and then just picking up the key from our ashes…?"

A pause. Cadmus wilted, "I…I hate everything…right now…"

Dragomir laughed more and more.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Ferrum looked over. He had met a few Malkavians before, they usually ended up throwing things at him or trying to kill him. Dragomir had been the sanest one he had really ever met. That still didn't mean he could decipher a thing the man said.

"Oh, nothing, nothing…" He shook his head, "It's nothing. Sometimes shadows are helpful, when they seem harmful at first. That still doesn't explain the meaning behind the shadow, but I see its use now…"

"Shadow, huh?" He asked, "Something with LaCroix?"

Dragomir put a finger on his nose.

"Alright…" Ferrum turned away, then looked at Miranda, "So, where we going next?"

"Up to the next level, I would suppose." Miranda said.

Cadmus followed behind, trying to figure out what Dragomir was saying, as of right now, it was their only hope against LaCroix, and that was assuming they'd _get there_ first.

The next floor had a plethora of more S.W.A.T. guards, all beginning to unload their machine guns at will.

"Damn it…" Cadmus said, figuring it probably wasn't such a great idea to rely on Miranda's Dominate for everything.

Victor held a hand out, and a massive blue glow came out of it, killing everyone on the floor. "Holy shit…" Cadmus looked at him, "Victor…"

"What?" He smiled, "I never said Miranda was the _only one_ with Mass Suicide."

"…well that's awesome…"

"It…feels like we're cheating at this point…" Slade said.

Ferrum looked over at Miranda, "Hey…you look pretty bad…"

"Hmm?" Miranda asked, "I haven't received a single scratch on my person."

"Nah, you just…look pissy. Did I say something?" He scratched the back of his head.

"No. It…it doesn't have anything to do with you. It's about LaCroix. He needs to die." She narrowed her eyes, "And I will do it, if I must."

"It's cuz I didn't hug you earlier, isn't it?"

She blinked, thinking about it for a while, "When?"

He grunted and looked away as he crossed his arms, "Never mind. S'long as it's not my fault you're pissed."

"No, I'm not cross with you."

"Eh?"

"I'm not mad." She said, "I am not mad at you."

"Oh…yeah. Okay."

Cadmus watched the two converse for a while, and saw that Slade, Dragomir, and Victor were a bit of a distance behind them, "Hey…uh…Angelique?"

"Yeah…?" Her tone was that of a fed up teenager.

"I'm…uh…sorry about…saying 'sort of'…a few nights ago…I didn't mean it. It…it just slipped out…for whatever reason…I…I'm sorry…"

She looked up at him, "If it slipped out so easily, you must have meant it, somewhere deep in the back of your head."

He frowned, "That's not true and you know it, I was put on the spot. What would you do if someone asked you who I was to you, and there were a few people watching?"

"You're my regnant."

"Yeah, see? Isn't that _worse_ than me saying 'sort of'?" He said, "Hmm…actually…they could be the same…"

She crossed her arms, "I love you. But the term 'boyfriend' makes me feel like you're some sort of high school crush."

"So…then…what even are we?"

"We're…coworkers. Master and servant…lovers."

"So…if people ask me…who you are…"

"Pick one."

"Alright." He sighed, "I'm…I'm sorry about saying 'sort of.'"

"It's okay." She took his hand and kissed the back of it quickly, "I forgive you." He smiled back, looking a bit more enthusiastic about his imminent fight against LaCroix and his minions.

Slade looked from Ferrum and Miranda to Cadmus and Angelique, "It's like looking at a mirror or something…"

"Two blooms on a rose bush planted next to the grave of an unwanted son." Dragomir said.

Ferrum sniffed around and started walking again, trying to find a way to the next floor without getting distracted by the smells of food that for some reason, still tempted him just a bit. "It's up here. Up this pipe." Miranda pointed, heading up the point, with little to no regard as to the order of who should go in the pipe.

There was an awkward pause, "So…who…who shall go next?" Victor asked, "Should it be—"

"No." Cadmus said.

"Hell no." Slade said.

"What's the big idea?" Ferrum raised a brow, then crawled in, "We don't got time to waste playin' duck-duck-goose all night."

"I…I don't think he knows what that game is." Dragomir muttered.

"I'm surprised he sort of used it correctly." Cadmus murmured beside him.

The next floor looked as if it were half-built, "Ah, shit, I forgot about this." Cadmus looked around, "All this is still under construction…"

"So…how far is it until LaCroix?" Slade asked.

"I have no idea." He said, "If we come across our rooms, then it means we're pretty damn close…"

Miranda looked around, "It amazes me, just how huge this place is. To think I've lived here for years…"

"I suppose that's what happens when your paycheck piles up after two hundred years of 'labor'." Dragomir said.

A group of guards heard the seven of them coming, and they came in quickly, as before, they were armed with S.W.A.T. gear and were tough to take down. However, unlike before, where Miranda and Victor could just wipe away their foes with Mass Suicide, the corridors were too narrow, and the guards were coming in too infrequently for it to have much of a beneficial effect.

"What do you know?" Cadmus smirked, "I guess I have to use my axe after all." He pulled his axe out, fighting it out with the officers. Slade pulled his swords out as well, fighting alongside him, while Victor pulled his Colt, "Hey, don't forget to feed on these guys!"

Victor was embarrassed that his upper-arm strength wasn't enough to feed from the guards, so he had to put them under a Trance at first to dull their senses, he was then able to feed on them. Miranda also had a voracious appetite, most likely trying to refill her blood pool from all the guards she had slaughtered.

Ferrum grabbed the last one and drained him until he was dead, then he spit him to the ground and licked his long tongue over his teeth, "Ugh. Those damn uniforms make it a pain in the ass to bite into them."

"I concur." Victor said.

"Well, don't look now, but more are coming." Cadmus said. Miranda dashed forth first and used her cursed blade to slice her foes to ribbons, (doing so very well). Slade again ran in for the assist, while Cadmus and Victor stayed in the back to take any stragglers.

"Jeez…for a skeleton crew…this is pretty daunting…" Slade said.

"I'll say." Cadmus said, "I had no clue LaCroix had _this_ much of a strike force just…on hand…"

"I've yet to lift a finger." Dragomir mused, "You should all let me help at some point before I steal Tess's title from her."

"Tess…" Cadmus froze, "That reminds me…" He looked at Miranda, "Whatever happened with her?"

Miranda blinked, "She's still loyal to LaCroix." She said, "So it's possible that we'll end up facing her in this struggle."

"Pfft, yeah, or she died in the street trying to lift a finger." Cadmus scoffed, "Even if she _is_ up here, she'll be a pushover…"

Slade gave a hesitant nod, "Yeah…she'll be easy…"

Dragomir seemed just as unsettled, then he grabbed Slade's hand, "The memories of the mind…they're sometimes stronger than physical representation." Slade swallowed hard, nervously acknowledging Dragomir's words with a nod.

A guard walked over to them, his entire body glowing blue, his weapon down at his side. He was chuckling softly, when he spoke, there was a familiar English accent present, "I'll admit, I hadn't anticipated you would all make it so far. But, I had no doubts of your capability." The soldier's bronze eyes grazed over everyone, lingering over those who were especially faithful to the Camarilla. "But I am not so easily betrayed. Did you ever think about what it takes to live as long as I have? To come this far? Consider that lack of judgement, as well as who you've chosen to assemble with here tonight, in your last moments."

"Last moments?" Cadmus asked, "Good to see you LaCroix. Weird seeing you outside your office. I had thought by now that you've adapted to its special environment. Need help walking around? Do your legs work?"

Miranda elbowed him, "That isn't him, don't be a dolt." She said, "He's possessing a guard to attack us with."

"I knew that…I just wanted to say all that." He chuckled.

Miranda looked at the Dominated guard and narrowed her eyes. Evidently she had nothing to say to him, she pointed her sword at him.

"That's all you have to say?" The guard asked, before he laughed, "Oh you poor girl. I can't help but wonder what it was that set you off course…your estate in New York will miss you, I suppose."

"New York?" Miranda asked quietly.

"Tch." Cadmus said, "Miranda just opened her eyes to who you _really_ are, that's all."

"Is that so? Well, I don't have all night to chat, I'm sure you don't either. Tick, tick, tick… _a bien tot_ , Kindred." The possessed guard laughed, before he held his chest and choked out, "Help!"

"Kill him before the bomb goes off!" Cadmus screamed. Victor immediately held a hand up to making the guard vomit his guts out, so he was immobile when attacked. Once the guard died, the lot of them examined the body, "Hmm…wait a minute…this stuff is…"

"Astrolite…" Slade's eyes lit up.

"Just like in that Sabbat warehouse…" Miranda said.

"Huh." Cadmus looked at it, "It's been ages since we've seen this."

"Astrolite…?" Ferrum asked slowly, "Explosives, eh?" His eyes darted around, then he grabbed the pack and lugged it over his shoulder, "Everyone, get back. Get to cover, to back where we came from." He said, "I'll set this on that little…" He pointed to the elevator, "The thing, there. Move it up to the second floor. I can't explain shit, just go, go!" He spat out.

"Farewell, Ferrum." Dragomir saluted as he skittered off.

"Wait, do you even know what you're doing with that thing?" Cadmus asked, as everyone else retreated, "Let me help you out."

Ferrum set it down on the cart, "Just go! If you die, who knows what the hell Angelique will do?" He muttered, playing with some of the buttons, "I'm disposable, you guys don't need me!"

Cadmus looked stunned. He knew this man talked to Miranda once or twice, but did he really renounce his ways of the Sabbat and want to seek a further path of enlightenment? More than that, has he really learned to value the life of others so quickly? He certainly did seem to be a bit changed from when he was the feral dog at Andrei's beck and call. Cadmus gave a firm nod, "Good luck." He turned away, his trench coat billowing in the spare gusts of wind as he did so.

Like instinct, Ferrum armed himself with Fortitude, tying two of the wires together and getting zapped. No, that didn't work. He pressed another switch and was zapped again. This stuff was much more powerful than anything he had ever dealt with. He had seven seconds left.

He untied the wires and rerouted them to another pair, this time, with no zap. It had to work. Four seconds. He mashed the elevator lever and watched as the little shaft started carrying the case upstairs. Three seconds.

He turned and booked it, getting behind a wall and diving as far as he could. The blast that rang out upstairs was loud and hot. He felt the flames eat at his back, the particles of the building flying down at him at killer speeds.

Dragomir winced at the sound of the explosion, "There goes the Sabbat man."

"No, he can't be!" Cadmus turned and led them back, seeing Ferrum on the ground, covered in soot, "God damn…" His shoulders shook.

"Ferrum?" Miranda got to her knees and gently brushed the dirt off his face.

One of his eyes peeked open, the dark green color was as fierce as ever, "Princess?" He asked, then winced as he felt his back, "Damn…" He grinned. "Guess I did a pretty good job settin' that Astrostuff, huh?"

"But…what for…I still don't get it." Cadmus said.

Victor ran over and took the lift up, "Ah, I see!" He voice rang with his charismatic, scientific excitement, "You've killed everyone on the next few floors! Ah, what a marvelous sight, their fallen, bloodied, bodies!"

"Alright…seems Victor's just as bloodthirsty about this as any of us."

Ferrum got to his knees, "It's a…trick we used to do all the time to empty out warehouses…back when the explosives used to be a little less…fancy."

Dragomir chuckled, "How does it feel to be a new man?" He helped him up.

"New man?" Ferrum stood up, "The hell you talking about?"

Dragomir snickered, "Your hair's on fire."

"What?" He reached back, then felt the flames, "Shit!" He took his shirt off and used it to smother the flames, backing himself into the wall, "Christ…if it's not the pyrotechnics, it's the fire…"

"Let's just get a move on." Angelique said, "Before Ferrum decides to start a 'who can do the most push-ups' contest."

"Hey, I grew out of those. Kinda." Ferrum muttered as they all made it to the next floor. "Too bad there's no one to feed on."

"Yeah, there's no one _period_. Everyone died on these floors." Slade said, smiling at Ferrum, "Nicely done."

"Hey, Ferrum." Cadmus said, but by the time Ferrum turned to look at him, Cadmus dropped a blood bag in his arms.

Ferrum blinked at the blood bag, "Hey, you should keep it. I can drink blood from rats and tramps, you two need this to survive."

"But…you were on fire…sort of…"

"I'm fine. You'll need it more than I will." He handed it back, then pat his shoulder with a grin, "But thanks."

Cadmus smiled back, "Let me know if you change your mind." He stuffed it back in his jacket.

The next floor was pristine and lavishly decorated, mainly black and white, and spotless. Miranda's eyes widened, "These are…"

"The private rooms for the Ventrue…" Cadmus finished, "Whatever…with all those Blood Hunts, no one will be—"

A sniper bullet narrowly missed them all, "God damn it…"

They all started running up the immaculate stairs, "Where is it coming from?" Miranda asked.

"I don't know, the windows?" Cadmus asked, then a sniper bullet pierced a small chunk of his hair off. Cadmus clenched his hands into fists, as if a family member of his died, "You bastards…messed with my hair!"

Angelique tried everything not to laugh uncontrollably. She gathered her wits and took her sniper out, looking around for who to shoot at. "Should we be careful as to seeing whether or not he's leading us to our deaths?" Victor asked, watching Cadmus barrel into countless rooms and starting a ruckus.

"I'm on it." Slade dashed forward, for the first time with Celerity behind him.

"Careful guys!" Cadmus shouted, his axe at the ready, "These guys _are_ Ventrue, so especially if you're younger, they could kill you with Dominate!"

"Ah, they are vampires, aren't they?" Victor gave a smug grin, "Good thing these hallways are so tight…" He held a hand out, beginning to boil one of the Ventrue alive. "Now get back!" He shouted, everyone backed away as the Ventrue blew up, and Ventrue near him died as well.

"Shit…" Ferrum shuddered, "That's the same typa' magic Neo used…"

Victor froze for a moment or two, "Now, now, let's get on with this, I'm sure there are many more than that came from."

"These must be the guys still loyal to LaCroix." Cadmus said, he narrowed his eyes, "Let's split up, some of us go south, the rest will go north." He said as he barreled ahead.

Slade smiled at Dragomir as he heard more machine guns firing, relying on Celerity once again, "I guess you'll be able to participate in the battle after all!"

Dragomir laughed, "Yes, I'll use the boomsticks my solace taught me." He got out his shotgun and started firing, "Hmm…but feeding on these chaps would be rather tasteless…"

"Unless you want to…" Ferrum muttered, glowing green and slamming his fists into anyone that came near either him or Miranda. He eventually got so fed up with the lack of results that he started romping around with longer teeth and claws, tearing into them.

The chants of 'traitor' were heard whenever one of the Ventrue got near Miranda. She growled and was able to make short work of them with her Tal'Mahe'Ra blade. Slade did what he could to help, feeling sorry for Miranda that she had to cut down so many people she worked with.

Ferrum panted a bit, "Hey, Miranda. Being a traitor ain't all bad. Look where it got me." He gave a little smile before he grabbed a Ventrue by the face and started tearing into him. Miranda smiled, as more and more of the Ventrue were rendered to ash by the second. She wanted so badly to give him a hug, but was unsure if he would enjoy that with Slade and Dragomir nearby.

Slade looked ahead, "Alright, let's keep clearing them out until we find our way to the next floor."

"Yeah, somethin' tells me it's that way. Instinct, I guess." Ferrum pointed, "Let's make our way over there."

Meanwhile, Angelique stood at Cadmus's side, "I feel like they're looking at me like I'm a piece of meat." She muttered, reloading her sniper.

"Eh, screw 'em. I hated most of these guys anyway, killing them is kinda fun." Cadmus said.

Victor's eyes darted around, "Make sure none of them strike your dear ghoul dead."

"I'm on it."

Angelique grunted as a bullet hit her knee. She flinched and stumbled back, "Shit…" She fired back at them, "I hate these pricks…I've been weeding them out for weeks and they just…keep sprouting…"

"Ah-ha!" Constantine shouted as they all turned to face them, "Your ghoul, Vanderbilt, killing our brethren! Surprise of the century!" He was flanked by at least a dozen other Ventrue.

"Constantine." Cadmus growled, "I should've known that you would chill here with LaCroix, what are you, the only Primogen who still likes him?"

He smirked, "What a perfect ghoul for Cadmus, eh there, old chap? Tiny, insignificant, dirty, tomboyish, a fool. Why, that would make you two peas in a pod, wouldn't it?"

Cadmus seethed with rage, "Damn you!" He ran at him with his axe out.

"Cadmus, wait!" Victor held a hand out, "If he's older than you, he can kill you with a wave of his hand!"

But it was too late, Cadmus already ran in to cut Constantine's head off. Before Constantine was able to race his hand, however, Victor sent out a Purge, and Constantine began vomiting. Cadmus gave a deep roar, something reminiscent of all the heavy metal singing he used to do when he performed with Anastasia, then crashed his axe into Constantine's torso. Constantine coughed up blood and flew back, crashing into the wall, the rest of the Ventrue began to open fire on them.

Angelique put her sniper back and flicked out two pistols, her pink eyes darting back and forth from forehead to forehead, each skull acting as her target. Her aim was practically flawless, each bullet landing on somewhere on their face with precise rhythm that almost made Victor feel incompetent with his handgun. He swallowed hard, once again firing off a Purge so none of the Ventrue could kill Angelique with Dominate, then he ran in and helped her with his own pistol while Cadmus was brutalizing Constantine. Angelique looked up at Victor briefly, "Thanks for watching my back." She said.

Victor smiled, "You have exceptional aim, my dear."

"Thank you." She smiled timidly, then flinched as a Ventrue held their hand up. She shot a bullet through his hand, the other in his knee, so he'd crumble to the ground. It sent her a burning reminder of the bullet still lodged somewhere in her knee.

Constantine was quickly rendered ashes. Cadmus panted as he looked at his blood-soaked axe, "Well, see ya around sire. I…I'm still conflicted on being a vampire…but…"

"We should probably alert the others that the Ventrue are cleared out and that Mister Constantine was blocking the way up." Victor said.

"Right." He nodded, "Hey guys!" Cadmus screamed indiscriminately, "They're all dead, the next floor is this way!" He called, figuring so many of the windows were broken that they would hear. As Victor rolled his eyes, he looked at Angelique, "Did you want blood?"

"Uh…yeah…maybe…" She blushed a bit.

"Right." He nodded, taking one of his smaller knives out to slit his wrist. He briefly fed Angelique while the two groups reunited.

"The elevator." Miranda looked ahead, "Let's advance." The seven of them went in. Miranda glanced at the buttons, seeing that they were awfully close to the top, "The penthouse…" She said, "This might be it." She said, "Or…awfully close to it…"

"Then that means…" Victor started.

"It does." Miranda confirmed.

"The Sheriff." Cadmus said, "You know, I've always wondered what a fight with _him_ would end up being like." He shrugged, "I guess now we actually get to figure it out. No one knows anything about him. His clan, what he was like before he was Embraced, why he's working for LaCroix. We should be prepared though, this will probably be the most difficult fight in our lives." He looked at the all, "Does anyone need a blood pack?" He asked as he got one out for himself, "Speak now, or forever hold your peace!"

When there was a silence, Ferrum sighed, "Guess I'll take it." Cadmus nodded, giving Ferrum one as he sucked one down to restore his own blood pool.

"As will I." Victor said.

Cadmus handed one to him, "That's right…you were doing all that fighting against Constantine and the Ventrue…you probably used the most blood out of all of us…I appreciate the help…I'm in your debt…"

"Ah, it's no trouble." Victor swatted a hand.

Cadmus faced everyone again, "I have one blood pack left. If you're in a state of emergency and are inches away from death, call my name as we've done in the other battles and I'll toss it over to you, alright? I don't want to lose anyone out here."

"Sounds magnificent." Dragomir said, "I'll do my best not to be a burden."

The elevator doors flew open, standing on the balcony was the Sheriff. He tossed his trench coat off, and standing beside him was Tess.

"Hmm, oh look, it's the Prince's dog and his bitch." Slade frowned at Tess, "Guess which one you are."

She was clearly in no mood for games. She dashed forward towards Slade with, wait, was that a katana?

Ferrum stepped back as the Sheriff swung his blade over his head, "Nice try, oversized ape!" He grunted out as he grew claws and started slashing at him.

Slade held his swords into a defensive stance, "What the hell, why is the Sheriff going around so quickly? Does he have Celerity?"

Victor donned a Blood Shield, "No, it seems a bit more magical in origin…perhaps an enchantment of some sort." He said, drawing his pistol and trying to shoot at him and hit him with blood bolts, but like with Ferrum, hitting the Sherriff seemed a bit difficult.

Cadmus frowned, "The rest of you, go fight the Sheriff." He snarled, "I'll get rid of the fledgling, then I'll join you."

Slade nodded, dashing away from Tess using Celerity, adding Presence to the mix as well, so whenever the Sheriff was hit, _more_ damage was taken out. Miranda did the same, utilizing Fortitude and Presence to make herself nearly invincible while clashing with the Sheriff. Victor on the other hand, preferred to keep his distance, with his gun and blood magic.

Tess heard Cadmus's voice next, "Alright, this should be good. You're just a foolish monkey whose only skill is howling in bed for sex, so this has been a long time coming." He laughed. She looked him over, then sheathed the katana and got out her machine gun, aiming for his face.

He raised a brow, buffing up Fortitude and Presence, the bullets clacked off of his body, like she was shooting at a wall, "Do you realize how fucked you are now?" He smiled, "The Sheriff is good, but he can't take six Kindred at once. And once I'm done with you, it'll be seven." She put her gun down and got her katana out again, running forward to slice into him. He held a hand out, a blue glow came from it, "Sleep." Tess collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He then drew his axe and ran over to the others, "How's everything going?"

Slade paused in his blips of Celerity to speak, "Okay…I think…"

Miranda flinched as the Sheriff's sword dug into her flesh, "Careful…this is…this is aggravated damage…his sword is cursed, like mine!"

The Sheriff didn't stop there, he sent out a colony of bats, they drained some of Slade's blood, and he screamed in pain. "Shit…that was a lot of blood he took!"

"That's the same attack Andrei used…" Cadmus said.

The Sheriff took another shotgun blast to the back as he repositioned himself, no thanks to Dragomir, who got a good laugh out of it. The Sheriff vanished, reappearing in front of Dragomir, about to slash him across the room with his buster sword.

"Dragomir!" Slade said, the only other one with Celerity, he dashed over to Dragomir's aid, taking the hit and being flung back several feet. He coughed up blood and screamed.

Dragomir's eyes went wide, he reared his gun back to whack the Sheriff over the head in blind rage. The Sheriff avoided the attack by teleporting away. "Damn it…Slade's the only one who can keep up with him." Cadmus looked over at Slade, "Hey, Slade! Can you get up?"

Slade brushed himself off and stood up, "Yeah, I'm fine…" He panted, his Celerity and Presence resounding with a new vigor as he dashed into the Sheriff and cut through him. The Sheriff responded by sending more bats at him, draining his blood a bit more.

"Why the hell is he targeting Slade?" Cadmus asked, "Is it…to get rid of our weakest link?"

"Well, you did say Slade's Celerity is the only thing that can come close to his teleporting speed." Miranda said, "It's a tactical move, if nothing else."

Cadmus growled, "Keep trying to hit him, do whatever you can! Shoot him, slash him! Those of us with Presence should _really_ try to get our hits in, because it lowers his strength!"

Dragomir burned with frustration. He had both those disciplines, but enough brains not to use them at all. Ferrum on the other hand was frustrated for the opposite reason. He felt completely useless, and he knew asking for a gun would be equally as pointless, since he never really spent a lot of time handling one. He kept trying to run in for attacks up close and personal, at least hoping to distract him.

The seven-way assault on the Sheriff seemed to take its toll, as the Sheriff paused in his fighting. Cadmus panted, smiling, "Good…he's finally defeated—"

The Sheriff morphed into a huge bat creature, giving a shriek that nearly broke all the glass in the room. With one flap of his mighty wings, he blew all seven of them through the building, the landed on an adjacent rooftop.

"Damn it…" Cadmus brushed rubble off of himself, "What…what the hell is that thing?" He looked at the Sheriff, flying around.

"A…a Chiropteran Marauder…" Victor swallowed hard, "That…that's a Vicissitude power!" He pointed.

Cadmus frowned, "I…I'm useless in this fight…" He looked around, "Who has guns?"

Victor and Dragomir exchanged a glance. "I do…but…I'm probably not going to hit anything with it…damn it…I knew I should've worked on my Auspex…" Slade said.

Ferrum's eyes darted over to Tess's body as it rolled over onto the roof. He ran over to her body and grabbed the machine gun off her back, "Cadmus, heads up!" He barked before he threw her machine gun at him. Then he tore her blazar open, ripping the fabric like paper before he rifled around in there and grabbed a pistol, "Ha." He stood up and reloaded it, "Doubt this is gonna be any use…"

Dragomir adjusted his glasses, "Boy, sure is a good thing I have these glasses, isn't it? Those lights are quite bright."

Cadmus cocked the machine gun, then he heard gunfire that didn't belong to any of them, "What the hell…?" The last of the S.W.A.T. team LaCroix hired also made it onto the roof, "Alright, anyone who doesn't have a gun, fight them."

Slade swallowed hard, "I could use a drink right now." Slade dashed over with Celerity to feed on some of the guards and regain his blood pool, Miranda helped him out.

Victor pointed his gun at the sky, "Ready, childe of Malkav?" He smiled, shooting at the Sheriff, and adding blood bolts into the mix. Cadmus fired off the machine gun as well, much less accurate than his gun-slinging friends, but better than nothing.

Angelique quickly reloaded her sniper and let a few rounds fire up into the sky, into the Sheriff's pelt. "This is like…the vampire equivalent to shooting at game birds…"

Dragomir laughed and took a short moment to reload, before eying down the scope, "Aim! Fire!" He shouted, "Then we wait five minutes to reload our muskets."

The Sheriff would fly off for a moment or two occasionally, then he would fly back and throw a car at them.

"Son of a bitch! Hit the dirt!" Cadmus shouted, as the others barely dodged the car's explosion, "Well…for an organization that prides itself from keeping vampire information safe from humans…these kinda seems like the biggest Masquerade breach in the history of the Jyhad…"

"Yes, I think we are all knee deep in the pits of reality now…" Dragomir muttered.

Slade dashed back over, "Here…I'll help…" He got his Jaegerspas out, "Though I'm not too sure how much help I'll be…" He added, "But…Miranda seems to be handling the army guys pretty good…" He nodded over to Miranda, who was screaming like a banshee and tearing the guards apart like a feral beast.

Dragomir chuckled, "You can't say she's very graceful when pitted against her lack of freedom."

Cadmus looked at Dragomir, "That's probably because she wants to kill LaCroix herself." He said, "Assuming he doesn't just…Mass Suicide us all…"

He snickered, "I never liked giving spoilers, not when they're as fun as this one."

Cadmus looked back up, "Damn it…this is taking forever…we'll all be out of bullets at this rate." He said as he reloaded.

"Sorry…" Slade said, "Could just be because I'm a shitty shot…"

Dragomir fired again, but nothing came out. "Damn. That be it, folks." He dropped his gun, "Rest in peace, loyal boomstick, this will be a suitable battleground for you to rest eternally." He said, running over towards a huge spotlight.

"Dragomir? Where are you going?" Slade asked, "Here, take my gun! You have better aim with it!"

He ignored Slade for once in his life, grabbing onto the rim of the spotlight and aiming it towards the Sheriff, "Here, batty-batty-bat!" He laughed, the light shining menacingly in his glasses.

"What the hell is he doing?" Cadmus asked.

Victor looked up at the great beam of light in the sky, "Something cleverer than any of us could have devised…" The Sheriff flew right into the spotlight, being more than just a little dazed, he collapsed on the ground.

"Awesome, he's on the ground!" Cadmus pulled his axe out, "I can do something now!"

"We all can!" Slade agreed, both of them put up Presence and sliced at the Sheriff with their blades.

Everyone turned their attention to the Sheriff as he thrashed on the ground, running forward with either blades, claws or fists to shred him to pieces.

A deafening scream was heard, as Miranda leaped in the air, her Presence was up too, stabbing her sword through the beast right through its chest, and with that, the Sheriff faded into ash.

* * *

The clouds outside his office were vaguely reddish in color, the flashing lights of the surface that could just hardly be seen were bright red and blue. LaCroix was standing just to the right of his desk, holding his forehead in what had to be a terrified look of betrayal. When the doors opened, he looked up at them all with the piercing gaze of a famished hawk.

Cadmus chucked Tess's body so it ungratefully rolled and tumbled right in front of his feet, "You laughed me off, didn't you? Thought that a stupid girl and your Sheriff were enough to stop me?" He snickered darkly, "I warned you that I was going rip everything you had from the inside-out, and now, here we are. We've killed everyone in your tower aside from you."

"And what now?" LaCroix asked as he raised a brow and chuckled, "You think this is checkmate? This is not a game of chess. You have not won because I still stand." He said defiantly, "I will stand. I will continue to stand so long as I have that sarcophagus." He gave a slight chuckle, one of a madman.

Dragomir shook his head, "Did I not foresee this, Sebastian…?"

"Yeah?" Cadmus asked, "And guess who has the key?"

"You've done all the work for me, once again! So much to learn." He shook his head and looked back at Cadmus, "I thought I had lost it all, but no, here you've sailed on a Gehenna wind, bearing _my_ salvation, the key to _my_ future." He lightly kicked Tess's body out of his way, aside, towards the fireplace.

"I don't think you understand…" Cadmus narrowed his eyes, "This key is _not_ going in the sarcophagus. That's what you want, isn't it? To absorb the Antediluvian and start all over, clear the board off. You think I'm stupid or something? I'm not giving you a fresh start, this is the end for you, _Prince_."

LaCroix glared at Cadmus a bit harder, before he slowly started to raise a hand.

"Speechless?" Dragomir asked, "Cat got your tongue? Or are you simply afraid to speak with _her_ standing right before you?"

LaCroix's hand froze. He was so accustomed to just ignoring Dragomir, but this, this he could not disregard. "Preposterous." He motioned to Miranda, "She's as much of a traitor as all of you."

"Then why don't you look her in the eye?" Dragomir smiled, "Tell her yourself."

LaCroix narrowed his eyes at Dragomir, set on proving him wrong as he looked Miranda dead in the eye. He faltered, certainly, but it came out nonetheless, "You have exceeded forgiveness."

"Oh, spare us the theatrics, why don't you?" Victor rolled his eyes.

Miranda's eyes sharpened, she pulled her sword out.

LaCroix didn't flinch in the slightest, unfortunately. "I don't have time for this." He muttered, "You will all pay dearly. Your lives, the lives of your cohorts, the Regent of your Chantry." He glared at Victor, "The Camarilla will be cleansed, after this day. This revolt is nothing but a shame on the name of—"

"Of what?" Ferrum barked, LaCroix had never heard his voice before, never really seen his face either, he certainly wasn't expecting it, "A shame on your name. Cuz' you were the douche in charge of the Camarilla when it all took place. I never went to school, but I'm sure as hell they didn't teach kids that it was the slaves' fault for all the revolutions."

Dragomir scratched his chin, "Mister Iron brings up a good point. You were alive during the seventeen hundreds, were you not? Was Mister King Louis responsible for France's downfall, or was it the peasants?"

"Enough!" LaCroix bashed a fist on the table, "I am not the master and you are not slaves. You have all _chosen_ this life. Each and every one of you. It was your choice to take it as you will, and you chose to…" He waved a hand in the air, "Produce mass bedlam for the entire city of Los Angeles!"

"So you're saying I'm not a slave?" Slade raised a brow, "I think at this point you're just trying to insult my intelligence, because I never wanted to be a part of _any_ of your bullshit!" He snapped, "You should not be surprised that this is happening! Not from the likes of me, at least. You stole me off the streets and have been _using_ me all this time. And you've been treating everyone else like shit too! I'm done with it. I'm done watching you ruin all my friends' lives around me. I'm done with your lies!" He seethed, about to get his sword out too, "In a couple seconds this day is going to be referred to as 'the night a fledgling killed the Prince!'"

"Your siring was not my responsibility." LaCroix put a hand on his chest, "That was yours, and yours alone."

"Now let us backtrack." Dragomir said, "Slade was sired after he was nearly killed. By what? A Sabbat fiend. So." He raised finger in thought, "When the Camarilla moved to Los Angeles, what followed?"

"We did." Ferrum chimed in when the Prince didn't, "The Sabbat."

"Ah." Dragomir hid a laugh, "The Sabbat." He looked back at LaCroix, "If you hadn't moved here, neither would the Sabbat. Slade wouldn't have been Embraced. Therefore, it _is_ your fault he was Embraced." He laughed, "Do I sound like your big brother yet?"

"Enough of this!" He insisted, the hostility beginning to make him seem rather uncomfortable, not frightened, "Give…me…the key." He glared at Cadmus.

The blue glow went around his head, but he said, "No."

LaCroix flinched. His eyes blinked, he even took a step back. The room was dead silent. He raised a hand, "I said," The blue glow continued again, "Give. Me. The. Key."

"No."

"What the hell, how come it isn't working?" Slade asked.

"There's a secondary element when it comes to Dominate." Victor closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "It's not that Vanderbilt is _older_ than LaCroix, it's…more of…when Dominate is used on a foe who strongly clings to the moral of said domination subject, than it won't go through." He said, "I believe it's called _willpower_. The _rejection_ of Dominate, from even a younger opponent. It's so fascinating to see its effects up close."

Miranda had enough of the science lecture, she dashed at LaCroix, thrusting her sword through his chest, and mounting him on the nearest wall. Her chest heaved in and out, with divine fury, "I…groveled to you…worked…my hands to the bone for you…" She panted with rage, "I worshipped the ground you walked on…" Tears of anger streamed down her cheeks, "And you chose that drunk, idiotic _twat_ of a ghoul instead of me!" She roared, "I was never good enough for you, was I? Well, Sebastian, now, I'm afraid, _you're_ not good enough for _me_."

Everyone looked stunned, they didn't really expect that _Miranda_ would raise her voice so high over a manner such as this. It certainly blew Cadmus's and Slade's beef with him out of the water.

LaCroix held the blade, his eyes wide before he met Miranda's face, "Because…" He closed his eyes briefly in pain, before he looked back at her, "I knew you would push yourself further…than she ever could…I had not anticipated…that you would snap…"

Miranda's teary eyes widened, she began to think it over.

"Don't listen to him!" Cadmus snapped, "He's trying to trick you!"

"What use would I have, to trick you?" LaCroix looked back at Miranda, "The estate…in New York…" He wheezed into a fist, "It was a territory I could never handle…I had faith someone with your devotion…might be able to manage it…more successfully…"

"You had faith that it would get her killed." Ferrum growled, "New York's all Sabbat, sweetheart. You wouldn't even wish it upon your worst nightmare, sendin' 'em over there to salvage the place, why the hell would you send her there? Give it up!"

"This show has gone on long enough." Dragomir said suddenly, "Cadmus. Give him the key."

"What?" Cadmus asked, "But…the Antediluvian…"

Dragomir crossed his arms, "You certainly don't have to." He shrugged, "It is your choice…but it has been my creed from day one to give the man what he wants and let him reap the reward he deserves."

"Do as he says." Victor nudged him.

Cadmus looked confused out of his mind, nevertheless, he heeded their words, "Miranda!" He called, "Let him go!"

Miranda looked back, her galaxy eyes, wide and feral. She pulled her sword out of LaCroix, he dropped to the ground in a bloody heap.

Cadmus smirked, pulling the key to the sarcophagus out of one of his pockets, "You want the key so badly?" He tossed it into the corner of the room, "Fetch, LaCroix. I've always wanted to see our Prince on his knees."

Dignity had long since been thrown aside. He gladly scampered over to the key on his hands and knees, picking it up and observing it for only a mere second. "You will see…" He brooded, "You will all see!" He held it close to his chest, his eyes wide and maniacal, "I've got the key!" He said with a childlike grin, "In a few seconds, I'll be strong enough to crush you like paper! This whole city!" He beamed, slowly dragging himself over to the side of the sarcophagus. He gripped onto the lid and used it to lift himself up, his eyes unblinking, his face even paler than before, "In a few seconds…it will all be mine… _power!_ " He exclaimed as he jammed the key into the small opening where it must have belonged. He gave a wheezy cough, his blood leaking onto the lid, but that seemed to be the last of his concerns.

The group stood back as he grabbed the lid and started to open it. Dragomir grinned with a dumb sense of pride, Angelique hugged Cadmus for dear life, Ferrum crossed his arms and closed his eyes, Cadmus felt as stiff as a board, hoping dearly that Dragomir was right about all of this, Miranda too, looked fearful, still trying to brush the tears out of her eyes, Slade would glance at his friend and roommate occasionally, and Victor had that snide smirk he always had when he was going to make a new scientific discovery.

They all leaned in a bit to see what was inside, and then, a chilled air filled the room.

LaCroix's grimace faded, his entire expression faded, melted entirely. He felt a choking sob in his chest, which came out as laughter. He grabbed onto the side of the box and laughed madly, holding his chest as he laughed most ungraciously, like some sort of mental patient.

The sarcophagus was stuffed, absolutely _packed_ with C4. And written on a little tattered piece of white lined notebook paper, read, 'BOOM! (with a smiley face) – LOVE JACK'.

Dragomir scooped the unconscious Tess up in one hand, and Slade in the other as he ran for the windows, the timer ticking down from five seconds.

"Love Jack?" Cadmus read aloud, "Damn you…Brujah piece of shit!" He roared, turning to the others, "Run! Out the window! Follow Dragomir!"

Just as the seven of them made their escape, the top of Venture Tower exploded into a huge, fiery mess, lighting up a grand portion of the sky in a bright orange hue.

* * *

Slade sat on a small piece of rubble from the tower, a bit further away from the center of all the commotion and chaos. Lying beside him, on a bit of a flatter surface of the same piece, was Tess. Slade slowly watched it all unfold. The celebration of every corner of the Jyhad, the fire trucks in vain, trying to put the fire out, only to realize that the tower was too far up to truly be put out.

He saw Kindred of all sides, happy as can be. Some Camarilla, some Anarchs. He saw remnants of the team that took out LaCroix scattered about. Miranda seemed confused and sad, but Ferrum was comforting her. Cadmus and Angelique were discussing something as well, and Victor seemed to have reunited with some of his fellow Tremere.

He saw quite a few Anarchs, too. He could recognize Nines Rodriguez and Jack, but other than that, he didn't really know the Anarchs too well. He didn't see Killian at least, which made him feel better. Edgar and Cressida could be seen too. But you really had to look, as even in the face of the news, they had to be hidden from mortals.

And Dragomir was having a mix of a reunion and a make-out session with Genevieve. He gave a weary smile, even though tears were running down his cheeks, as part of him wondered when Tess would stir.

"How…" He heard softly next to him, "How did it explode…?"

His eyes darted over to her, "There was a bomb, Tess…a bomb was inside the sarcophagus…"

"A…bomb…?" She asked, "They had bombs…in the Mesopotamian era…?"

He took a worn-out sigh, "No…someone sabotaged the sarcophagus…an Anarch…so when LaCroix opened it…the top of the tower exploded…"

"So…he's dead?"

"A little bit, yeah."

Her eyes started to water, "Then why am I here?"

He badly stifled a sob, "I have a better question…" He shook, "Why…why do you always…abandon us…after all we've done for you? We told you going to LaCroix was a bad idea, and…I don't know why…but…we've helped you again. Which…is probably stupid, because you'll likely betray us to the next handsome bastard who walks along." He growled, brushing his tears away, "When we were all alive…and you were having your interview, Dragomir overheard that you thought we were both dumb. I was pissed, but I brushed it off…but, if I knew what that was going to lead into…" He clenched his fists, "And then you have the _nerve_ to suggest that you were our friend? Why, Tess? What were you getting out of the two of us, because it was clear from the beginning that you just were along for the ride, and that you wanted to ditch us."

"I've never had friends, Slade, until I met you." She said, "Because everyone used _me_." Her voice was just as emotional, "I was the genius girl who…couldn't find parents because I was too smart and quiet…nobody adopts a child who acts like an adult…nobody wanted me, ever…and then I met you…" She sniffed, "You treated me…right…" She covered her eyes, "I didn't know what to do. I never knew what to do…I…took advantage of you. Because you were too good for me."

He took another shaky sigh, "Do you remember junior year well?"

"Of course…"

"Remember that day we went out to get coffee and I talked to you in the bathroom?" He asked, "Because people were bullying you about liking girls? About being different?"

She sniffed, "Uh huh…" Her voice was light and quiet.

"You _became_ them, Tess. You became the people who bullied you."

She sniffed again, "I…thought I'd feel powerful…I thought I'd feel as happy as I did…with you and April and Dragomir…sitting…enjoying high school…I just wanted it all back…"

"Now you just trash talk every clan who's a little _different_. Malkavians…Nosferatu…" He shook his head, "It just…confounds me that after all the bullying and shit you went through, that you would _turn into_ them."

She cried into her hands, "I want him back…"

He faced forward, "The old Dragomir, you mean?"

She nodded, "I can't apologize to him anymore…he's a different man…"

He blinked, as a fresh set of tears went down his cheeks, "He's gone, Tess. The Dragomir you knew. The Dragomir _we_ knew. Grout, or whatever his name was took him away from us."

"I know…" She whimpered, "I wish I never met Julius…he just…used his damn seduction skills on me the entire time…I was kine…it was so easy to fall for…I had no clue…"

"I'm beginning to think it was fate that all three of us were turned into vampires."

"You think so?" Her voice was soft.

He gave a timid smile, "Well, at first I hated being a vampire, but now that LaCroix's dead, I'm free…I can do whatever I want." He said, "Join whoever I want, be friends with whoever I want. It's all up to me now."

"I…guess it's…it's the same for me…" She said, "But…I don't want to be alone. I want to be with you. And Dragomir."

"Oh, really?" He asked, "I thought you didn't like Malkavians."

She closed her eyes, "I didn't like the truth."

His eyes slid over to her again, "Tess…I…I'm sorry…"

She was still lying on the slab of concrete, her hands over her stomach, her blazar still torn, but the purple dress shirt beneath was still intact. "Me too…" She didn't bother opening her eyes, she just took in the smells of the ash falling from the sky, the burning metal in the air.

"No…no…you don't get it…I…I was a horrible person…I didn't have to beat you…or…or slut-shame you into this…at all. You're…you're free to do what you want…I…I don't know what came over me this whole time…" His voice faltered, "I mean…yes, I was angry, but…I could've just…talked to you…but…I…I let the beast take me over as well…"

"Slade…" She said softly, "We'll both change then. To be better." She held a hand out, "Let's just…promise that we'll both take steps towards…somewhere better." Her eyes opened as she sat up, "Together."

Slade tried to brush more tears away, grabbing her outstretched hand and pulling her into a hug, "I…I can't believe you're forgiving me…so easily…Tess…" He sniffed, "I…I tried to disfigure you with a rock…"

She hugged him back tightly, "If I were to go into depth with all the bad things I've done with you both…we'd roast out in the sun…"

He gave her a squeeze, "I'm sorry Tess."

"It's okay Slade. Let's just move past it." She said, then she paused, "Can I move back in with both of you? And…then Genevieve could have her room back…then maybe Genevieve and Dragomir can move in together…"

He thought about it, "Yeah…Genevieve would probably like her old stomping grounds back…and I guess she and Dragomir would appreciate a little privacy…"

"You wouldn't mind living with me?"

"Uh…" He paused, out of embarrassment, "No, not at all…"

She giggled and squeezed him tighter, "Good. I'm looking forward to it."

He squeezed her back, "Me too."

She held his chin, met his eye briefly, then kissed his lips and wrapped her arms around him, situating herself so she was sitting in his lap. He held her waist and kissed her back, squeezing her tighter and occasionally running his fingers through her hair.

* * *

 **A/N:** And, that's all folks! Well, not really. Once again, thank you all so much for reading Power Struggle! You may think the antics of the three roommates are all over, but, chopperlover14 and I plan to make a sequel! That's right, we're going to expand on the Bloodlines cast, complete with more new characters! New Clans! New World of Darkness Lore! All of which I first drew inspiration from the various mods for the video game (Antitribu, Clan Quest, The Final Nights). So if you enjoyed Power Struggle, and don't want the fun to end, please be on the lookout for our new, exciting sequel!


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